Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it’s Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) sung by The Four Lads

Yes, the song gets it right. Istanbul was Constantinople. (Before that, it was Byzantium, but that doesn’t make it into the song.) The town of Byzantium was elevated to the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by the Emperor Constantine, and then renamed for him. And after the collapse of the Western Empire, Constantinople became the center of Roman culture until its capture by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

What we think of as the Byzantine Empire never really called itself that. From the time of Constantine in 324 CE until the 410 sack of Rome by the Visigoths and the accompanying fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was just the eastern half, but separately ruled from the death of Emperor Theodosius I in 395. From that point on, it was just called the Roman Empire, though Rome would only briefly be made part of it again under Justinian the Great.

In its heyday, Constantinople was every bit as magnificent as Rome itself, with building projects that were just as impressive, and holding a population estimated to peak at up to a million people, though in 1453 it was down to just 50,000 and the remainder of the empire was long gone. And while the Ottomans renamed the city Istanbul upon its capture, and converted some buildings into mosques, much of the incredible past was preserved and can still be seen today.

It was said that Constantinople was impregnable, with walls that armies would crush themselves upon. Well, despite being sacked twice (the other time was by Latin Catholics in 1203), the city did have truly impressive walls. And some of those are still standing. My taxi ride from the airport into the city passes the lesser walls along the Golden Horn (an inlet off the Bosphorus), and a plaque indicating the date of their breach.

The strategic value of this city has been apparent since well before Constantine the Great made it his capital. What was the walled city is now Istanbul’s tourist center, sitting on a hilly peninsula with water on three sides: the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, and the Sea of Marmara. Given the Bosphorus and its ability to choke sea traffic between the Black Sea and Mediterranean, and the geographic location between east and west, Constantinople as the Byzantine capital became one of the wealthiest cities on the planet, even as the empire slowly shrank.

With a few brief interludes, the time of Constantinople saw a Roman/Byzantine Empire that was Christian, so much of that wealth was used constructing churches. The most impressive of these is the Hagia Sophia, which at its 537 completion under Justinian had the largest enclosed interior of any building in existence.

Currently a mosque, hence the added minarets, the Hagia Sophia is the most impressive building in Istanbul, let alone from the Byzantine period. (You can read more about the controversy of returning the Hagia Sophia to be an active mosque here.) Visiting is free, though the building is closed during prayer. (If you arrive during one of these periods, just wait; it will open again in an hour or so.) Lines can be long, so for the best experience, try to time your visit with the ending of evening prayers, at roughly 7pm. If you are only able to be there during the day, try to visit as early as you can.

When I visited in 2009, visitors could see frescoes of Jesus dating all the way back to Byzantine days, as these were preserved under coats of whitewash under Ottoman rule. Those are mostly all off limits now, being upstairs in an area closed to the public, as human images are not able to be part of a mosque. Likewise, the Christian altarpiece is covered by cloth sheets. But the sheer immensity of the Hagia Sophia is present no matter the current use of the building.

Of course, the Hagia Sophia is not the only Byzantine Eastern Orthodox Church still standing. Just inside the walls (and security) of Topkapi Palace, and included with palace admission, is the smaller Hagia Irene. The dome is currently blocked from the inside for repairs, but the altar is still visible, as this church was never turned into a mosque. When Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, he purposely left the Hagia Irene as a church for his stepmother, Mara Brankovic, who never converted to Islam.

Fresh water is an issue for a city surrounded on three sides by salt water, so Constantinople had hundreds of cisterns constructed beneath the city. A few of these are able to be visited today, and the largest is the Basilica Cistern. As with most sights in Istanbul, you’ll want to arrive early or late to avoid the largest lines and crowds, though this site has a reasonably hefty entrance fee of close to $20. Once inside, you’ll be amazed.

Basilica Cistern is a bit over 100,000 square feet, with a ceiling held up by 336 marble columns. Visitors will descend steps into the cistern itself, then walk along an elevated walkway over the area as lights change to illuminate the chamber in different ways. Again constructed under Justinian, this cistern and others like it continued to be used up until fairly modern times.

Besides the sheer immensity, one of the highlights of Basilica Cistern is two columns with Medusa heads on their base. One is sideways and one upside down, and nobody seems to know the origin. (There is also a fun collection of modern art that has been added to various parts of the cistern in recent years.)

Constantinople utilized a defensive chain to protect the Golden Horn, and its far side was anchored in a Genoese trading colony called Galata. Galata, too, had defensive walls, and at their highest point on a steep hill sits Galata Tower. If you feel adventurous and are up for a fun outing from the tourist center, crossing the Galata Bridge and walking up to the tower’s base (or paying a hefty fee to ascend the tower itself) is a good way to spend half a day. (Don’t miss out on Istiklal Street on the far side for one of Istanbul’s best shopping and people watching avenues.)

The current tower was built in 1348, so was a very late addition to the Byzantine city, but its original dates to Justinian’s time (also well before the Genoese colony, obviously).

So yes, Istanbul was Constantinople. And fortunately, some of the glory that was Constantinople still exists today, and is able to be visited. From the Hagia Sophia to the Basilica Cistern to the Galata Tower, it is a fun and unique aspect to this incredible city.

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