Istanbul, which grew dense within the city walls for the first three centuries of Ottoman rule, gained a new look from the early 18th century. Architectural activity along the Golden Horn and the shores of the Bosphorus (Istanbul) expressed the late-Ottoman desire to imitate the West. Istanbul was invaded as a consequence of the Ottoman defeat in World War I, and during the Turkish National War of Independence Ankara became the new capital. Istanbul is still the biggest and the most magnificent city of the Republic of Turkey.