The Bay of Blachernae
The area known today as the Bay of Aivan Serai was once called the Bay of Blachernae. It was an important part of Byzantine Constantinople and had a dockyard known as the Neorion at Blachernae. This dockyard was a busy place for building and repairing ships that served both trade and the navy.
The Mosque of Atik Mustapha Pasha
Moving eastward from the bay, one soon reaches a break in the ancient wall that leads to the Mosque of Atik Mustapha Pasha (Djamissi). This mosque is believed to stand on the site of the Byzantine Church of Saints Peter and Mark, which was built in the year 458 by two patricians named Galbius and Candidus. The church originally stood on the shore of the Golden Horn, within the district of Blachernae.
According to old accounts, this church once held a very important relic — the Girdle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Later, this holy relic was transferred to another church in the same area that was dedicated to the Theotokos (Mother of God) Private Tour Guide Turkey.
The Baptismal Font
Near the mosque, on a street to its west, there still remains a marble baptismal font believed to belong to the original Byzantine church. The font is in the shape of a cross and has three steps leading down into it. This structure gives historians an idea of how the early Christian baptisms were performed in Constantinople.
The Gate and Chapel of Saint Anastasia
A document known as a chrysobull (imperial decree) issued by Emperor John Palaiologos in 1342 mentions a Gate of Saint Anastasia located in this same part of the city. Furthermore, a Russian pilgrim who visited Constantinople between 1424 and 1453 wrote about a chapel containing the relics of Saint Anastasia near the Church of Blachernae. This shows that the area remained an active religious center even in the final years of the Byzantine Empire Identification Balat Kapoussi Ancient Gates.
The Church of Saint Demetrius
A short distance east of the Atik Mustapha Pasha Mosque stands the Church of Saint Demetrius. Although the present structure dates from the early eighteenth century, the original building was Byzantine, famous for its mosaics and central dome. Its full name was The Church of Saint Demetrius of Kanabos (Greek: τοῦ Κανάβου), and it may have been founded by a member of the Kanabus family. One of them, Nicholas Kanabus, briefly became emperor during the troubled period between the fall of the Angelos dynasty and the rise of Emperor Murtzuphlus in the early thirteenth century.
By 1334, the church belonged to George Pepagomenos, a relative of Emperor Andronicus III. After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, from 1597 to 1601, the church served as the cathedral of the Greek Patriarch when he was denied access to the Church of the Pammakaristos (today known as Fethiye Mosque).
The Bay of Aivan Serai, once the Bay of Blachernae, holds many layers of history. From Byzantine churches and relics of saints to Ottoman mosques, the area reflects the cultural and spiritual evolution of Constantinople — now Istanbul. Each monument tells a story of faith, art, and survival through centuries of change.