Constantinople, the new Jerusalem
Under the reign of Emperor Justinian (527-565), Constantinople was not only the political capital of a huge empire (stretching from the Caucasus to the Atlantic!), but also a religious capital. The emperor, representative of God on earth, built what will be the greatest religious building for a thousand years (until the construction of St. Peter's in Rome): the Basilica of Saint Sophia. Its name comes from the Greek hagiasophia and means "divine wisdom". Not only is the building gigantic, but it is overhung by a dome emblematic of Byzantine architecture. This dome is a simple representation of the celestial sphere: the sky with its king, God, represented by his son and, vertically, lower down in the nave, the emperor who is God's lieutenant on earth. More than a thousand years separate it from the other mosques of the city, to which it served as a model. It will be transformed into a mosque by Mehmet II, before Atatürk makes a museum of it that millions of visitors come to discover each year. The Hagia Sophia that we contemplate today is the sum of Byzantine and Ottoman arts. Among the most accomplished Byzantine works is the Orthodox Church of St. Savior in Chora (in ancient Greek, hora means "outside the city", "in the countryside"). If the Basilica of Saint Sophia can impress by its immense character, it is on a human scale and allows more proximity with its masterpieces, including beautiful mosaics. It was built in the eleventh century (the mosaics date from the thirteenth century) and will be transformed into a mosque during the Ottoman period. During this period, the mosaics were covered with lime, which allowed to keep them intact. Note that it is in this church that the color black was used for the first time in the art of mosaics. For lovers of Byzantine mosaics, the museum of mosaics of the Grand Palace is located in the heart of the historic city. It has one of the most important sets of mosaics of thefifth and sixth centuries, perfectly preserved. The mosaics, frescoes, icons, or miniatures occupied a very important place in the field of knowledge and education. They represented the biblical history and thus constituted a kind of book for the illiterate, allowing them to better understand the Christian doctrine. Later, between the 8th and 10th centuries, religious representations were forbidden. Within the temples, gold, silver, mosaics, polished marble, precious stones produce rays that represent the divine light.
Other vestiges of the Empire
Another highlight of the capital is the gigantic racecourse, which could accommodate between 30,000 and 50,000 people. The "supporters" of the coachmen, whose colors they wore, were green and blue. The clashes sometimes took political turns: the green wanted reforms, the blue were more traditionalist. The Ottomans were not interested in horse racing, so the racecourse was not preserved. This place was called At Meydanı (Horse Square) at the time, and the walls and stands gave way to other buildings such as Ibrahim Pasha's palace and the Blue Mosque. Today, the obelisk of Theodosius (from the temple of Karnak in Egypt) remains from the racecourse, around which the horses used to turn. Covered with hieroglyphs on the four faces, it is 25 meters high. The Serpentine Column is one of the oldest monuments in Istanbul. Dating from the5th century BC, it was originally erected in front of the temple of Apollo in Delphi. It represented 3 intertwined snakes, forming 26 spirals on 8 meters high. Unfortunately, not much remains of it and the heads of the snakes have disappeared, because the city has experienced two major fires and earthquakes. From the reign of Constantine also remains the column of Constantine erected in the fourth century and which reaches 32 meters. This column was originally encircled with bronze, later replaced by metal rings that gave it its name in Turkish: Çemberlitaş (encircled column). It stood in the center of Constantine's forum, occupied today by caravanserais, a hammam and a mosque.
The building capacity of the Empire was essential to its survival. Its immense walls have withstood a multitude of assaults, until the appearance of cannons. During the reign of Constantine, new defensive fortifications were erected and then consolidated by Theodosius II in 413. The entire city was protected by 6.5 km of ramparts consisting of walls ranging from 12 to 15 meters high, with 13 gates and 188 towers. This structure made it possible to face a formidable invader: Attila, who never took Constantinople. Following the invasion of the Ottomans, the wall was neglected. In recent years, a restoration was undertaken, but later abandoned. It must be said that it does not have a very good reputation. It is inhabited by the homeless, bottles and garbage litter the ground and the base of its walls is blackened by fires lit here and there. Other examples of constructions are the aqueducts and cisterns capable of supplying a population approaching 500,000 people. The cistern-basilica(Yerebatan Sarnıcı) dating from 542, built under Justinian, is still intact. Located on the site of an ancient basilica, hence its name, it was discovered by chance by the Ottomans who used it to supply water to the Topkapi Palace. When you come to visit it, you have to imagine it filled with 78 000m3 of water. Inside, there are 336 similar columns except for three: "The peacock-eyed column", with engravings reminiscent of the eyes of this bird, would pay tribute to the slaves who dug the cistern. Visitors come to touch it, their eyes still wet with tears. Then the two columns with Medusa's head as a base located at the bottom of the cistern: one has the head down and the other on the side. There is no real explanation for the presence of these mythological figures, but it is likely that they are reused from ancient monuments of the Roman period. Some say that they were used to ward off evil spirits. Before leaving, it is customary to throw a coin to the carps that swim in the waters of the cistern, they will grant your wishes! It is not surprising that its mysterious scenery has inspired filmmakers, and some film scenes have been shot there(Good Kisses from Russia, Inferno). In addition, there are two other cisterns accessible to the public: the cistern of Theodosius II, Serefiye Sarnıcı, has been open to the public since 2018. It hosts temporary exhibitions and sometimes concerts are held there. It is much smaller than the cistern-basilica, but older, as it was built under Theodosius II in the5th century. It was only discovered in 2010, during construction work. The other cistern, known as the Cistern of 1001 Columns (there are only 224!) is unfortunately used for private events. Nevertheless, it can be visited and the columns that compose it, which can reach 13 to 15 meters, are higher than in the other cisterns. There are symbols engraved on the columns, which are monograms left by the workers. A little above the cistern-basilica, in a hidden corner, are the only remains of the Million of Constantinople built under Constantine(Milyon Taşı). This monument, erected during the entire duration of the Eastern Roman Empire (more than a thousand years), was the point of origin of distances for all the roads of the Empire that led to Thebes, Petra, Cordoba, Genoa, Carthage ... This building represented the center of the world under the Byzantine Empire. All geographical distances were measured from this "zero point".
The city was attacked by the Persians, the Huns, the Bulgars, but from the seventh century, the Arabs and their new religion became a threat. However, they will never take Constantinople even if they besieged it very early. The capital kept an absolute supremacy on the seas, in particular thanks to the technique of the Greek fire. In the middle of the 9th century, the Bulgarians converted to Christianity and a fierce and bloody struggle began between the two peoples, resulting in the victory of the most powerful emperor since Justinian: Basil II (hence his nickname "the Bulgarian Killer"). Let us not forget the only empress of the Empire, Irene of Athens, who, at the death of her father, Leo IV, in 780, manages to remove his brothers-in-law and is recognized as regent of the Empire. His son Constantine VI, having only ten years, is not able to govern. It is said that, afterwards, she would have had him blinded in order to be able to reign alone over the Empire. She will not be called Empress (wife of the Emperor), but Emperor.
The longevity of this Empire is explained by the judicious choices of Constantine who gave him exceptional resources. Another reason for this survival is the ideology of a universal Empire, consolidated by Christianity, which allowed it to resist until the end in sometimes very harsh conditions. Constantinople was taken only once, in 1204, by Christians coming from Venice during the fourth crusade, who came to plunder it. Today, the quadriga that can be admired in Venice on St. Mark's Basilica once belonged to the hippodrome of Constantinople. Afterwards, the Empire lived for another 250 years, but Constantinople lost its grandeur until it was taken by Sultan Mehmet II. From then on, it becomes the capital of a new Empire and bears the name of Istanbul. When the Sultan entered the city on May 29, 1453, he was aware that he was part of the line of great emperors who had preceded him. The heritage of Constantinople remains, it belongs to Istanbul and is part of the city. This mixture between the Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire sums up the city well and even today Istanbul continues to unify influences.
