Kostantiniyye: Out of Chatacter

LOCATION

"Located on a horn-shaped peninsula astride the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, ... Constantinople dominated the narrow waterway that divides Europe from Asia. The complexities of that geography provided both advantages and challenges to the site's defense. A steep and rugged shoreline and the Sea of Marmara's swift currents protected the southern coast. To the north the Golden Horn, an inlet that bordered the peninsula, was a natural anchorage and harbor. The ancient Lycus River ran diagonally northwest to southeast across the peninsula, forming a narrow valley that sectioned the city into two distinct areas-a chain of six hills running along the Golden Horn to the north, and a single, larger hill to the south." (From here) 


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CLIMATE QUICKNOTES: I'm just gonna c&p from Wikipedia here, y'all:

"Summer weather in Istanbul is moderately warm, with the temperature in July and August averaging 24 °C (75 °F).Extreme heat, however, is uncommon, as temperatures rise above 32 °C (90 °F) on only five days per year on average. Rainfall is also uncommon during the summer, with only four or five rainy days per month. Winters are cold, wet and often snowy, with the temperature in January and February averaging 4 °C (39 °F). Snowfalls tend to be heavy, but snowcover and temperatures below freezing rarely last more than a few days. Spring and autumn are mild, but often wet and unpredictable; chilly winds from the northwest and warm gusts from the south—sometimes in the same day—have the tendency to cause fluctuations in temperature."