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    • .istanbul

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .istanbul is a GeoTLD (geographical top-level domain) representing the city of Istanbul.
    • It was proposed and sponsored by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and its subsidiary MEDYA A.Ş.
    • Intended for entities associated with Istanbul and to serve as a city-branded namespace on the Internet.
    • DNSSEC is enabled for the TLD.

    History

    • The .istanbul string was applied for as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program (the applicant also applied for .ist).
    • ICANN delegation information in sources shows the string was delegated in 2015 (dates referenced include 29 May 2015 and 11 July 2015).
    • The TLD was reported active as of 27 January 2016.
    • Management and sponsorship are associated with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and MEDYA A.Ş.; some records list Afilias in registry-related fields.

    Usage and Audience

    • Target audience:
      • Businesses, organizations and individuals connected to Istanbul (residents, former residents, visitors, tourists, and enterprises).
      • Local government services and city-related institutions seeking a clear Istanbul-branded web presence.
    • Use cases described by the applicant include:
      • Promoting tourism and Istanbul's historical and cultural heritage.
      • Helping local businesses market and expand their reach.
      • Providing an international-regional presence tied to the city brand.

    Registration Rules

    • Registration structure: domains are registered directly at the second level (example: example.istanbul).
    • Restrictions / eligibility: described by the applicant and registry as an unrestricted/open TLD serving businesses and individuals of all countries and classes; MEDYA A.Ş. described "unlimited and open registration of the names."
    • Dispute policy: UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy).

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • The TLD was promoted as a tool to:
      • Improve awareness of Istanbul's historical heritage.
      • Support economic growth by providing a city-branded namespace for local businesses and tourism promotion.
      • Make search for Istanbul-related content easier by creating a dedicated city domain space.
    • Sources present this as a brand- and visibility-focused initiative rather than technical SEO guarantees; no explicit statements about search-engine ranking behavior are provided in the source material.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • The application emphasized city-branding goals and explicitly aimed to unite people worldwide who are connected to Istanbul.
    • The applicant also filed for the related string .ist alongside .istanbul.
    • Operational dates from source material: introduced/delegated in 2015 and active by 27 January 2016.

    Operator

    Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       ISTANBUL

organisation: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
address:      Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Department of Electrical Engineering Hacı ahmet mahallesi Muhsin yazıcıoğlu caddesi no:1
address:      Beyoğlu/İstanbul 34440
address:      Turkey

contact:      administrative
name:         Registry Manager
organisation: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
address:      Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Department of Electrical Engineering Hacı ahmet mahallesi Muhsin yazıcıoğlu caddesi no:1
address:      Beyoğlu/İstanbul 34440
address:      Turkey
phone:        +90.2123128920
fax-no:       +90.2124495115
e-mail:       registry.iana@ibb.gov.tr

contact:      technical
name:         Senior Director, DNS Infrastructure Group
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      c/o Identity Digital Inc.
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldtech@identity.digital

nserver:      A0.NIC.ISTANBUL 2a01:8840:8e:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.144.9
nserver:      A2.NIC.ISTANBUL 2a01:8840:91:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.147.9
nserver:      B0.NIC.ISTANBUL 2a01:8840:8f:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.145.9
nserver:      C0.NIC.ISTANBUL 2a01:8840:90:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.146.9
ds-rdata:     61630 8 2 3ebb91801cf0d1a67a84b4f1e265b248a3e3b0459c30d3631955e98a31a430d8

whois:        whois.nic.istanbul

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.istanbul

created:      2015-05-29
changed:      2025-08-28
source:       IANA

    Registrars