One of the main aqueducts that supplied the city and certainly the best surviving. The aqueduct of Valens was constructed in the 4th century. The famous (and most impressive stretch) survives crossing one of the city's busiest road to a height of two arches and a length of 575 yards! Other fragments still exist in the direction of the city centre, though they need hunting down.

Access: Freely accessible at all times, but mind the main road traffic.

Once one of the grandest arches in the city, Theodosius' Arch survives in many pieces rather than as a whole. Once it stretched in a triple arch across the main thoroughfare where it is now found. Unfortunately, only one pier of the gate remains, with pieces of the magnificent peacock-carved columns and the decorative lintel lying nearby. In fact, other pieces can be found in the Basilica Cistern and in the Archaeological museum.

Access: Freely accessible at all times next to the main road.

LINTEL FRAGMENTS

BASE

PEACOCK COLUMNS

This 11th century Byzantine church of the All-seeing Christ is remarkably hidden away in a tangle of small streets. Be well prepared to look hard for it. As you can see, it has washing hanging on its outer railing. It is one of the smallest, most unexpected and most beautiful churches (mosques) in Istanbul. Unfortunately we were prevented in 2008 from interior photography.

Access: Open Mosque hours. Have maps and Google Earth printouts. Be ready to scour the area.

This 12th cenutry Byzantine church is one of few surviving with the true Greek cross plan with dome. Nestled below a stretch of the aqueduct of Valens, it is neatly tucked away. Jammed between the mosque and the aqueduct are the considerable ruins of the earlier aisled Byzantine church that the extant one replaced. It is a picturesque and fascinating church in a picturesque and fasinating area.

Access: Open mosque hours. Ruins beside visible at all times.

GENERAL VIEW

DETAIL

EARLY RUINS

This 6th century Byzantine church is in a very ruinous state. Indeed only the substructures remain, though they are considerable and give some idea of the sheer size of the original building. The ruins were destroyed during the 4th crusade and were only discovered in the 1960s. Many beautiful architectural fragments stand in the adjacent park.

Access: At out visit in 2008, the ruins were fenced off behind wire. However, there were numerous holes in the wire and locals encouraged us to go through and have a good look.

The Fatih Mosque is one of the most beautiful in Istanbul and certainly stands out in the area. There is little there of pre-Ottoman architecture. Indeed, as we visited we believed it to be purely Ottoman on the site of an older church with no Byzantine work at all. However a local guide explained that the collections they were taking were to pay for restoration of the Byzantine library. He pointed this out (though I had to stand on a wall to get this view)

Access: The mosque is visitable during ordinary mosque hours, and is quite tourist-oriented. This section is not currenly visitable (2008) due to restoration work.

Constructed in the 12th century, this was actually a monastery that consisted of two churches, built by the Emperor John II Comnenos and his wife the Empress, linked by a chapel. Following the Ottoman invasion, the church became the Zeyrek mosque. As of 2008 visit the church was sealed tight. It is theoretically undergoing restoration work, though there was no visible sign of this. The exterior is impressive, none the less. It remains in terms of groundplan the second largest church in Istanbul.

Access: Theoretically open mosque times. Easily visible and reachable from Attaturk Boulevard.

Erected in 455 by the named Emperor, this is the most interresting column surviving in Istanbul. Originally a statue of Marcian would have stood atop the capital. The base is inscribed interestingly with two genii holding a globe (photo below) on one side, and Christian motifs on the other three.

Access: Freely visible and only a short walk from the park of St Polyeuktos and the Aqueduct of Valens

THE COLUMN

BASE DETAIL

This 10th century Byzantine church is somewhat crowded in amongst buildings. It was constructed to serve as part of the Myrelaion palace (now gone) and be an Imperial burial place. Badly damaged during the 4th crusade, the church was abandoned for a time, being restored in the Palaiologan revival. Following the Ottoman invasion it became the Bodrum Mosque. The mosque itself was closed during our visit in 2008. Below the church is a shopping mall built into a restored Byzantine cistern also associated with the Myrelaion palace.

Access: Closed at last visit. External viewing only. Two streets back from the main Ordu Cadesi and close to the first great crossroads, it is quite easy to find.

These overgrown and fragmentary ruins were discovered during metro works. There appears to be nothing being done with them. They are behiond hoarding and of unknown nature.

Access: Visible only over hoarding.