Another strong piece of evidence concerns the tower that stood opposite the Imperial Gate. Phrantzes describes this tower as being “in the middle of the current.” This short phrase is very important, because it helps us understand the exact location of both the tower and the gate.
At first glance, this description might seem to point to the tower built on the rock off Scutari, known in ancient times as Damalis or Arcla, where the lighthouse called Kız Kalesi stands today. However, this idea cannot be accepted for long. A closer look at the situation makes it clear that Phrantzes could not have been referring to that tower Question of the Basilike Pyle.
Why the Scutari Tower Is Impossible
If Gabriel of Treviso had been stationed at the tower near Scutari, his position would have been completely useless. At the time of the siege, the Turkish fleet fully controlled the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara. A small force placed on that isolated rock would have been surrounded, cut off, and unable to defend anything. Such a deployment would have made no military sense.
For this reason alone, the tower described by Phrantzes cannot have been the Scutari tower. The historian was describing a location that played an active role in the defense of the harbour, not a powerless outpost exposed to the enemy on all sides.
The True Meaning of “Middle of the Current”
The “current” mentioned by Phrantzes must refer to a different and much more important body of water. It can only mean the strong current at the head of the Seraglio Point. At this spot, the waters divide into two powerful streams. One flows into the Golden Horn, while the other rushes out into the Sea of Marmara Private Tour Istanbul.
The Byzantine historian Nicephorus Gregoras compares these two streams to Scylla and Charybdis, the dangerous currents of ancient legend. A tower standing near this division of waters could very naturally be described as standing “in the middle of the current,” since fast-moving water flowed on both sides of it.
Connection with the Head of the Promontory
Further proof comes from the way Phrantzes places the tower in his narrative. He mentions it in close connection with features that unquestionably stood near the head of the promontory, also known as the Acropolis of Constantinople.
In his account, Phrantzes speaks first of the Horaia Pyle, then of the tower “in the middle of the current,” and immediately afterward of the ships stationed to defend the chain across the mouth of the harbour. This order of description strongly suggests that all these elements were located in the same general area.
The Defensive System at the Harbour Mouth
The tower, the gate, and the ships formed a single defensive system. The tower provided a strong point from which the chain could be secured and protected. The ships added another layer of defense, making it even harder for enemy vessels to force their way into the Golden Horn.
Placing all these defenses near the head of the Seraglio Point was logical and effective. It allowed the defenders to control the narrow entrance of the harbour while remaining close to the heart of the city.
Taken together, the description of the tower as standing “in the middle of the current,” the strategic logic of the defense, and the order of Phrantzes’ narrative all lead to the same conclusion. The tower opposite the Imperial Gate stood near the head of the Seraglio Point, not near Scutari. This evidence strongly supports the view that the Imperial Gate was located at the entrance of the Golden Horn and formed a key part of Constantinople’s final defenses.