<P> Constantinople's fame was such that it was described even in contemporary Chinese histories, the Old and New Book of Tang, which mentioned its massive walls and gates as well as a purported clepsydra mounted with a golden statue of a man . The Chinese histories even related how the city had been besieged in the 7th century by Muawiyah I and how he exacted tribute in a peace settlement . </P> <P> The Byzantine Empire used Roman and Greek architectural models and styles to create its own unique type of architecture . The influence of Byzantine architecture and art can be seen in the copies taken from it throughout Europe . Particular examples include St Mark's Basilica in Venice, the basilicas of Ravenna, and many churches throughout the Slavic East . Also, alone in Europe until the 13th - century Italian florin, the Empire continued to produce sound gold coinage, the solidus of Diocletian becoming the bezant prized throughout the Middle Ages . Its city walls were much imitated (for example, see Caernarfon Castle) and its urban infrastructure was moreover a marvel throughout the Middle Ages, keeping alive the art, skill and technical expertise of the Roman Empire . In the Ottoman period Islamic architecture and symbolism were used . </P> <P> Constantine's foundation gave prestige to the Bishop of Constantinople, who eventually came to be known as the Ecumenical Patriarch, and made it a prime center of Christianity alongside Rome . This contributed to cultural and theological differences between Eastern and Western Christianity eventually leading to the Great Schism that divided Western Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy from 1054 onwards . Constantinople is also of great religious importance to Islam, as the conquest of Constantinople is one of the signs of the End time in Islam . </P> <Ul> <Li> Constantinople appears as a city of wondrous majesty, beauty, remoteness, and nostalgia in William Butler Yeats' 1928 poem "Sailing to Byzantium ." </Li> <Li> Constantinople, as seen under the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II, makes several on - screen appearances in the television miniseries "Attila" as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire . </Li> <Li> Finnish author Mika Waltari wrote one of his most - acclaimed historical novels, Johannes Angelos (published in English by name "The Dark Angel") on the fall of Constantinople . </Li> <Li> Robert Graves, author of I, Claudius, also wrote Count Belisarius, a historical novel about Belisarius . Graves set much of the novel in the Constantinople of Justinian I . </Li> <Li> Constantinople provides the setting of much of the action in Umberto Eco's 2000 novel Baudolino . </Li> <Li> The name Constantinople was made easy to spell thanks to a novelty song, "C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E," written by Harry Carlton and performed by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, in the 1920s . </Li> <Li> Constantinople's change of name was the theme for a song made famous by The Four Lads and later covered by They Might Be Giants and many others, titled "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)." </Li> <Li> "Constantinople" was one of the "big words" the Father knows toward the end of Dr. Seuss's book, Hop on Pop . (The other was Timbuktu .) </Li> <Li> "Constantinople" was also the title of the opening edit of The Residents' EP Duck Stab!, released in 1978 . </Li> <Li> Queen's Roger Meddows Taylor included the track "Interlude in Constantinople" on Side 2 of his debut album Fun in Space . </Li> <Li> A Montreal - based folk / classical / fusion band calls itself "Constantinople ." </Li> <Li> Constantinople under Justinian is the scene of the book A Flame in Byzantium (ISBN 0 - 312 - 93026 - 7) by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, released in 1987 . </Li> <Li> "Constantinople" is the title of a song by The Decemberists . </Li> <Li> Stephen Lawhead's novel Byzantium (1996) is set in 9th - century Constantinople . </Li> <Li> Folk Metal band Turisas makes multiple references to Constantinople in their song "Miklagard Overture," referring to it as "Konstantinopolis," "Tsargrad," and "Miklagard ." </Li> <Li> Constantinople makes an appearance in the MMORPG game Silkroad as a major capital, along with a major Chinese capital . </Li> <Li> Constantinople makes an appearance in the "Rome Total War" expansion "Barbarian Invasion" belonging to the Eastern Roman Empire . It would reappear in the same role for the spiritual sequel, Total War: Attila . </Li> <Li> Constantinople also makes an appearance in "Medieval Total War ." It is a starting province and city of the Byzantines . </Li> <Li> Constantinople makes an appearance in the game "Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings" in the fifth scenario of the Barbarossa campaign and again in the third scenario of the Attila the Hun campaign in the expansion pack "Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion ." </Li> <Li> Constantinople is the main setting of the game "Assassin's Creed: Revelations," the fourth major title in the best - selling "Assassin's Creed" series . </Li> <Li> Constantinople is also a setting of the Vampire: The Dark Ages role playing game by White Wolf . </Li> <Li> Constantinople is one of the territories featured in the Board Game Diplomacy . It is one of the default territories of Turkey . </Li> </Ul>

Constantinople was designed to be the center of what religious world