The Greek name "Itsanbul"

Submitted by Ianus (Poland), May 2, 2009 at 06:09

BERK AKK wrote :

> Istanbul and many other cities once upon a time was city of unknown number of lost populations.Who is the owner is depended on historical condition. <

With this argument in mind one can easily kick the Turks out of Anatolia back into the Karakorum desert telling them after the fact "It all depends on historical conditions ... and they have changed , you know."

The city of Constaninople has a documented history with few if any 'lost populations' ever settling here. It was founded in 667 B.C. by the Greek colonists from Megara under king Byzas , son of Nisos, and was named accordingly 'Byzantion'. As such it has always remained a Greek city, even during the Frankish rule. The name was changed around A.D. 330 into 'Constantinoupolis' or 'Constantinople' - Constantine's city.

"Istambul" is ,of course, also a purely Greek name as its Greek owners called Constantinople simply "the city" or "ή πόλις" (polis) or in Byzantine Greek "η πόλη" (i poli) and the expression was "είς την πόλη" ( pronounced roughly "is timboli" ) "to the city" or "in the city". What was meant was the oldest part of the city of Constantine or Byzantion. But the city grew and comprised two more parts 'Pera" (Beyond), the districts beyond the Goldern Horn and Chrysopolis or Scoutari on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus. Now, all these three parts constituted Constantinople proper. Istanbul was just one of three parts of Constantinople.

As a result of forced Turkification imposed by Gazi Kemal Mustafa the name "Constantinople" was suppressed , but instead -either through ignorance or lack of imagination - another Grek name "Istanbul" (=EIS THN POLI) with a specific narrow meaning but allegedly better Turkish sounding, was adopted to designate Constantinople. But such name-reforms are hard to carry through on decree from above as people's memory sticks to place names more than to anything else. To do away with the old name quickly Kemal invented an insiduous ruse which someone called jokingly his second jihad - his "postal jihad". It was decided that no letters, postcards, large envelopes, packets or parcels would be ever delivered to their destination if the address was "Constantinople" and not official 'Turkish' "Istanbul". "Address unknown", "There is no such place as Constantinople" was the standard explanation to the perplexed senders while receivers were waiting in vain for some news or presents from abroad. Just like his first bloody jihad his soft second jihad succeeded this way. The world adpoted by force the new Greek name the Turk represented as Turkish with few realizing all the perverted story behind it.

> Byzantine was not there lets say 3000 yrs ago. Before them there was hittites,frigs and many others on anotalia land.<

How clever and perfidious yoy are to tell just a part of the story and suppress the other more interesting one! One could wonder why the Turks suddenly are so fond, appreciative and enthusiastic about the 'lost populations', mysterious ancient nations of the Hittites, the Phrygians while they detest and deny all historical rights to their homes to the historically excellently documented nations of the Armenians and the Greeks? Yet , it's quite understandable if one bears in mind the Turkish historical dogmas according to which Turks are native (sic!) to Anatolia because they descend directly from the Sumerians and the Hittites and the Phrygians. Turkish is after all the pre-language of humanity, both Sumerian and Hittite are of Turkic origins and modern Turks are 'legitimate' heirs to these populations, as Ghazi Kemal taught.

Through these anti-scientific perversions, lies and myths Turks can justify their claims not just to Anatolia but the whole world. To justify their aggressive claims and denials of historical realities they need badly to show off with their filial piety towards their newly invented ancient parents.

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