I thing some additional information is needed before I start writing further.
As you may know I am from Istanbul also known as Constantinopolis. The city has many other names. I would start with Bysantium which is the oldest, Agusta Antonina, New Rome, Queen of Cities , Kostantinyye (al-Qustantiniyah) as prophet Mohammed called her - the official name of the city until the establisment of Turkish Republic, Dersaadet - gate of felicity, Deraliye/ Bab-ı Ali/ Payitaht / Asitane - all different versions of saying the center pf power and finally Istanbul.
Istanbul itself comes from the Greek phrase (i) stinboli (n) which means in the city / to the city.
Other people also named the city in other languages : Vikings named it as Miklagaror - big city, Slavs called it Tsarigrad / Carigrad, Persians and Pakistani used to call her Kayser-i Zemin / Taxt-e Rum and Arabs sometimes called her Rūmiyyat al-kubra, the great city of Romans
The picture above depicits an artist's view of the city before the conquest of Ottomans. The view is from the Asian side, there is mosque. The small village just opposite is a Genovese town and ''The City'' on the left middle with Saint Sofia or as we call Aya Sofya
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