Walls of Constantinople

The walls of Constantinople (Turkish: Konstantinopolis Surları; Greek: Τείχη της Κωνσταντινούπολης) are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (modern Fatih district of Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great.

These walls were very strong and helped protect the city for many years.

Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides. Later, in the 5th century, more walls called the Theodosian walls were added. Even with new weapons, these walls stayed strong. They helped the city survive many hard times.

Although the walls were mostly kept safe during the time of the Ottoman rule, some parts were taken down in the 19th century as the city grew. Even so, many parts of the walls still stand today. Efforts have been made to care for these important remains.

Land walls

Walls of Greek and Roman Byzantium

The city of Constantinople started as Byzantium, founded by Greek settlers from Megra around 658 BC. It had a small wall around a high area called the acropolis. This wall had twenty-seven towers and two main gates. Over time, the city changed hands and its defenses were updated.

Constantinian walls

When Constantine the Great made the city his new capital in 330 AD, he built new walls about 2.8 kilometers west of the old ones. These walls had towers and gates to protect the growing city. By the 5th century, the city had grown beyond these walls, but they stayed important for many years.

Theodosian walls

The most famous walls were built during the rule of Emperor Theodosius II in the early 5th century. These walls were much stronger and more complex, with two main walls and a wide moat in front. They protected the city for over a thousand years and were a big reason why Constantinople survived many sieges and attacks.

The Theodosian walls stretched for about 5.7 kilometers from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn. They had many gates and towers, with the Golden Gate being the most grand and important. These walls were repaired many times over the centuries, especially after earthquakes, and they stayed strong even during the Ottoman siege in 1453.

Walls of Blachernae

Near the Blachernae area, extra walls were built to protect the imperial palace and the city’s northern parts. These walls were connected to the main Theodosian walls and had several gates and towers. They were built at different times and were different in strength and design.

Preservation and restoration work

The walls go through modern Istanbul, with parks nearby. Roads cross them sometimes. In the 1980s, UNESCO helped fix many parts. Some people said this work hurt the history, used wrong materials, and wasn’t done well. During the 1999 earthquakes, some fixed parts fell down, but the old walls stayed up. Pollution and not enough care made the World Monuments Fund put the walls on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world.

Sea walls

The seaward walls protected the city along the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn. The original city of Byzantium had sea walls, but the exact time for building the medieval walls is not known. They are often said to be built by Constantine I, along with the main land wall. The first known record of building these walls is from 439, when the urban prefect Cyrus of Panopolis was told to repair and finish the city walls on the sea side. This work happened after the fall of Carthage to the Vandals, which showed a possible danger from the sea.

The sea walls were like the Theodosian walls but simpler. They were made of one wall, shorter than the land walls, with inner parts near the harbors. Access to the walls facing the Golden Horn was blocked by a heavy chain, put up by Emperor Leo III, stretching across the water. On the Marmara coast, strong currents made attacks from ships almost impossible.

In the early years, Constantinople did not face many dangers from the sea. After the wars of Justinian, the Mediterranean became peaceful again. The first battle at sea happened during an attack by the Avars and the Sasanid Persians. After the Arab conquests of Syria and Egypt, a new danger from the sea appeared. The sea walls were fixed in the early 8th century under Tiberios III or Anastasios II. Michael II started major repairs, finished by his successor Theophilos, which made the walls taller. These repairs used many resources, as told by Constantine Manasses.

The sea walls were not strong enough during the attack by the Fourth Crusade, as the Venetians were able to reach them. After this, Michael VIII Palaiologos worked to make the seaward walls taller and stronger after the Byzantine people took the city back in 1261. The arrival of the Genoese at Galata across the Golden Horn was another possible danger.

Golden Horn Wall

The wall facing the Golden Horn stretched for 5,600 metres from the cape of St. Demetrius to the Blachernae. Most of the wall was torn down in the 1870s to build a railway. It was built farther from the shore and was about 10 metres tall. It had many gates and towers. The northern shore was an important place for trade and had areas for foreigners living in the city. Muslim traders had their own homes there, and from the time of Alexios I Komnenos, emperors gave big trading areas to various Italian maritime republics.

The known gates of the Golden Horn wall can be followed from the Blachernae eastwards to the Seraglio Point.

Propontis Wall

The wall of the Propontis was built very close to the shore, except for harbors and quays, and was 12–15 metres tall, with thirteen gates, and 188 towers, and a total length of almost 8,460 metres. Some parts of the wall were damaged during the building of the Kennedy Caddesi coastal road in 1956–57. The wall’s closeness to the sea and the strong currents of the Propontis meant that the eastern and southern shores were safe from attack, but the walls needed protection from the sea.

From the cape at the edge of the ancient acropolis of the city to the Marble Tower, the Propontis Wall and its gates were arranged as follows:

The first gate, now gone, was the Eastern Gate or Gate of St. Barbara, named after a nearby church. It was special among the sea gates, with two big towers of white marble. It was used by emperors when they returned after winning battles.

Next was the gate called Değirmen Kapı, whose Byzantine name is not known. Near it was the great Tower of Mangana, meant to hold one end of a chain to close off the Bosphorus. The next gate is now called Demirkapı, from the Ottoman time. We do not know its Greek name, or if a gate stood there in Byzantine times.

Further south are two more gates, the Balıkhane Kapısı and Ahırkapısı, named after buildings inside the Topkapı Palace that they led to. Their Byzantine names are unknown.

The next gate was the gate of the imperial Boukoleon Palace, known in Byzantine times as the Gate of the Lion after the marble lions at its entrance, and also called the Gate of the Bear after pictures of that animal at the quay.

To the west of the Bucoleon Palace is the Church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, and the first of the harbors on the city's southern shore, that of the Sophiae.

The next harbor to the west is the large Harbour of Eleutherius or Theodosius, in the area known as Vlanga.

Further to the west, where the shoreline turns sharply south, was the Gate of Psamathia, leading to the suburb of the same name.

Further south and west is the gate known today as Narlıkapı, important because of its closeness to the famous Monastery of Stoudios.

Garrisons of the city

During the time of the Byzantine Empire, the city's defense force was small. The main groups were the imperial guards and a small city watch called the pedatoura or kerketon, led by the urban prefect. If danger came, armies in the provinces would try to stop it before it reached the city.

In the early years, the imperial guard included groups called the Excubitores and Scholae Palatinae. Later, Emperor Justinian II created new guard units to protect the imperial palace. In the 8th century, emperors formed special elite units called tagmata. Only two of these units, the Noumeroi and the Teicheiōtai, stayed permanently in Constantinople, guarding the palace area or other spots in the city.

The city did not keep a very large army because leaders and people were worried about uprisings and the cost of maintaining many soldiers. The strong city walls provided good protection on their own. Historian John Haldon said that as long as the gates were closed and a small force was in place, the city was safe from large attacks before the use of gunpowder.

Fortifications around Constantinople

Anastasian Wall

Main article: Anastasian Wall

Strong walls were built near Constantinople to protect the city. One of the first was the Anastasian Wall, also called the Long Wall. It was built in the mid-5th century and stretched about 56 kilometers west of the city. Though it was thick and tall, it wasn’t very effective and was abandoned in the 7th century.

Between the Anastasian Wall and the city, there were smaller towns and fortresses like Selymbria and Bakırköy. These places helped protect Constantinople by giving soldiers places to gather and slowing down any attackers.

Walls of Galata

Main article: Galata

Galata, a part of Constantinople near the water, was also protected by walls. By the early 5th century, it was an important part of the city. After Galata was taken over by other groups, they built more walls around their area. Today, only the Galata Tower still stands as a reminder of these old defenses.

Anadolu and Rumeli fortresses

Main articles: Anadoluhisarı and Rumelihisarı

North of Istanbul, two important forts were built to control the Bosphorus waterway. Anadoluhisarı was built by Bayezid I in 1394. Rumelihisarı was built by Sultan Mehmed II in 1452 in just four months. These forts helped control the passage of ships through the Bosphorus.