Is ‧ tan ‧ bul /ˌɪstænˈbʊl/ BrE AmE
a large city and port in northwest Turkey, at the point where Europe joins Asia. From 330 AD to 1923 it was called ↑ Constantinople , and before that it was known as ↑ Byzantium . It is the largest city in Turkey, but it is not the capital city (which is Ankara).