Istanbul Bulletin

In French, “C'est Byzance” means “It's Byzantium” and is a common exclamation used to praise magnificence, while in Turkish, as in other languages, the same words are associated with intrigue.

Established by the Greek King Byzas in 660 BC and later renamed for him, Byzantium was the capital of the great empires that flourished around the shores of present day Istanbul.

The Roman Emperor Constantine made Byzantium the capital of the Roman Empire and its name was changed to Constantinople. When the Roman Empire was divided into two, the city became the capital of the eastern empire, known as the Byzantine Empire.

But the Byzantines always viewed themselves as Romans. This, despite the fact that historians, after the late 18 th century, preferred to name this empire the Byzantine Empire. Although it administratively resembled the classical Roman Empire, its religion was Christian Orthodoxy and its language was Greek.

After its conquest by Sultan Mehmet II in 1453, Istanbul placed itself in the pages of history as the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Do you know of any other glorious city in the world today established on two continents – Europe and Asia, and also the capital of three great empires – Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman?

Byzantium was considered the center of the world and what better way to discover it than at its center – Sultanahmet Square - formerly known as Augusteion Square. The Milion Stone, its marker and the starting point for measuring distances to other cities for centuries, is still here, near the Basilica Cistern. During the Byzantine period, perhaps the most incredible treasure to arrive in the city was the cross of Jesus Christ. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, was a devout Christian. She used her influence over her son to arrange for the cross on which Christ was crucified to be brought from Jerusalem to Constantinople, where it was placed near the Milion Stone.

In ancient times, today's Divanyolu tramway was the primary boulevard known as Mesa where chariots once thundered. Cemberlitas (a column with iron hoops) was known as Constantine's Forum because it bore a statue of Constantine.

But undeniably the greatest square at the time of Constantinople was Forum Tauri, also known as Forum Theodosius because of the statue of Theodosius. Since renamed Beyazit Square, ruins can still be viewed along the main road, while just a few streets away the ancient Mirelaion Church is today a mosque.

The district of Aksaray, which took its name from the emigrants who arrived from the central Anatolian city, was originally Forum Bovis, while Via Egnatia refers to the present-day district of Bakirkoy.

One of the most beautiful monuments of the Justinian period is the Basilica Cistern. Resembling a palace, it was referred to as the Sunken Palace by the Turks. This 1,500 year- old construction contains 336 pillars from all points of the empire in a 140 x 70 sqm area. Two medusa reliefs, largely preserved, can be found inside the cistern as the local population wished to eliminate all pagan symbols after adopting Christianity.

Because the Ottomans preferred flowing water for personal use, the cistern's water was used only for watering the palace's gardens. Close by, in front of the Court of Justice, is the Binbirdirek Cistern, the Latin name that was Filoksenus after a Roman Senator. It is 15 meters high and has 224 columns. The Theodosius Cistern is near the present day municipality of Eminonu.

There are also a number of open cisterns in Istanbul. The Aetios Cistern, named after a Byzantine governor, is today a football field in Karagumruk. Cukurbostan (Aspar Cistern) from Carsamba and Fil Dami from Bakirkoy are other beautiful examples from this period.

1 km. in length and 20 metres high, the two-storey aqueduct known in Turkish as the Bozdogan aqueduct was built by the Roman emperor Valens, bringing water from the Belgrad Forest to the Nymphaeum Maximum – the Great Fountain (near Sehzadebasi). Some dramatic ruins of the aqueduct can still be seen along the road to the Suleymaniye Mosque.

Considered as the oldest church in Istanbul, the Studius Monastery was built in the mid- 5th century and provided an important religious and educational site. Inside was the Ayios Ioannis Prodromos Church that was later converted into the Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque.

The monastery inside Samatya - a district that still keeps its Byzantine name - has beautiful mosaics that are still preserved at the famous Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece. Close to the site, the gate of Narlikapi, within the city walls, was used by emperors visiting the monastery.

Hagia Sophia (divine wisdom), an attribute of Jesus Christ, remains today one of the ancient world's most important architectural relics. Built by famous architects Anthemius and Isidorus over a five-year period, some 10,000 workers and 100 master builders were employed for its construction.

One of the greatest characteristics of the building was its transformation from a mosque to a museum by Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, forever underscoring his promise for religious tolerance in the new republic. In a corner Allah is written, while on a mosaic Jesus Christ can be seen sitting on the lap of the Virgin Mary. The mosaics and frescoes of the period, showing images of Christianity, embellish the 7,500-sqm structure.

But the best viewing is enjoyed from the second floor that was once reserved for women. This magnificent building, finished in 537 AD, was used as a patriarchal church for 916 years until 1453, making it one of the most significant religious structures in the world at the time. It was established on 108 columns brought from a number of old edifices, including the Temple of Artemis. Justinian, who ordered the construction of the church and Constantine, the founder of Istanbul, are represented on a mosaic near the building's exit.

The Greek name of the Kariye Mosque, Chora, actually refers to the countryside, given its location outside the perimeters of the first city walls built by Constantine. Today it contains some of the most marvelous

mosaics and frescoes of the 11 th century. Theodore Methochites, a Byzantine administrator, ornamented the structure with beautiful creations and even placed his own image on a mosaic near one of Christ.

The building comprises a main section, two corridors and a parecclesion where frescoes narrate various events from the lives of the parents of the Virgin Mary until the crucifixion of Christ. In the main chapel there are only three mosaics – the Virgin Mary and the Christ, Christ the Redeemer and Dormition of the Virgin Mary, while in the other areas there are further biblical depictions.

Presently closed for restoration, this old church located near Catladikapi was built by Justinian in 527 AD, using the same design as the San Vitale church in the Italian city of Ravenna which was finished in 547 AD. San Vitale is famous for its mosaics of Justinian and his notorious wife Theodora. In the upper gallery near the dome of this church named after the two saints Sergius and Bacchus, there are some Greek inscriptions.

THEOTOKOS PANAGHIOTISSA (MARY OF THE MONGOLS) – the only church in Istanbul which was not converted to a mosque

In the district of Fener, sitting prominently on top of a hill, the Fener Greek High School, renowned for its distinguishable red brickwork, is often mistaken as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy, located closer to the Golden Horn.

Nearby is the church of Mary of the Mongols. Its architect - also the architect of the Fatih Mosque - Atik Pasha or Christodoulos, a Greek native, made a special request to the Sultan not to have the building converted into a mosque. A copy of the Sultan's edict is still kept in the building and the structure remains the only church not to have been converted into a mosque in Istanbul after the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1453.

But the church's history is as interesting as its name. According to historians, the Emperor Mihail Paleologos sent his illegitimate daughter Mary to marry Hulagu, Khan of the Mongols. When she arrived after a very long journey (no cars, no planes at that time!) she found Hulagu Khan dead and married to Abaka Khan, the son of Hulagu, instead. But that marriage was to be short-lived. Abaka Khan was assassinated by his brother, Ahmet Khan, and the unlucky woman returned home and dedicated herself to religion. This church, a treasure of the Byzantine period, and built in a rare clover style, remains in use today.

Dating from 11th century and situated on the shores of the Golden Horn near today's Kadir Has University, this church is distinguishable by its high dome. During the conquest of the city, on the name day of Saint Theodosia, Ottoman soldiers found scores of worshippers spread out like rose petals praying, alas in vain, for their city not to be conquered – an image that later provided its name (the Rose Mosque) after its conversion.

Pantocrator refers to one of the attributes of Jesus and means Christ the Omni holder. It is located on the right side of the hill, on the way from Unkapani towards the Valens Aqueduct. With Hagia Irini, Pantokrator is the greatest Byzantine architectural work after Hagia Sophia and was used as a Moslem theological school following the fall of the city. A café with a beautiful panorama of Istanbul can be found in front of the building.

Pammakaristos means the Omni praised mother of the Lord. It was constructed by Emperor Ioannes Komnenos and his wife in the 12th century. Located in today's Fatih district, named after the city's conqueror, it was briefly used as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy. Its mosaics are among the best in Istanbul today, after those of Chora and Hagia Sophia. Fethiye became its name following the conquest of present-day Georgia and Azerbaijan during the rule of Sultan Murat III.

Essentially two churches joined together as one, this church takes its name from a Byzantine administrator, Konstatinos Lips, and was designed to resemble a Greek cross. Fenari Ali Efendi made it into a dervish lodge in the 14th century and it was used by Sheikh Isa, which is how it came to be named the Fenari Isa Mosque.

This church is situated in front of the Valens aqueduct in Sehzadebasi. The importance of the Theotokos Kiriotissa church – later converted into a mosque – is that it contains some of the first frescoes dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi for whom the city of San Francisco is named.

The Daphne Palace was situated in the place where today's Blue Mosque can be found. Its mosaics are displayed in the mosaic museum near the

Arasta Bazaar in Sultanahmet, just in front of the Hippodrome. The emperors' special seat, called Kathisma, from where they watched chariot races can be found here. The 400 m. long ruins can still be seen under the buildings of Marmara University. In the hippodrome, there is a 3,500-year-old obelisk brought from Egypt in 390 AD. Another obelisk, dating back to Byzantine times, is Kiztasi – the Marcianus pillar – located in Fatih. Its name came from the relief of the goddess Nike, goddess of victory. In the park near the Justice Palace, the ruins of the Antiohos Palace can be seen. Near Ahirkapi, the Mangana and Bukoleon Palaces are located. The later, whose walls and windows can be seen from the shore road, was renovated during Justinian's rule. The ruins of the Magnaura Palace, once housing the oldest University in the world, are close to today's Four Seasons Hotel. Near Istanbul's present-day City Hall, on the Hasim Iscan crossing, are the ruins of Anikia Juliana palace and its church Polieuktos.

This is the place where the Byzantine emperors lived after the fourth crusade between 1204 and 1261. Today, the only remaining part is the Tekfur Palace, known also as Konstantin Porphyrogenitus Palace, after the emperor who built it. The building, which served as a ceramics production center during the Ottoman period, has been largely restored. In 1860, Cyrus Hamlin, the founder of Robert College, today's Bosphorous University, chose Tekfur Palace as a suitable site for the college.

There are 20 km. of city walls inland and along the shore, part of them still intact. Theodosius II built the city walls in 413 AD, as the former city walls erected by Constantine were insufficient for the growing city. Since conquering the city from the sea was not easy, what needed to be protected was the land access, hence the need for greater walls. The inner walls, which have two layers, also contain some gates for military purposes, as well as for people to pass through. Starting from the marble gate of the Marmara shore to the Golden Horn, there are innumerable gates, including Yedikule, Belgrad, Silivri, Mevlana, Topkapi, Sulukule, Edirnekapi, and Egrikapi, to name a few.

Yedikule is a fortress built shortly after the city's conquest by Sultan Mehmet II who added some towers and more walls to the existing city walls. At the entrance, the Byzantine symbol of the double-headed eagle can be seen. The most important edifice here is the Byzantine Porta Aurea – the golden gate – used by emperors and commanders to make their ceremonial entrances after military victories. During the Ottoman rule, Yedikule was used first as a treasury and then as a jail. In the beginning of the 17th century, one of the Ottoman sultans, Osman the Young, was executed here.

The first name of this 63 m.-tall tower built by the Genoese of the city in 1348 was Christea Turris - or Tower of Christ. In 1453, when the city was conquered by the Ottomans, the key to the tower was given to Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and it was used as a prison and fire watch tower. Restored in 1967, when a roof and an elevator were added, it is nowadays open to visitors, who can also find a restaurant and enjoy an amazing Istanbul panorama, from a circular balcony.