Coveted by empires over the ages, straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul is one of the world’s largest metropolises. Founded around 1000 B.C., the Byzantine colony developed into the great capital of the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople, and after the Ottoman conquest of the region, it maintained its majestic position as the center of its empire. The city (officially renamed Istanbul after the establishment of the Turkish Republic) is widely littered with the glorious remnants of its long and majestic past, and the sightseeing here will attract even the most monumental tourist.