I was hanging out on a boat this Canada Day weekend (as one does on the coast) when someone asked me about my upcoming trip (as people do when they are around me) and I said I am going to the five 'stans and Istanbul. And she said, iSTANbul is a sixth 'stan. And I thought, how did I not think of that!!
And then, of course, you say Istanbul to anyone and they start singing Istanbul (not Constantinople). Which makes me think of my History of Central Asia book and the fact that the city was called Byzantium before it was Constantinople. Which both also have a stan in them, sort of, 'stan' and 'zan'.
So, I thought, I think the suffix 'stan' means country but I decided to look it up.
The -stan suffix, and also sta and -istan, occur in various languages as markers of place. In Persian and Urdu, -stan means “where one stands” or “place of.” The Indo-European root word sta is used to signify “stands” and “settlement,” and this root still appears in Russian. The construction -istan appears in Persian and means “land.” So, the word Tajikistan means essentially “land of the Tajiks.”
The history of the names of Istanbul is a walk through the history of the city.
Byzantium is Roman. Named for King Byzas who settled there is 7th century BCE. That is a mind boggling long time ago!! Then it went through some unmemorable names related to its relationship to Rome (Secondu Roma, Nova Roma etc). Until Roman Emperor Constantine the Great wandered by and renamed the city after himself, Constantinople, as one does when one sacks a city and takes over its people.
Constantinople was a catchy name so it stuck around even after the Romans left and the Ottomans ruled the world (at least this part of it). But then the Republic of Turkey was founded and the Post Office (?) officially changed the name of the city to Istanbul. Although, this is very important, the name Constantinople was still used in Millenary circles. That couldn't mean what I thought it meant, but yes, it does. Hat making circles. It was 1930. Hats were culture. So def worth mentioning.
oh, this is a rabbit hole if ever a rabbit hole existed!!
In 1930, the city formerly known as Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul. While the fez was a traditional hat of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish people, it had been outlawed in Turkey in 1925 as part of a modernization effort to replace traditional headgear with Western-style hats. Therefore, while the fez was historically associated with Istanbul, it would not have been commonly worn there in 1930 due to the hat law.
Must find more info!!! Don't break the hat law or risk EXECTUTION!!
Historical Context:
The fez was a traditional Ottoman hat, but in 1925, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk implemented a law that required the replacement of traditional headgear with Western-style hats. Hat Law:
This law was a key part of Atatürk's modernization efforts and aimed to promote a more Westernized appearance for Turkish society. Consequences of Violating the Law:
Individuals who violated the hat law faced arrest and, in some cases, even execution. Istanbul in 1930:
By 1930, the city, previously known as Constantinople, had been officially renamed Istanbul, and the hat law was in effect, making the fez a less common sight.
Amazingly, I seem to have lost the plot of this post. What were we talking about?
[Update, so it has been pointed out to me that I looked up the wrong word. Millenary (1000 years) is not Millinery (hat making). But I did a lot of hat research, at least 90 seconds worth, so my post stays as it is. ]
Oh, ya, etymology. Well after the hat execution info, that's kind of boring.
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| Off with his Fez!! |
And then I remembered the immortal words of Jimmy Kennedy from 1953 and realized, it's nobody's business but the Turks!
Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks'
And that ends this vital trip-planning blog update.
Wait, I remember the plot - Istanbul. Roughly, Stan means place, Pol means city in Greek (as in metropolis).
It simply means I Sten Pol meaning within the city, probably meaning within the old city walls.” Locals in Constantinople referred to the city as I Sten Pol (within the city) from the 10th century, as evidenced in Armenian and Arabic sources (without the initial I-) and Ottoman sources, too. The “I Sten Pol” eventually morphed into one word
Next post we'll talk about algebra (just kidding).
