Istanbul: A Living Legacy of Law and Thought

Few cities in the world embody the deep entanglement of law, history and transformation as richly as Istanbul. It has been continuously inhabited for nearly three millennia and has twice stood as the greatest city of the world—first under the Roman Empire, then under the Ottomans—at the center of empire, religion and legal authority. Even in antiquity, its intellectual climate gave rise to figures such as Thrasymachus of Chalcedon (modern Kadıköy), whose provocative account of justice as an expression of power still resonates in legal and political critique.

Süleymaniye Mosque, located in Capitolium Hill, where Corpus Iuris Civilis was written centuries age

In the 6th century, the city became the birthplace of the Corpus Juris Civilis, the monumental codification of Roman law under Emperor Justinian I. This effort preserved and rationalized centuries of jurisprudence, laying the foundations of the civil law tradition that shapes many legal systems to this day. Nearly a millennium later, the same city was home to another great codifier: Sultan Süleyman, known by Turks as the Lawgiver, whose legal reforms helped shape the Ottoman Empire’s complex legal structure.

Centuries later, the Mecelle (Majallah), drafted in late Ottoman Istanbul, marked the first formal codification of Islamic civil law. Bridging classical jurisprudence and modern legal rationality, it continues to inform legal practice in several East Mediterranean jurisdictions.

Following the establishment of the Republic, Türkiye enacted one of the most successful legal receptions in modern history, replacing a religiously grounded legal order with a secular, codified system. Core areas of law—including civil, criminal and commercial codes—were adopted from European models. This transformation stands as an enduring example of legal reform in response to systemic change.

Topkapı Palace with the “Tower of Justice”

Today, Istanbul is a global city once more—not only historically significant but also culturally resonant. In recent decades, it has played a prominent role in global popular culture as the setting for Turkish television series widely watched across Asia, the Balkans, Latin America and the Middle East. This new visibility reflects Istanbul’s evolving place in the cultural flows of globalization, a process that continues to challenge legal norms, reconfigure identities and test the capacity of law to respond to changing social realities.

As participants gather to reflect on “Law in the Face of the Changing Problems of the World”, Istanbul offers not only a symbolic setting but a living one—where the histories of legal thought, institutional reform and cultural transformation remain visible, tangible and in motion.

Getting to and from Istanbul is straightforward for international travelers. The city is served by two major airports: Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side, one of the largest and busiest hubs in the world, and Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) on the Asian side. Both airports are well connected to major cities across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond, with frequent flights and reliable ground transport into the city center.

Istanbul’s public transportation network is among the most extensive in Europe. Visitors can navigate the city easily using metro lines, trams, Marmaray commuter trains, and ferries. The Istanbul Rail Transit Network Map shown below illustrates the system’s reach—from Istanbul Airport (M11 line) in the northwest to Sabiha Gökçen Airport (M4 extension) on the Asian side, and from the historic peninsula to newer residential and business districts. Transfers are frequent, and multilingual signage is available on most lines. The Marmaray line, in particular, offers a fast and scenic undersea ride across the Bosphorus—linking the two continents within minutes.