The Old Armenian Quarter at Izmit, Turkey (aka Izmid, Kocaeli, Astacus or Nicomedia). Izmit houses a harbour 87 km southeast of Istanbul. The Eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire between 286-324 AD. Founded in 712 BC - scene of the 1999 Earthquake (7.4 on richter scale) which devastated the region and killed more than 19,000 people and leaving many more homeless. The city is still recovering (2008).