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.

[4] 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.

[5][6] 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.

[8] 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.

[11] Luxury apartment complexes have been built on the coast, along with much more housing inland and this has attracted more shops and infrastructure.

On 4 June 2007, the Greater Istanbul Municipality and the former mayor of Kartal announced that a new urban city environment would be built in Kartal-Pendik.