Hidden Ruins of Byzantine Constantinople
Fragments of Byzantine Constantinople hidden in plain sight.
My tour of Byzantine Thessaloniki: • A Tour of Byzantine Th...
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:28 The late Byzantine city
2:17 The Ottoman city
3:32 Column of Leo
4:15 Column of Marcian
4:50 Forum of Constantine
5:44 Forum of Theodosius
6:38 St. Polyeuctus
7:37 Palace of Antiochus
8:48 "Botaneiates Palace"
9:36 Column of the Goths
10:29 Thessaloniki
My jaw dropped when the camera entered that dark window to reveal those columns
Yeah the Fatih district ( the old İstanbul/Costantinopolis) is filled with those kind of relics of old ages.
I'm from İstanbul and let me tell you that in İstanbul there is another city under the city.
It's kinda like Venice Italy
Years ago, while working for a German manufacturer in the automotive industry, I was invited to the Headquarters of Koç, the largest corporation in Turkey. The HQ was a restored Ottoman palace on the Asian side of the Bosporus with a spectacular view of Istanbul across the channel. In the courtyard of the palace and, in fact, all over the grounds, was an extraordinary collection of Byzantine capitals, sculptures, friezes, sarcophagi, architectural fragments, etc.
Stolen.
@@stickemuppunkitsthefunlovi4733 Do you mean the Ottomans stole from the Byzantines? That's usually what happens after a conquest.
Bap bap bap, it's the German occupation of Slavic lands. Look up Sorbes, Wendes and Lusatians. They weren't German. Neither was Berlin.
@@kalemegdan6566Nobody cares.
well christians stole it first, the leftovers were for ottomans....@@stickemuppunkitsthefunlovi4733
For those who want to visit Istanbul, I can recommend going in THIS part of the year (October) when the temperatures are very pleasant and it's not too busy with tourists.
Same with Rome. Nice and cool and not too busy
He doesn't mean Istanbul. He meant Constantinople
Im gonna visit Turkey after I turn 18 and saved enough money by working!! ❤️ I've always been fascinated by this beautiful country!!!
Salty@@MrJeremybowling
I have a trip planned for November
*Looks through broken ancient window* "Let's see if we can look inside..." *Finds Khazad-Dûm*
there are many such opportunities in modern Istanbul
Fool of a Took
You sir, won the Internet today. Thank you.
Fpr those wjo dont understand... well its better if you look it up yourself
Told in Stone always uploads when I’m on the bus home from school. I love watching content right as I get out of history class! Gotta continue History throughout the day!
same here!
You forgot some other hidden places -Belgrade Gate -Altı mermer -Forum Arcadius -Old Harbour -Galata Walls -Gül Mosque -Zeyrek Cisterns and many more. Have to check those too.
Whilst the vandalism of a two and a half thousand year old city fills me with sadness, I appreciate your video very much.
By the Venetians?
@@noleftturnunstoned Im not sure if you are trolling or what, but it would be primarily the Turkish population, and secondarily, tourists trashing the archeological sites today. Before that it was the ottomans. And then FINALLY you get to the venetians. You are like a solid thousand years off.
@@staywokecuhh Why lie about the Turks?(I know why)
@@IStevenSeagal Lmao who lives in and maintains the structures of that area today?
@@staywokecuhh Turks.
1:25 in between each arch in each window they used different stone and different patterns, even making something so simple pop out like that is pretty dang creative! And it still looks beautiful!
It seems increasingly likely that I won't be able to see it for myself for the foreseeable future, so these videos are really quite a treasure. Sigh, maybe one day.
Why?
Hi Garrett, Thank you for all your amazing videos on Roman history. I also bought both of your books. Keep us posted and thanks again.
As a person who grew up in Istanbul, I really appreciate your videos! If you get the time you should also look at the Roman aqueducts in Kemerburgaz and Gokturk, they are incredible.
Istanbul looks like a cool old city! 😊
This one really feels like an old-school toldinstone video! Great job Dr. Ryan!
There is always a crushing sadness at the loss that features in so many of your stories, told in stone. At least we have these few remnants that have not yet been crushed themselves to remember what once was.
Hello toldinstone! I have watched all of your videos, and they are very informative. I have been to Rome many times, and the last time i was i used one of your videos to locate two roman monuments hidden in plain sight. Also i have been to Constantinople two times and i have visited all the Eastern Roman accesible places possible. Now one thing i would like from your channel is for you to make a video, showing what was lost in the middle ages in Constantinople, just like the video you did for Rome, explaining especially buildings like the Blachernae Palace, or Grand Palace, and so on. That would be an amazing video i would really appreciate, and i guess most of the viewers here too. Thank you for the fine job you are doing !
why say constantinople. its Istanbul now
Keep up the great work, Garrett 👍
Your video made me miss my time living in Istanbul. The fall and winters there are very pleasant and it is a rewarding place for a historian to be.
Even though I saw the thumbnail, i was staggered and surprised as the camera adjusted to reveal that wonderful complex of columns through a window on an unremarkable side street. Fantastic work.
Thanks for the presentation, and your new book.
Spectacular!!!! great video and great content, awesome my friend !!!
I enjoy this channel Garrett Ryan owns a easy tone in his voice thank you Garrett continue producing the videos.
Truly stunning. Just so beautiful.... Classic.... You have the best insights ❤
Love the content on Byzantine and Constantinople!
4:37 the Colossus of Barletta is rumored to be the lost statue of Emperor Marcian
I thought it was Nerva Trajanus ?
Haghia Sophia and Basilica Cistern were highlights. Chora and the walls were amazing. The view from Topkapi gardens down to the Bosphorus. SIGH !!! Thank you !
I read during the crusader sack.. when they plundered the tombs of the emperors the golden crown of Heraclius still had the hair attached to it when they carried it and the loots back to Venice.
Sounds like NATO under Biden. Sacking Yugoslavia and Ukraine.
True, true. Another interesting fact is that when they opened the grave of emperor Justinian I his body was still, after almost six and half centuries, basically intact, a thing Orthodox Christians view as a sign of sainthood. Unfortunately Justinian's, Heraclius's and the corpses of so many other emperors were desecrated and destroyed by the Crusaders in order to get the treasures with which they were buried. Truly a sad moment in the history of civilization.
@@justinian-the-great sad and typical..
@@justinian-the-great It's time to pull and OJ and get all our stuff back.
Crusaders were savage and barbaric to Roman Orthodox Christian Constantinople!
I remember seeing a video of the Bald guy going through Afghanistan and when he stopped at the road with the fortress alongside it and talked about the different Armies walking through that road. Ever since I just been wanting to see more of these ancient structures that are part of history. You can really feel the wierd energy coming off these buildings, like you can feel or almost imagine what it must of been like, I feel like it was so much quieter back then. I guess I find archeology so fascinating, with Machu Picchu being ontop a mountain and then being overgrown with fauna to not be seen for how long? Makes me wonder what has been swept away by time or eventually buried by dust.
Sgt, I humbly believe you meant to say: "Overgrown with _Flora."_ Being overgown with Fauna could be an extremely funny way to state that someone was suddenly stampeded by buffalos, and not just that, they also decided to remain on top of the poor fellow until found centuries later 🙂. Even then, if my memory serves me well, Machu Picchu was more or less, say, not forgotten. In Mexico however, most of the Aztec and Mayan pyramids were indeed overgrown with Flora, to the point of being considered hills, until discovered and cleaned up. Ps. Oh and sure, along with the Flora comes the Fauna, it's a simbiotic relationship after all 🙂.
@@hansvonmannschaft9062 Flora yes! Also I am confused now?
@@SgtJohnRemairez No, you shouldn't be confused, it was just a funny mistake of the kind anyone could make 🙂 And here's a tip: The next time someone tells you: "Must've been Flora, not Fauna", if he's an e-diot (ie, not friendly), you can reply by saying: "Good point! But let's remember that Fauna can be taken for granted, because without Fauna, their pollinating insects, or the seeds contained within larger species' feces, there would never be any substantial Flora!" - And that's it, you shut the dude up. But save this trap for guys who deserve it 🙂 Have a good one Sgt! 😀
Perfect information thanks.
WOW, i love your way of telling history and the on foot part makes it even better A++
Respect for doing this. ❤
Wow, that abandoned place looked beautiful inside
Great video!
Thank you so much for posting this. 😊 pleased Subscriber here 👋
Thank you. Fascinating.
You can really let your imagination run wild thinking about what Constantinople must have been like pre-1204. I found a fascinating scholarly journal online about all the relics and such that were destroyed by the Fourth Crusade. The article may have been published by Oxford. I wish I could remember.
8:57 the pan from the dilapidated exterior to the (relatively) intact and intricate interior is wild
Thank you
Excellent video :D
Great topic ❤
Very interesting. Thank you.
This sounds like a lovely trip to take in the near future😊
I went there in January. It was a good time to visit.
Istanbul is a magical place. All that history, memories, whisper to you. I used to live on the Asian side, and went to school on the European side. I travelled the Bosphorus everyday with a boat. Wherever I go, I miss those days. Btw, current municipality has a project to restore the Byzantine Hippodrome. At least partly. There are many riches not presented in this video.
I have visited Istanbul 8 times and I still want to visit it again and again.
Constantinople
Oh thanks for you tube to reminding me to subscribe to this channel! Regards
An amazing place to visit. People, food, sight seeing! It was wonderful as were the other areas of Turkey I visited.
Turkish occupied Greco-Roman Roman Pravo Slav Holy Lands.
@@kalemegdan6566 Come and take it
@@kalemegdan6566 cope with it!
@@kalemegdan6566 Keep crying. Turks have been in Anatolia for nearly 1000 years now. Istanbul is ours for nearly 600 years as well. These lands are 100% Turkish and we aren't going anywhere!
@kaankahraman1341 Wrong. It's not even 2100 -2200 A.D.. Your math, just like your history and your culture is off. Everything you think is Turkish eas borrowed from Mongols, Persians, Arabs, Phoencians, Greeks, Roman's and "Pravo Slava Vera" [Orthodox Christian Faith.]. You temporally worship in our Havia Sofia. When we come back we will topple the Minaret and other Blasphemous additions tied to a foreign culture. Tied to a foreign faith. It is our way to survive, to win and to destroy the evil who try to kill and lie. You are merely a vassal of Biden, Destroyer of Yugoslavia and Ukraine. War bringer to the Holy Land. He is evil. But he also showed who you are. Treacherous, week, servile. And you can't stand on your own two feet without a "Slav" or a "Pravo Slav". I don't know who's weaker between you and your olde German foe. You both equally suck when it comes to world domination and trying to subdue a people. For over 1,200 my family has witnessed your incompetence. We were there when "Car"[Csar: Czar: Tsar: Caesar] Konstantin eliminated the challenges to our "Vera" . 1000 years prior to your stain, we were already the protectors of "Rumelia [Balkans] and Carpathia /Karpata/". You're not even a string on the loom. You're not even. A thread of history by comparison. You're merely a "Thrall". A willing Thrall. You are a masochist. One way or another you will serve, by the looks of your disgusting spineless nature. "It is a good day to die".
Never forgotten in here❤
Nice and informative video. When younger, i was in Istanbul 4 times. We as a family visited the very nice water reservoir with its very nice columns. I was impressed (does not happen often) by the enormous city walls and gates. Later in that holiday, 1987, we went to Troja, Milet, Pamukkele and the nex door Hierapolis(?), the chopped out wall in the mountain from Bodrum, and near Eskeshehir our Turkish friend showed us the homes from the Christians chopped out in the mountains. No tourists there, nobody. And we visited several other antique places were i do not know the name from. What did these people in their Byzanthium homes to cover their window opening from rain and cold? Regards from the Netherlands
I found this out from Dr. No , the ruins I mean 😂 thanks for posting this bro
Toldinstone i would love to hear your thoughts on the recent loss of the church of saint porphyrius
Thank you.
Very interesting.❤
We wil be going on a month long Mediterranean cruise in December 2023, one of the stops is in Istanbul for 4 days, and also stops in France, Italy, Greece,Greek Islands, Crete, Israel, and Egypt as well.............🌿🙂🌿✌️
In addition to the Hajia Sophia, Blue Mosque etc., I strongly recommend a visit to the Basilica Cistern. It is an amazing monument to Roman engineering.
@@tommcallister7647 Thank you for the tourist tips, and peace be with you ✌️
🚛🙂🙂👍 That sounds fun and interesting, mind if we tag along ?
@@optimusprinceps3526 "Israel" I see what you did there.
Wow that must have been amazing! Travelling around the Mediterranean on an enormous floating buffet, disembarking for a few hours and then reboarding the buffet ship. You must have really experienced the culture of each destination and had a great view from off shore, as the ship dumped all your slurry into the harbour.
Near where i live there's a Byzantine church !! Fully intact !!
where do you live?
@@16876 Crete , Greece
@@Sam_Green____4114 Why the union jack for a pfp?
Hey everyone, Let's remember that nearly every spot in Istanbul stands on layers of ancient history, not just Byzantine but also other Asia Minor civilizations. Efforts to restore places like the Boukoleon Palace, which was in ruins even before the Ottomans arrived, are ongoing. Even with ample funding, the sheer volume of historical sites and artifacts makes restoration a challenge. Many findings don't even reach museums because they're already filled with invaluable pieces. While more can be done for Istanbul's historical peninsula, some restorations could take years. Let's be patient and value the dedication behind preserving our shared history.
You are conveniently ignoring the fact that during the Late Ottoman Era the still very much well preserved remains of the Boukoleon Palace were deliberately destroyed by Sultan Abdulhamid II to make way for the railway heading to Sirkeci Station. Lets just hope that its restoration wont end up like that of Suheyl Bey Mosque. Unlike the central government, IBB Miras seems to know what they are doing after all.
Yeah this is just not a thing at all. There was no asia minor civilization that inhabited the city, it was founded by emperor Constantine, the Greek-Roman emperor, and so bears his name. The Turks, like their Seljuq ancestors, raped the greeks and attempted to say that they were never Roman at all when half the empire was Greek and the Eastern Roman Empire lasted until 1453, with the Ottomans LARPing for the next 500 years.
@Da_goat This is not correct especially in the yenikapı excavations they found a lot more older artifacts. They hypothise the people in Göbeklitepe passed bosphorus somewhere around 8000 BC.
@@Da__goatGlorius Kingdom of Bithynia owned that city. And it was called Byzantion. It was founded bu Byzas of Megara kahve 600 years ago from the times of Constantine
This area of the world has the rare luxury of almost literally drowning in historical artefacts.
The oldest structure prize belongs to the Egyptian obelisk near the Hagia Sophia. It is also the oldest structure in its original place,the base now being 10 feet blow the surface.
Just curious if you've seen History in Granite's latest Garrett? It's quite good work I think you'll agree!
I walked pass the baths of Bayezid for 3 years while studying at Istanbul University next door and never noticed the reliefs on the foundation.
What did you study? Sounds awesome.
Love the videos man. Really wanted to give your books a try but it seems like the audiobook version is read/voiced by someone else bummer😔
Nice.
When I walked to the Column of Marcian I noticed column ends being used around pedestrian areas to block vehicles. It made me wonder what structure they came from.
Nice
Constantinople ❤
Hola, excelente video, podrías hacer videos con traductores a idioma español, saludos desde Chile
For anyone interested in Constantinople I strongly recommend Schwerpunkt'z Byzantine history playlist
Imagine how beautiful it must have been.
look man, been watching since the channel was new. I am 23 I have always loved money and history. Went to college studied finance and I am a member of multiple historical societies near me. Also have artifacts I have found myself in local museums. In my professional life I sell commercial real estate. Mostly industrial real estate. I have done well in just a few short years in my career. I am also a serious coin collector and numismatist. Other things I enjoy are boating hunting and especially metal detecting & Bottle digging. I also love and collect rocks minerals and fossils, this was my first hobby since I was a young boy maybe 5-6 years old. I have to say that along my lifetime journey this channel has inspired and entertained me. As a major history buff this is some of the best especially classic history content on KZhead. Another important note they don't teach anything like this or anything important in general in public high schools or really universities for that matter. Keep doing what your doing we love you !
is there a meaning beside the symbolism to obelisks such as column of marcion? like could it be used as beacons to maintain communication between settlements?
One of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Beautiful Istanbul
Constantinople
idk how cz international status of it is Istanbul not even christian nobles call it con******* you still living in the ages when u were defeated that pain still makes u cry blood lol@@nogaysallowed95
It is always very hard for me to learn about anything byzantine post 12th century. So much history and beauty destroyed.
How do stone structures end up consistently being “burning down”?
dziękuję
You should do Byzantine Ephesus
Please do the Boulkoleon palace(there’s old pictures of it too) and it’s being restored now
What is super weird to me is the fact that ancient monuments are phenomenal, very detail and super polished but the letters everywhere are creepy and walking all the directions 🤷🏻♀️
Not Micklegarth, but Myklagard in norse. Mykla means large, and Gard means town to live (in modern norwegian, gard means a farm. But obviously the norse meaning was "slightly" different and flexible). The norse thus named Constantinople "the large town" in their language.
Seems to be related to modern Russian "gorod" (old Russian "grad") and before it gained the meaning of "city" it meant walls or fortifications. Rus' lands were called Gardariki in old norse which basically means "kingdom of fortifications" or something. So maybe Miklagard means large walls?
@@N1t3Owlprobably
Gård meant wall, not town. If you go to Istanbul, you'll understand why they called it "large wall"
@@demeter1793 I wrote "gard" quite specifically instead of "gård". It could mean a wall like you pointed to, but it also ment an enclosed area or homestead which became synonymous with a city.
@@rolfnilsen6385 well okay, but the name of the city is Miklagård
I want to visit Istanbul so bad!
Arabic pronunciation of the city was Kustantiniyya. They can pronounce O sound and they dropped N for some reason.
Interesting.
The only continuously surviving, living part of the Byzantine Empire is to be found today on Mount Athos.
Great video. One note only is that turks didn't call Constantinople "istanbul" because it's a Greek name which is as old as Constantinople. It means "to the city" or "of the city" in Greek. It comes from "εις την Πόλη"
That's a common misconception but it's not true. Istanbul comes from Constantinople, with the first and the third syllables dropped in speech. (koSTANtinoPOLi) It's the same thing with Thessaloniki, the second capital of the Byzantines after Constantinople, which was known as Saloniki/Salonica/Selanik around the world before the ancient name was revived in the 20th century. So in the end Constantinople and Istanbul are the same word.
Yeah, they do that for New York too. In the outlying areas when you say I'm going to the city you know what people mean they mean, New York. So in this case, the term Istanbul is actually referring to Constantinople, The City.
In Serbia it was Empire City or Carigrad
Correct!
The video opened with the most ancient Licc I have ever heard
just a nitpick; you forgot to mention chora church, remains of hippodrome, other cisterns and the galatian walls too, maybe the time wasn't enough? still a very informative video, would love to see you more often in my hometown
There's a lot of ruins in Mesapotamia
What is the source for "Mickelgarth"?
Cool Roman ruins.
Afonso de Albuquerque and his revenge!... Parts of history untold!!!!!
It's incredible to me how much less Roman history can be seen in the Fatih District of Istanbul than in central Rome, despite Constantinople having fallen nearly a millennium after Rome did. The Turks destroyed so much.
Thank you for this documentary. This is an example of how something beautiful like the West, which also included the Eastern Roman Empire, can be destroyed by internal divisions and bickering. This is a warning to the West that this history does not repeat itself on western europe and america
Absolutely. They have learnt from history unfortunately
IF ONLY THERE WERE UPON THE FACE OF MOTHER EARTH A MAN OF WHOM DID THINKETH ON THE ROMAN EMPIRE DAILY ✨
Just came back from two weeks in Istanbul and Izmir. Struck me how, except for some very prominent exceptions, Byzantine/Greek/Roman buildings and artifacts are largely ignored and tossed aside. At the fort in Cesme, if you look happen to look over one wall as I did, you'll see a pile of Greek columns and partial statues lying in a heap among trees where nobody can approach. That and many other examples made me think that the Ottomans/Turks would be happy if the evidence of earlier Greek/Roman occupation would just rot away. Of course, that doesn't happen with marble etc. But I get the sense that there is some embarrassment among the Turkish authorities that they are surrounded by tangible reminders that they are on land they took from another (then-more-advanced) civilisation, and one with which there is still a lot of tension at times. In other places, there seems to be lingering pride over that distant conquest, like when I climbed up to a tower on the northern walls that seemed completely ignored and found a huge Turkish flag draped over the far side. All that said, the Turks were wonderfully friendly and it is a fascinating place to travel for any history buff.
Bought your new book Garrett; Great Stuff. O-H ⭕
RIP Rome😞
NIce
I intend to watch the video, as I typically enjoy the fact toldinstone is grounded in information rather than what passes as armchair historian descriptions you typically find throughout KZhead. Having said that, I was struck by a question before I started, and I figured I would leave it nestled here in the comments. Maybe i will get an answer. Maybe i wont. I... dont really care too much? Anywhoodles. Why is the video title about "Byzantine Constantinople?" Despite some brief Venetians, I cant really think of a time when the city was called Constantinople-- but wasnt Byzantine. You see what I mean? The two words are practically synonymous, and funnily enough it reminds me of a They Must be Giants song: "its Istanbul not Constaintinople.." 😅😅😅 Anywhoodles... back to the video.
My nan was born in Constantinople
cool
You from around Philly?
When I was there 30 years ago it had the feel of a modern western secular city, women dressing skimpy and boys and girls flirting openly. Women walking alone. Not a head covering in sight. Haghia Sophia was a musemn. Since Ertogan that has all changed and not for the better.
Honestly I don't understand why you think that first part is an improvement...
Still by all standards it is a modern open society with both free and religious side by side. Changes are for much better and competative with many best European cities.
Which is good
Vikings did not call it "micklegarth" but rather "Miklagarðr"
Lol yeah I caught that too, sounded so weird. In Sweden we call it Miklagård, så Norse comes more naturally but "Mickelgarth" has to be the weirdest pronunciation yet lol
1:56 Correction: Turkey didn't exist back then. The conquest took place by the Ottomans. The former established just a century ago. Thank you.
mate, turkiye existed before that, 🤣 we got 6th century text mentioning turkiye lmao
@@jamworthy14They were as an ethnicity, not as a nation!
@@azwris back then everything was ethnicity. That's how countries are born . It was land of turkiye. It was a nation mate . Omg 😶. Do u know what a tribe is mate ?
@@jamworthy14 Of course I know because I am also into English Grossology. But I can definitely sense some irony in your comments and therefore I don't like to get into a dispute with you. You're going to lose your dignity in public and I'm going to lose my precious time. So long my friend!
@@azwris 😂😶 if u knew u would not make such stupid comments. Now u resort to the lame kindergarten comeback to salvage ur dignity. Ironic 😼
Byzantine is a term invented by the French 200-300 years ago; the citizens of New Rome the City of Constantine called themselves Roman; when the Turks captured the city in 1453 they called the citizens the "Rum Millet" which means the "Roman nation/people".