The vestiges of ancient Constantinople that can be seen in the city of Istanbul

@ElentirENG ES 11·08·2023 · 23:32 0

Constantinople, capital of the defunct Eastern Roman Empire (also called the Byzantine Empire), was a glorious city.

Derinkuyu: a huge underground city that was discovered by chance
Nukas Sakdari: a Christian monastery erected in a hidden and almost impossible place

After the fall of Rome due to barbarian invasions in the 5th century AD, Constantinople became for centuries the largest, most powerful and richest city in Europe, largely preserving its splendor of ancient Rome. A splendor that declined in the 13th century, due to the looting that took place in 1204 at the hands of the western Christian troops of the Fourth Crusade.

This decline finally led to the Muslim conquest of 1453, an event considered by many historians, along with the Discovery of America in 1492, as the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age. Today some great architectural works of the Byzantine period are preserved in Istanbul. Without a doubt, the most famous of all is the ancient Hagia Sophia Cathedral, from the 6th century, converted by Muslims in a mosque.

Hagia Sophia is not the only Christian temple from the Byzantine era that is preserved today. Also preserved are the ancient Church of Saint Savior of Chora, the Church of Saint Theodore and other ancient Christian temples that were converted into mosques by the Ottomans.

In addition to temples, there is a well-known architectural work in Istanbul that shows how great ancient Constantinople was: the Basilica Cistern, from the 6th century and the largest of the city's 60 ancient cisterns, a huge network of water tanks. This large cistern supplied the liquid element to the Great Palace of Constantinople, the residence of the Byzantine emperors.

In addition to those Byzantine jewels that are well known, there are other vestiges of ancient and medieval Constantinople that are still preserved today, some of them hidden. A few weeks ago, Toldinstone published an interesting video about those vestiges:

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Main photo: Raimond Klavins. The Basilica Cistern of Istanbul.