Turkey Guide
İstanbul
Along the city walls
Address: North from Yedikule, 5km west of Sultanhamet
Theodosius II's city walls are among the most fascinating Byzantine remains to be found in Turkey. Well-preserved remnants can still be found along the whole of their six-and-a-half-kilometre length, despite the 1999 earthquake, which caused several unrestored portions to collapse. Sadly, the ongoing renovation process gives barely a nod to historical accuracy: some sections have been completely rebuilt in newly dressed stone and cement bricks; while certain additional details, such as medieval-style flourishes, quite possibly never existed.
The land walls were named after Theodosius II, even though he was only twelve years old when their construction was started in 413. The walls – stretching from the Marmara to Tekfur Saray, 2km further out than the previous walls of Constantine – were planned by Anthemius, Prefect of the East, to accommodate the city's expanding population. They were almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 447 and had to be rebuilt in haste, since Attila's forces were on the point of attack. An ancient edict was brought into effect whereby all citizens, regardless of rank, were required to help in the rebuilding. The Hippodrome factions of Blues and Greens provided 16,000 labourers and finished the project in just two months. The completed construction consisted of the original wall, 5m thick and 12m high, plus an outer wall of 2m by 8.5m, and a 20-metre-wide moat. This was sufficient to repel Atilla's Huns who numbered several thousand but did not have the skill or patience for siege warfare.
A walk along the walls takes a little over two hours, though a full day will allow time to fully enjoy it and the adjacent sites. Most of the outer wall and its 96 towers are still standing; access is restricted on some of the restored sections, though elsewhere there's the chance to scramble along the crumbling edifice. The stone used is limestone and the bricks, about 30cm square and 5cm thick, were sometimes stamped with the name of the manufacturer or donor and bear the name of the emperor in whose reign they were made. Mortar mixed with brick dust was used liberally to bind the masonry; the towers had two levels, separated by brick barrel-vaults.
There are still plenty of run-down slum dwellings along the Theodosian city walls, the worst of which are in Topkapı, which is dangerous after dark. However, it's highly unlikely you'll encounter any problems in daytime.