Evidence Supporting the Gate’s Location
The conclusion that the Gate of the Kynegos was located near Balat Kapoussi is supported by several historical sources. According to the Venetian traveler Niccolò Barbaro, the name “Kynegon” referred to the district beside the Golden Horn, near Balat and Aivan Serai. This area included both the land inside the city walls and the narrow shore beyond them.
Further confirmation comes from the account of Ruy González de Clavijo, the Spanish ambassador to the court of Tamerlane, who visited Constantinople in the early 15th century. In his description, Clavijo writes that the ambassadors, returning from Pera to Constantinople, re-entered the city “by the gate called Kynegon.” There they met the imperial messenger Sir Hilaire and several members of the court, who had prepared horses for them. From that point, they rode together to visit the Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae Tour Guide Turkey.
This record clearly shows that the Gate of the Kynegos served as a main point of entry for official visitors traveling between Pera and the imperial districts near Blachernae.
The Kynegon District and Its Role
The same name, Kynegon, was also used to describe the wider district surrounding this gate. It was a flat area beside the Golden Horn, which later became known as Balata and Aivan Serai. According to historical accounts, Diedo and Gabriel of Treviso, Venetian commanders, landed their sailors and workers in this quarter to dig a defensive moat requested by the emperor. The moat was intended to protect the land walls near the imperial palace.
Thus, the Quarter of the Kynegon was both a harbor zone and a working area connected with imperial defense and trade.
The Archway with the Nike
Some historians have identified the archway decorated with the marble relief of Nike, the winged goddess of victory, as the Gate of the Kynegos. However, this identification is doubtful. The archway in question was not a single gate, but one of three large arches built into the curtain walls between three defensive towers Gate Kynegos Location.
Moreover, these three archways stood very close to Balat Kapoussi, which itself was a large and functional city gate—perfectly sufficient for all traffic in this part of Constantinople. It is therefore unlikely that any of the three smaller archways served as additional public gates.
Gyllius and the Artificial Harbor Theory
When the 16th-century traveler Petrus Gyllius studied the area, he discovered evidence that the three archways were actually entrances to an artificial harbor located within the city walls. He described a large hollow area behind them, which appeared to have once held water but was later filled in and used as gardens.
According to Gyllius, this harbor was built for imperial galleys—ships that were drawn up through the arches into a protected dockyard within the city. This explanation fits the structure’s design far better than the idea that these were city gates.
Taking all this evidence together, the most reasonable conclusion is that Balat Kapoussi was the true Gate of the Kynegos, while the three adjacent arches were part of a harbor installation serving the nearby imperial palace complex. The Kynegon district, stretching along the Golden Horn, thus combined military, naval, and residential functions, making it one of the most active and historically significant areas of Byzantine Constantinople.