Constantinople

(kon-stan-te-no'pl.) [ " City of Const an tine; " Turk. Istamboul; anciently Byzantium.] A celebrated city of S.E. Europe, the chief city of the Moslem world, and C. of the Turkish empire, on the narrow strait called the Bosphorus, connecting the Euxine and Marmora seas, and dividing Europe from Asia; Lat. 41° 0′ 12″ N., Lon. 28° 59' 2" E. Its harbor, called the Golden Horn, is one of the finest and secure st in the world, with depth of water enough to accommo date 1,000 of the largest sail. Viewed from the harbor, and from opposite the suburbs of Pera, the city of C. presents a tableau of inexpre ible beauty and magnificence. The city proper is harp-shaped, in length abt. 4 m., E. to W.; breadth varying from 1 to 4 m. Its circuit is estimated at abt. 13 m. It is built upon 7 hills, and its interior is one vast agglomeration of narrow, dirty streets, wooden shanties, and mean buildings, diversified with noble palaces, khans, mosques, fountains, bazaars, . The point of land trending upon the Golden Horn is covered by the buildings and gar-Constructivene , dens of the Seraglio, or Imperial Palace, whose principal entrance is called the Sublime Porte-whence Consubstantiation, the official designation of the empire. Foreign residents dwell in Pera, Galata, and other of the E. suburbs on the opposite side of the harbor, and these, accordingly, form the commercial quarter. C. contains abt. 350 mosques (among them the superb structures of St. Sophia and the mosque of Solyman the Magnificent), 40 Moslem colleges, 183 hospitals, 36 Christian churches, besides innumerable baths, bazaars, cafés, caravans aries, . C. has a large foreign and domestic trade; her manuf. comprise chiefly articles of Oriental production. C. was originally called Byzantium, from having been founded by Byzas, B. c. 656; destroyed by Severus, Consul it was rebuilt A.D. 328, by the emperor Const an tine, who made it the C. of the Roman empire. It continued thenceforth to be the residence of the Roman, and afterwards of the Byzant i an emperors, till in 1453 it was taken by the Turks. Since that time it has been the C. of Turkey. Pop. 1879, est. 600,000. [s. 221]