Kartal is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe and Pendik. Despite being far from the city centre, Kartal is heavily populated (total population of 541,209) (2008 census). The total land area is 147,000 m2, which includes some countryside areas inland. The district's neighbours are Maltepe to the west, Sultanbeyli and Sancaktepe to the north and Pendik to the east. Inland from the coast, the land rises sharply up to the hills Yakacık and Aydos, the latter of which is the highest point in Istanbul. History Kartal ('eagle' in Turkish, by folk etymology) was a fishing village on the shore of the Marmara Sea during the Byzantine Empire, called Kartalimen or Kartalimin in Greek, and was founded at the beginning of the 6th century. In the 11th century, the town was conquered by the ruler of the Seljuks, Suleyman Shah. In 1329, Kartal became part of the Ottoman Empire, the Byzantines re-took the city in 1403, however, and held it for 17 years before losing it to the Ottomans again. According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the kaza of Kartal had a total population of 12.969, consisting of 6.920 Greeks, 5.095 Muslims, 869 Armenians, 3 Catholics, 1 Jew and 81 foreign citizens. By 1947, Kartal was an industrial area and with the introduction of commuter trains to Haydarpaşa Terminal from Gebze in 1973, Kartal became even more important as an industrial area of Istanbul. However, the current trend is that factories are being closed down and moved inland. For example, the large cement factory on the shore, which is to be converted into a cultural center, was closed in 2003. There is a historical Roman bath ruin near Dragos Hill, which is being recovered by the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, with the financial support of Kartal Municipality. Kartal today Luxury apartment complexes have been built on the coast, along with much more housing inland and this has attracted more shops and infrastructure. Housing is of good-quality in general. Building near the coast slowed after the 1999 earthquake, when people became aware that a major fault line runs just off this coast. However, building on the high ground inland is proceeding apace. On 4 June 2007, the Greater Istanbul Municipality and the former mayor of Kartal announced that a new urban city environment would be