The next three gates along the Harbour Walls of Constantinople are known today as Odun Kapan Kapoussi, Zindan Kapoussi, and Balouk Bazaar Kapoussi. In Byzantine times, these entrances had different names and functions. They were called, respectively:
The Gate of the Drungarii
The Gate of the Forerunner (Porta juxta parvum templum Praecursoris, or St. John the Forerunner of the Horn)
The Gate of the Perama or Ferry
These identifications can be made by following the historical descriptions of the Venetian quarter in Constantinople, an area granted to the Venetians by successive Byzantine emperors beginning with Alexius I Comnenus in the late 11th century Private Tour Istanbul.
The Venetian Quarter and Its Boundaries
The Venetian quarter occupied a strategic stretch of the Harbour Walls along the Golden Horn, serving as a secure trading and residential zone for the Republic of Venice. According to the records of imperial charters and later historians, this quarter was bounded by two important gates:
The Gate of the Drungarii marked the western boundary.
The Gate of the Perama (or Ferry Gate) marked the eastern boundary.
Between these two entrances lay the Gate of the Forerunner, situated near a small church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, also known as the Precursor.
Modern research agrees that the Gate of the Perama corresponds to the Balouk Bazaar Kapoussi of today. This was the point from which ferries once crossed the Golden Horn, linking the city with the suburbs opposite, such as Galata. If this identification is correct, then the two other gates—Zindan Kapoussi and Odun Kapan Kapoussi—must have stood to the west of Balouk Bazaar Kapoussi, between that entrance and the Gate of the Platea (modern Unkapanı Kapoussi). Gates further west than these would lie beyond the Venetian quarter and can therefore be ruled out Gate of Ayasma Kapoussi.
Consequently, historians generally agree that:
Odun Kapan Kapoussi represents the Gate of the Drungarii, and
Zindan Kapoussi represents the Gate of the Forerunner.
The Gate of the Drungarii
The name “Drungarii” comes from the title Drungarius (Δρουγγάριος), which referred to several important officials in the Byzantine Empire. The term itself originates from drungus, meaning “a band” or “company of soldiers.” It is related to the German word Gedrung and the English word throng, both of which suggest a crowd or troop formation.
There were various types of Drungarii in Byzantine administration. For example:
The Drungarius of the Fleet (Δρουγγάριος τοῦ πλωίμου στόλου) was the admiral in charge of naval forces.
The Drungarius of the Watch was the commander of the city’s police and guard force.
In this context, the name of the gate most likely referred to the Drungarius of the Watch, because there was an important Vigla—a police or watch station—nearby. This Vigla is sometimes mentioned instead of the Gate itself as the western limit of the Venetian quarter, confirming the administrative role of this part of the city in maintaining order and security along the harbour.
The Gate of the Forerunner
Between the Drungarii Gate and the Perama Gate stood the Gate of the Forerunner, named after the nearby Church of St. John the Forerunner, or St. John the Baptist. In Latin records, this church is called Sanctus Johannes de Cornibus—“St. John of the Horn”—a reference to its position on the Golden Horn. This small church served both as a local parish and as a landmark for sailors approaching the Venetian quarter.
The combination of these three gates—Drungarii, Forerunner, and Perama—illustrates the close link between military, religious, and commercial functions along the Golden Horn. Each gate served not only as an entry point into the city but also as a symbol of the cultural and political connections between Byzantium and Venice.
Through careful study of historical sources and geography, modern scholars have been able to match the ancient Byzantine gates with their present-day Turkish counterparts. Odun Kapan Kapoussi, Zindan Kapoussi, and Balouk Bazaar Kapoussi together preserve the memory of the city’s Venetian presence, its defensive organization, and its religious life during the final centuries of the Byzantine Empire.