ISTANBUL:
What's in a name?

by Babur ALBAYRAK

What's in a name? I am sure almost everyone has come along with this question. It is for sure that for different reasons there were different concerns when everyone thought for an answer. As for my point of view concerning the answer for this question, I have two different approaches. The first one is the etymological reasoning for naming a place or a person. An etymological given name has natural effects on the place or the person named. In other words, the name and the Mother Nature form such a harmony that both of them form the being of the place or the person. Such as, let's think of a place called withering heights. The etymological approach is obvious here but eventually a question rises along with the name and the place. The question: Where is the starting point? The withering heights are withering because it was called that way or just because they wither with the blowing wind. This is just a simple example to give you an idea of how I see it.

The second approach is the good old historical names given to a place or a person. There are many examples such as Istanbul was previously called Constantinople. It is a name given by one of the emperors or padishas that ruled the empire by pointing out the importance of the historical character. This is a perfect example of an historical approach of a given name. However, The same city had been conquered many other emperors and padishas through out the history.

Today, the city I live and was born in is called Istanbul. It is an amazing part of the world where the two continents meet with a fabulous characteristic of landscape and people, when you go inside and experience it, you will not be able to compare it to any other place on earth. It has been the source of inspiration through out the years. Istanbul is a metropolitan that has all the characteristics of any city in the world. There are people from all parts of the world with any religion, race, or nation. They are Istanbulians as long as they consider themselves from Istanbul and more to come will consider this in the bright future of this city, which is about to become the spiritual center for all the religions, belief and inspiration consisting of all kinds of energies to find in separate parts or in complete. After people invent these energies they are able to carry it with them to give it to others at thousands of meeting places of all kinds. The people who live in Istanbul characterize their lives however they want to live in it. For some it is gettling and others approach is that there is only one Istanbul on earth. As for my point of view Istanbul has everything I look for in a metropolitan and I can say it is my kind of place.  

Therefore, I asked myself; what is in the name Istanbul? I have a complete etymological approach, which is based on facts of my own. In fact it is an idea of my perception of etymological approach. The name Istanbul consists of two Turkish words: "-istan" and "-bul" and they both lead to other meanings of words. "-istan" or "-stan" is usually found in the given name of countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and etc. "Bul" is a verb that is derived from "Bulmak" which means, "to find" in English. I think the last conqueror pointed out the fact that all the people living in this city were given a mission by him. It was to find other countries and conquer them and most of them ended with "-stan" or "-istan". It is for sure that to conquer means another word in Turkish but in the historical times the emperors and padishas were to find these places at first and then conquer them because all the people of those times were unaware of today's modern maps and information highways such as Internet, television programs or newspapers delivered from different parts of the world. The troops or man with weapons, like bow and arrow would go out to many different directions and look for lands of importance, wealth, and beauty. It was found for the emperors or the padishas and then it would be conquered. I say this was the motivation and the conqueror believed there were many more to be found.

So, you bring yourself to Istanbul and conquer the love of inspiration to bring out the best in you.

E-mail to Babur ALBAYRAK: babur@atlas.net.tr