The Cultural Capital in 2010 - Istanbul
- 26 Oct 2009 02:39
Istanbul was known as the city on the seven hills. Whether Constantine the Great was actually aware of the fact that the new city was, founded on seven hills remains uncertain.
The seven hills, all located in the area within the walls, first appeared when the valleys of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus were opened up during the Secondary and Tertiary periods. In the Ottoman, as in the earlier Byzantine period, each hill was surmounted by monumental religious buildings.