and Constantinople
(see names of Istanbul for further information), is the largest city of Turkey
. Istanbul metropolitan province (municipality)
had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area
in Europe (including the Asian side of the city) after London and Moscow
.
1453 Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (Istanbul), which falls on May 29.
1509 An earthquake known as "The Lesser Judgment Day" hits Istanbul.
1695 Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his abdication in 1703.
1863 Robert College of Istanbul-Turkey, the first American educational institution outside the United States, is founded by Christopher Robert, an American philanthropist.
1915 The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
1923 The great powers of World War I withdraw from Istanbul
1923 Ankara replaces Istanbul as the capital of Turkey.
1925 The Government of Turkey throws Patriarch Constantine VI out of Istanbul.
1930 Constantinople and Angora change their names to Istanbul and Ankara.
1955 Istanbul Pogrom: Istanbul's Greek and Armenian minority are the target of a government-sponsored pogrom.