The Theodosian Walls (Land walls) of Constantinople (now Istanbul). All pictures here were taken by
The Theodosian Walls (Land walls) of Constantinople (now Istanbul). All pictures here were taken by Nicholas V. Artamonoff during his expeditions in the area between 1935-1938. These are the famous brick walls that withstood numerous attempted sieges before being utterly annihilated by the cannons of the Turks.Artamonoff’s description goes as follows:“Istanbul has had several walls throughout its long history. Most of the existing walls were constructed in the 5th century CE, under Theodosius II. The walls were partly destroyed in an earthquake in 447 CE, but were rebuilt and strengthened, and additional fortifications were constructed. The Theodosian walls surrounded an area of 12 square kilometers, stood 12 meters high, and had 96 towers that were about 18 meters high. The walls also contained 9 main gates and a number of smaller military gates. The Walls of Blachernae were built to defend the suburb of Blachernae in the northwestern corner of the city. and consist of four single walls built in different periods. In 627, under the reign of Heraclius, a single wall was built as a defense against the great Avar siege. In 814, Leo V, the Armenian built a new wall in front of the Heraclean wall to strengthen the defenses against Bulgarian raids. In the 12th century, Manuel Comnenos, built a wall connecting to the Theodosian walls to give additional protection to the Palace of Blachernae. The Comnenean wall was connected by a later wall (possibly under Isaac II Angelos) to the Heraclean wall. -- source link
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