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Great Walls of Constantinople
Great Walls of Constantinople
I think the article describing the walls of Istanbul is one of the articles written by the late journalist Hıncal Uluç on Sundays for 4 weeks. I am sharing them with you by translating them in English.
Sunday, April 5th, 2015
Now all power was in Anthemius' hands. There was no obstacle left to start the construction of the walls that haunted his dreams at night. After a week of solving problems with the state, on Monday, May 11, he called all plan, project and implementation elements to discuss the latest situation.
"We have been working with you for about four years on this issue. It is clear what we will do to the smallest detail. The activity starts next Monday. The demolition and construction teams are clear. Eight thousand people will start working day and night. Again, according to our project, these 7.5 km long walls will take five years to complete. "While the New Year's Eve festivities are being celebrated on September 1, 413, our Emperor Theodosius will open the city walls at the Golden Gate. Now set off. I will constantly monitor what is being done. I will not allow any disruption and I will punish you."
Thus, the activity began on Monday, May 18, 408. But it was such a feverish activity that it was as if all of Constantinople had risen to its feet. As soon as they started the first excavation, the difficulties began. The terrain was bumpy for 7.5 km. They had dared to do so. However, a 56 m deep foundation had to be dug so that the walls could rise solidly and there would be no problems, especially in the construction of the towers. According to the project, it was necessary to go deeper in some places. Because in the future, secret tunnels would be built in order to be able to watch the enemies unnoticed. However, rocks were frequently encountered. It took time to break up the rocks with human power. It also provided a benefit. Stones from the foundation were used as materials for foundation construction.
According to the plan, time was not to be wasted. For this reason, when hard rock was encountered, soil ground was sought either forwards or backwards, and when it was found, the drawings were changed.
Construction of the walls and towers began immediately in the excavated areas, as the foundation excavation continued. At night, stones were unloaded from the quarries or from the ships docking at the Grand Harbor and loaded into the carts. Gradually the stones were transported to where they belonged, and one thousand and five hundred stonemasons brought from all over the country were constantly carving them.
It went fast in the first year. Because a very important part of the stones removed from the Constantine Walls could be used. According to the plan, it started from the Marmara coast. The walls were 12 meters high and 5 meters thick. Towers with a height of 20 meters began to be built every 55 meters. The biggest challenge started there. Because it was problematic to raise the stones to a height of 20 meters. They invented a special roller system for him. Towers tripled. The door of the first floor opened into the walls and the floor was earth. Ammo and weapons were to be placed here. The floor of the second floor was wooden. In the towers near the thirteen gates of the walls, the soldiers guarding the gates in peacetime would sleep. Side stairs were also built on these towers. In time of war, all the towers would be used by members of the army.
Nine months later, the Golden Gate had been reached. Anthemius had a special design made for the Golden Gate. Sculptures were commissioned to be placed on both the gate and the walls surrounding the gate. Mesa; (main street) It was reaching in front of the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia. The victorious emperors would walk this road to the Hippodrome and the celebration would be held there.
From time to time there were news of annoying accidents. But the rate was still very low at such a large construction site. That was one of the benefits of good planning.
On September 1, 411, New Year's Eve was celebrated with great festivities. A special meal was prepared and quality wine was distributed throughout the construction site. Anthemius took with him the ten-year-old Emperor II. He toured the construction site from head to toe with Theodosius. Employees of their emperor greeted them with great enthusiasm. He also got out of the car from time to time and waved at them.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
The work was never interrupted. During his ministry of the treasury, Anthemius had made the necessary preparations and constantly kept in reserve the enormous sum that had to be set aside for this task. He knew that if there was not enough money and the employees were not paid on time, the job could not be completed. It was even calculated to distribute money for incentives as rewards at regular intervals.
By the middle of 412, the six gates of the walls were completed and passed and the point where the Lycus River was reached. The setback was a pause as the pouring rains caused the flooding. When Anthemius was informed of the situation, he came running. He intervened instantly. By making a small deviation in the course of the Lycus River, it would pass under the walls and from there the waters would be reconnected to the course of the river and flow into the sea from Theodosius Harbor. That's exactly how it was done.
By the beginning of 413, the Blackhernae region was reached. They had nine months ahead of them, but here was the challenge. Because right there the rocky part ended and a steep slope was connected to the Golden Horn. As it turned out, there was no chance of building any fortifications there. In any case, neither the rocks nor the steep slope allowed passage.
At that time, it was decided to complete the wall by extending it to the front of the slope. In fact, a small secret gate (Kerkoporta) was built at the point where the slope is to be used for special purposes.
During the remaining eight months, the fortification of 96 towers was completed. The installation of 13 strong doors, including the Golden Gate, has been completed. Since the Golden Gate is special, the elephant statues to be placed on it were replaced. In the last month, environmental cleaning was carried out and construction residues were evacuated. All employees' money has been distributed. In particular, the imperial tent was set up for the night of 25 August 413 in the empty area opposite the Golden Gate (which would later be called Campus Maltius) for the personnel who came from all over the country and worked day and night for five years before returning to their country.
That evening, Emperor II. Theodosius, Anthemius and all the top rulers of the state were there. A private kitchen was set up. Cauldrons boiled everywhere. In this party, where only the employees participated, they ate, drank and danced until the morning. The emperor and rulers dined with them for the first time.
Towards noon the next day, there was a great silence around the walls. Because almost all of the employees had already set out to return to their places of residence. But the main ceremony started on New Year's Day, Monday, September 1, 414, with the ritual in Hagia Irene. (Hagia Sophia was burnt down in 404. The new one, built by Empress Pulcheria (the Saint Empress after whom Sainte Pulcherie High School was named), was not finished yet.) Later, the emperor opened the city walls with a ceremony at the Golden Gate. In the afternoon, races would be held at the Hippodrome, and the people of Constantinople, whose population was close to two hundred thousand, would have fun for three days and three nights with those coming from the provinces. There were only four people who did not attend these celebrations.
Emperor's sisters. They spent their days in prayer in the chapel of the Great Palace. Big sister Pulcheria in particular was an extremely fanatical person. There was no other element in his life other than devotion to religion. Prayer sessions, which started in the morning, continued at intervals until the evening.
Anthemius's project envisaged a triple structure with a water ditch in between. However, the construction of the first and main walls was costly to the treasury. These walls were sufficient to protect the city according to the technology of that day. The treasury should have been strengthened by waiting at least ten years. After that, both the land walls should be completed and the sea side walls should be built by thinking ahead.
In Constantinople, the positive atmosphere was reflected everywhere. However, Princess Pulcheria was very uncomfortable about one thing. His brother was the emperor, but all authority was vested in Anthemius. He hadn't made any mistakes so far, but he could think of other things tomorrow. It was easy for him to rule the state by putting a crown on his head.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
In any case, no one called it Theodosian Walls, even though the walls were named after the emperor. In everyone's mouth, the name of the walls was Anthemius Walls.
Pulcheria (the Emperor's very religious older sister.. Later on, Azize/ (proclaimed Sainte. The French High School for Girls in Beyoğlu was named Sainte Pulcheria after her) went to Theodosius' room early.
"Look, my brother, you have become a big man at the age of thirteen. It's time for you to take care of the administration of the state. I want to help you in this matter. I have no function other than being your brother. As a family, we must feel our weight in the administration. There is no thesis today, call Anthemius and Say, 'I am giving the title of empress to Princess Pulcheria. Make an order on this matter,'" he said.
"But sister, what's that good for?"
"You do as I say and you'll see what happens next."
Because Pulcheria understood as a result of her investigations for days that if she was an empress, she had the right to give orders directly to every office and these orders had to be fulfilled.
In the afternoon the emperor summoned Anthemius with a chamberlain and said what he wanted. Anthemius saw no harm in this. Finally, what harm would it do if a young girl who did not mix with meat and milk and who spent all day in church was given the title of empress?
He immediately gave orders for the necessary preparations to be made. An ordinance was issued stating that Pulcheria was the empress, thus making the biggest mistake of her life.
During the month of November, Pulcheria proceeded with its preparations in the utmost secrecy. It was decided who would be where and when.
On the morning of Thursday, November 27, 414, while it was still dark, there was a knock on the door of Anthemius' mansion. The attendant informed the servant who opened the door that the emperor was waiting for Anthemius in the Great Palace in a hurry. When Anthemius got dressed in a very short time, he found a guard instead of his own horse.
The commander said, "Sir, our emperor wishes to meet you privately. So please get in the sent car."
Anthemius felt a little strange, but nothing came to his mind. 'The Emperor must have something,' he thought. When he got into the windowless car, he didn't know he was heading towards infinity.
Pulcheria had made such a preparation that no one heard from Anthemius after that day. It had disappeared. It was as if such a person had never been born.
He didn't even realize how much of a service he was doing. Historians, on the other hand, have glossed over his very important service with a few lines. Even scientists, for some reason, ignored it. But Anthemius had saved more than a thousand years of an empire in those short fourteen years.
Not long ago, exactly 28 years later, Hun King Atilla came in front of the walls in 442 after destroying the Byzantine army at Gallipoli. But when he saw that it was not possible for him to cross the walls, he soon returned. Pulcheria was alive.
Our readers will ask. What is the current state of the Istanbul Walls? Disaster, disgrace. It's as if only the laws of the mountain prevail there. In the heart of Istanbul? Yes, in the heart of Istanbul.
Gates on the Great Wall of Constantinople
Tue, Jun 13, 2023 11:22 AM
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