Istanbul Province Istanbul Province Istanbul Province (), also the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ("İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi") is a province of Turkey. It has an area of and is located in the Marmara region in the north-west of the country, bordered by Tekirdağ Province to the west and Kocaeli Province to the east. The Bosphorus Strait between the Black Sea to the north and the Sea of Marmara to the south divides Istanbul Province into European and Asian sides, which makes it one of only two transcontinental provinces in Turkey, along with Çanakkale Province. Istanbul Province has a population of 14,804,116 as of 2016,
Church of St. Mary of the Spring (Istanbul) Also several Patriarchs are buried here. Characteristic of this cemetery are also several gravestones with Karamanli inscriptions, which constitute by far the largest surviving group in this language. The complex is also surrounded by two large cemeteries, respectively Armenian and Greek, each enclosed in high walls. About one kilometer south of the church is active an important Greek hospital, the "Balikli Rum Hastanesi Vakif" (“Balikli Greek Hospital Foundation”). Church of St. Mary of the Spring (Istanbul) The Monastery of the Mother of God at the Spring (full name in , pr. "Moni tis Theotóku tis Pigis"; Turkish name: "Balıklı Meryem