Home Blog
Defensive Works at the Bucoleon Palace
Some historians, including Labarte and Schlumberger, argue that Emperor Nicephorus Phocas surrounded the Palace of Bucoleon with special defensive works, effectively making it a...
Heraclius and the Defence of Hormisdas
As mentioned earlier, in 610, Heraclius appeared with a fleet before Constantinople to end the tyranny of Emperor Phocas. At that time, the quarter...
Transition from Hormisdas to Bucoleon
The name “Palace of Hormisdas” gradually disappears around the same time the term “Bucoleon” begins to appear. This supports the idea that both names...
Tower Opposite the Imperial Gate
Another strong piece of evidence concerns the tower that stood opposite the Imperial Gate. Phrantzes describes this tower as being “in the middle of...
Question of the Basilike Pyle
Before ending the study of the Harbour Walls of Constantinople, it is necessary to return to an important question. This question appeared earlier in...
Gate of the Chain on the Galata Side
Although ancient writers do not clearly describe the exact position of the Gate of the Chain on the Galata side of the Golden Horn,...
Purpose of Manuel’s Wall
The wall built by Emperor Manuel Comnenus was constructed to strengthen the defenses of the Palace of Blachernae, which had become the preferred residence...
Joining Old and New Walls
If the western spur of the Sixth Hill was already protected by walls when the Theodosian Walls were built (in the early 5th century),...
Confusion About the City’s Old Defenses
One of the biggest problems with the idea that the walls around the western spur of the Sixth Hill were simply part of the...
The Pigeons of the Bayezid Mosque
The famous Bayezidiyeh Mosque, also called the Pigeon Mosque, was built in 1497 by Sultan Bayezid II. It gets its nickname from the many...
