39. It’s Thousands of Years Old
If the belief that Istanbul started as a Thracian settlement called Lygos is correct, the city is genuinely ancient. The Thracian settlement would have dated between the 13th and 11th centuries B.C. However, even if the Thracian belief is inaccurate, the Greek settlement of Byzantium was founded in 657 B.C. No matter who truly founded it first, Istanbul has stood, in some form, since centuries before the birth of Christ.
