The city known historically as Byzantium and later as Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul on March 28, 1930. The name change was part of the modernization efforts undertaken by the newly established Republic of Turkey under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Renaming Constantinople to Istanbul helped to solidify the city’s Turkish identity and move away from its Byzantine and Ottoman past. Today, Istanbul remains one of the most populous and culturally vibrant cities in Turkey, serving as a bridge between Europe and Asia.