The City Wall and Its Entrances
After leaving the Church of Saint Demetrius, and before reaching the gate now called Balat Kapoussi, the city wall of Constantinople was once pierced by three large archways. These archways stood 45 to 55 paces apart, alternating with three defensive towers. Since the Balat Kapoussi Gate stood only about 55 paces east of the last of these archways, there were four entrances located very close to one another. Such a concentration of gateways in a short stretch of the wall was highly unusual for the city’s fortifications.
The Western Archway and Its Decoration
The westernmost archway was once beautifully decorated with two bas-reliefs, one on each side. A 17th-century description of this site was given by Tafferner, who served as chaplain to Count Walter of Leslie, ambassador of Emperor Leopold I of Germany to the Ottoman court. Tafferner described the archway as follows:
“In descending the slope leading to the arm of the Black Sea, there is a large gateway, now walled up. Tradition says that this was the boundary of the palace of Emperor Constantine the Great. On the right side of the gate stands an angel, carved from white and elegant marble, tall and noble in form, built into the wall. On the left is a figure of the Virgin Mary, similar in size, who appears to be receiving counsel from the angel.”
The Surviving Bas-Relief
Of the two reliefs that once decorated the archway, only the eastern one survives today. It shows a winged female figure dressed in flowing robes and holding a palm leaf in her left hand. Scholars agree that the figure represents Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory. Earlier visitors misunderstood the carving—Tafferner thought it was the Angel of the Annunciation, and the Patriarch Constantius identified it as the Archangel Michael. However, its classical style and attributes make it clear that the sculpture is pagan in origin, a remnant from an earlier monument reused in Byzantine times Bay of Aivan Serai Historical Monuments.
The Debate Over the Gates’ Identities
There has long been disagreement among historians about the purpose and names of these four entrances. Many scholars believe that the archway with the bas-relief was the famous Gate of the Kynegos, a name often mentioned in later Byzantine writings. According to this view, Balat Kapoussi itself was the Pyle Basilike, another gateway referred to in the same period.
However, the traveler and historian Gyllius disagreed. He identified Balat Kapoussi as the Gate of the Kynegos and argued that the three archways nearby were entrances to a small artificial harbor located just inside the city walls. He based this conclusion on the large hollow or depression visible behind the archways in his time. In the 16th century, this depression had become a series of market gardens, but Gyllius believed it was once a harbor basin, now filled with soil. He wrote:
“Beyond the Palatine Gate, having advanced about one hundred and twenty paces, I noticed three large arches built into the city wall. These arches once opened onto a man-made harbor into which the emperors used to launch their triremes. Now it is dried up and turned into concave gardens, still showing the shape of a buried port Sightseeing Tour Turkey.”
Historical Significance
Whether these structures were gates, docks, or palace entrances, they mark an area of great historical importance. Their design shows how the Byzantines combined military defense, imperial access, and maritime trade within one zone of the city. The surviving Nike relief remains a precious witness to Constantinople’s long history—blending ancient Greek art, Byzantine devotion, and Ottoman memory into one enduring site along the Golden Horn.