Old City Walls of Istanbul | Istanbul sight seeing
Old City Walls of Istanbul : Old Constantinople was encircled by walls referred to as land walls and ocean walls. These walls were regarded as the biggest fortress ever built within the Christian era. Using their numerous towers, small and big, they're an impressive sight.
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Istanbul's city walls |
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Istanbul's city walls - a centuries -old attraction
Niki Gamm
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul’s first city walls were constructed to protect the acropolis, located where Topkapı Palace is today. The second set was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 and were outside the Greek walls by some 300 meters.
Among the many monuments for which Istanbul is famous, the centuries-old city walls stand out with their impressive girth and structure. Visitors and residents alike catch a glimpse of them while travelling to and from the airport. They extend for 22 kilometers, stretching from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn and have been breached only twice in their entire history. The first time came in 1204 by the Latin Crusaders who were supposed to be heading toward the Holy Land and again in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks who had been eyeing the city of Constantinople with hungry eyes for a hundred years.
The first city walls were constructed where Topkapı Palace is today to protect the acropolis. They were about 6 kilometers long with 27 towers spread throughout. The second set was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 and placed just outside the Greek walls by some 300 meters. When Constantine the Great decided in 324 AD to make the city his eastern capital, his walls were built some 6 kilometers further to the west. The famous Golden Gate through which triumphal emperors would enter the city was erected during the reign of Theodosius the Great (r. 378-395) and situated even farther beyond the Constantine’s walls.
The walls built by Emperor Theodosius II between 412 and 413 A.D. were probably in response to the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 409. The walls, which are still known as the Theodosian Walls, had three parts - a main wall, a lower front wall and a moat or trench divided in such a way that it could be filled with water. These walls still extend around the area today though much of them have been repaired using modern technology. The walls were seriously damaged in 447 AD as a result of a violent earthquake. During these years, Attila the Hun had been raiding and capturing Byzantine cities in the Balkan areas and even reached the walls of Constantinople, but the great warrior was not equipped to attack walls of this size at that time. The Byzantines were so frightened, however, that they immediately repaired the damaged walls in 448. Around this same date the emperor had a sea wall built for the first time.
Among the many monuments for which Istanbul is famous, the centuries-old city walls stand out with their impressive girth and structure. Visitors and residents alike catch a glimpse of them while travelling to and from the airport. They extend for 22 kilometers, stretching from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn and have been breached only twice in their entire history. The first time came in 1204 by the Latin Crusaders who were supposed to be heading toward the Holy Land and again in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks who had been eyeing the city of Constantinople with hungry eyes for a hundred years.
The first city walls were constructed where Topkapı Palace is today to protect the acropolis. They were about 6 kilometers long with 27 towers spread throughout. The second set was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 and placed just outside the Greek walls by some 300 meters. When Constantine the Great decided in 324 AD to make the city his eastern capital, his walls were built some 6 kilometers further to the west. The famous Golden Gate through which triumphal emperors would enter the city was erected during the reign of Theodosius the Great (r. 378-395) and situated even farther beyond the Constantine’s walls.
The walls built by Emperor Theodosius II between 412 and 413 A.D. were probably in response to the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 409. The walls, which are still known as the Theodosian Walls, had three parts - a main wall, a lower front wall and a moat or trench divided in such a way that it could be filled with water. These walls still extend around the area today though much of them have been repaired using modern technology. The walls were seriously damaged in 447 AD as a result of a violent earthquake. During these years, Attila the Hun had been raiding and capturing Byzantine cities in the Balkan areas and even reached the walls of Constantinople, but the great warrior was not equipped to attack walls of this size at that time. The Byzantines were so frightened, however, that they immediately repaired the damaged walls in 448. Around this same date the emperor had a sea wall built for the first time.
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| City Wall - The first city walls were constructed to protect the acropolis. They were about six kilometers long with 27 towers spread throughout. The second set was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203. |
The very fact that the walls were so formidable kept many an enemy away, although it didn’t stop Arab armies from trying starting in 672 and 673. While the Arabs had a fleet at their disposal the Byzantines had discovered “Greek fire,” an incendiary liquid that could be shot at the enemy. Its formula is unknown but it worked particularly well against ships. It was during this siege that Eyüp Sultan, the companion of the Prophet Mohammed, died and was buried outside the walls. The Arabs had to retreat, but they returned again in 717 to lay siege to the city. Thanks to disease and the Theodosian Walls, the Arabs were forced to withdraw the following year. Although the dream of taking Constantinople remained in the collective Arab memory, it was not until 1453 that the banner of Islam was planted on the city walls.
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