Along the Land Walls - Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City - page 345

17
Along
the Land Walls
The Byzantine land-walls extend from the Sea of Marmara to the
Golden Horn, a total distance of about 6.5 kilometres. These walls
protected Byzantium from its enemies for more than 1,000 years, and
in that way profoundly inluenced the history of medieval Europe.
Although they are now in ruins, the walls of Byzantium are still a
splendid and impressive sight, with towers and battlements marching
across the hills and valleys of Thrace. Although a hike along the land-
walls can be somewhat arduous, it is nevertheless quite rewarding, for
on and around them we discover aspects of Stamboul which are not
evident within the town itself. And in springtime this stroll can be
extremely pleasant, when the walls and towers are covered with ivy,
the terraces carpeted with fresh grass, and the moat colourful with
wild flowers and blossoming trees.
The land-walls were, for the most part, constructed during the
reign of Theodosius II in the first half of the fifth century. The
first phase of the Theodosian wall was completed in 413 under the
direction of Anthemius, Prefect of the East. This consisted of a single
wall studded with defence towers at regular intervals. However, in
447 a violent earthquake destroyed much of the wall, throwing down
57 defence towers. This happened at a very critical time, for Atilla
the Hun was then advancing on Constantinople with his Golden
Horde. Reconstruction of the wall began immediately under the
direction of the new Prefect of the East, Constantine. The circus
factions of the Hippodrome all worked together in one of their rare
periods of cooperation, and within two months the walls had been
rebuilt and were far stronger than before. For in addition to restoring
and strengthening the original wall, Constantine added an outer
wall and a moat. This stupendous achievement is commemorated by