Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The first stretch of the Theodosian walls is rather difficult to inspect
because of the obstacles presented by the railway and the various
industries that are located here. But the stroll here is more pleasant
than it was in times past, because in recent years the authorities have
removed the noxious tannery that reeked here since early Ottoman
times. As Evliya describes this malodorous tannery as it smelt in his
time: “The overpowering reek prevents people of quality from taking
up their abode here, but the residents are so used to the stench, that
should they happen to meet any musk-perfumed dandy, the scent
quite upsets them.”
The best route on the first part of this stroll is to walk along inside
the walls from the Marmara highway as far as the railway; then,
after crossing the tracks cautiously, one can walk along the highway
outside the walls as far as the gate at Yedikule, where one can enter
the city again.
YEDİKULE AND THE GOLDEN GATE
Yedikule, the Castle of the Seven Towers, is a curious structure, partly
Byzantine and partly Turkish. The seven eponymous towers consist of
four in the Theodosian wall itself, plus three additional towers built
inside the walls by Mehmet the Conqueror. The three inner towers are
connected together and joined to the Theodosian walls by four heavy
curtain-walls, forming a five-sided enclosure. The two central towers
in the Theodosian wall are marble pylons flanking the famous Golden
Gate of Byzantium. The structure was never used as a castle in the usual
sense, but two of the towers were used in Ottoman times as prisons; the
others were used as storage places for a part of the State treasure.
To visit Yedikule we must first enter the city through a little gate just
north of the castle. Though it was somewhat reconstructed in Turkish
times, the Byzantine eagle above the arch on the inside proclaims its
origins. This must always have been the public entrance to the city
in this vicinity, as indeed it is today, for the Golden Gate itself seems
to have been reserved for the emperor and for distinguished visitors
and processions.
We enter Yedikule itself by a gate near the east tower; once inside
the grounds we turn left to enter the tower. This is sometimes called
Search WWH ::




Custom Search