MAGNAURA PALACE

Cankurtaran, Fatih - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'20.6"N 28°58'50.0"E / 41.005722, 28.980556



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It is recorded that in the year 425 of the Common Era era, by decree of the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II, a secular institution of higher learning was established in Istanbul, then known as Costantinopolis. Assembling the various branches of human inquiry under the roof of the so-called Magnaura Palace, this institution can be considered a very early type of university; indeed, in a history of universities, it appears on top of the list as being the oldest university in Europe with names such as University of Costantinopolis, or the Magnaura Palace University or, in Greek, "Pandidakterion tes Magnauras".

The name Magnaura is derived from the Latin phrase Magna Aula meaning a hall capable of containing large number of people, where official ceremonies, meetings are held. In our day, in those Italian universities dating from the Middle Ages, the graduation ceremony still takes place with the presence of "Il Magnifico Rettore" (the magnificent rector), in the prestigious Aula Magna in Italian the two words are placed in reverse order and pronounced as aula manya.

The Aula Magna designed by R. Erskine in 1997 for the Frescati Campus of the Stockholm University, making an honourable contribution to modern architecture, is a stucture which offers glass transparency to the surrounding old trees, its central idea being based on the classical amphiteater; the building is open to all kinds of cultural activities worthy of the University's high standard.

Following the closure in Athens of the Plato Academy in 529, the noble task of preserving the written heritage of the classical cultures was passed on to Costantinopolis, namely our city of Istanbul. In order to transmit this past knowledge to future generations, monks in the monasteries were working hard in the "Scriptorium" (‘writing-area') copying manuscripts under the watchful eye of the "Armarius" (‘head monk').

In the renowned monastery of Studion, close to Yedikule district and to the Marmara sea, for example, a group of monks slept while another group without interval continued copying and multiplying ancient manuscripts (this Monastery was also known as that of "Akoimetoi", i.e. ‘Non-Sleepers'). Scholars are telling us that books copied in the monasteries were generally related or limited to theological matters; whereas books of any kind, whether commissioned by the emperor or by the many urban benefactors (maecenas) were copied by the individual scribes and in workshops. It was thanks to such people curious about ancient lore that the city must have gained a paradise-like atmosphere for books.

The higher learning institute, pride of the Islamic world, Beytü'l-Hikme, established in Baghdat under al-Ma'mun (813-835), took the initiative to send envoys to Costantinopolis to obtain books specifically of Plato and Aristotle, which they planned to translate into the Arabic language. Again, such active interest in the intellectual accumulation of the past must be viewed within the context of valuing it and trying to incorporate it to new life.

The Costantinopolis University at Magnaura was restructured by the regent Bardas during the reign of emperor Michael III (842-867). Classes were offered through 31 chairs: 15 in Latin, 16 in Greek. Here, Platonism and Aristotelism were earnestly studied and discussed, and the two traditions thus constantly kept alive.

The functionining of the University lasted until the 15th century; however, after the Latin invasion in 1204, it appears to have lost its secular character which it had maintained since antiquity, entering gradually under the influence of the Church. In a last ditch of effort Manuel Paleolog (1391-1425) was able to establish an institution of higher learning which gained fame for its schools of grammar and Aristotelian philosophy.

Two eminent persons of culture acted as directors of this "Mouseion" covering many fields of study. One was G. Scholarios, respected Aristotelian, who became the first patriarch after the city was taken by the Turks; the other was G. Argyropoulos, more inclined to get closer to the Catholic Church in Rome. This last scholar, in fact, emigrated to Florence where he taught Aristotelian logic.

No wonder, Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, later Pope Pius II - himself a very learned individual - impressed by these " illustrissimi viri bizantini " once exclaimed: "anyone who did not possess Constantinopolitan education, could not consider himself thoroughly cultivated !"

It would be appropriate to remind the reader that at the early stages of organized higher education the 'university' as such was not identified with that term. The use of "universitas", came about first in Bologna where it was written down in the statute of the "Universitas Studiorum Bolognensis", established in 1088 (for this very reason some consider the University of Bologna as the oldest one in Europe). Furthermore, in Medieval Latin "universitas" did not carry a reference to an institution of learning of universal breadth; rather, it had a legal meaning.

Infact, at Bologna groups of students belonging to various fields of study (studium) went after teachers and together with them and other officials, including the rector, formed a larger community which operated in a given place, and, developing programs, according to rules and regulations, offered diplomas and rights to obtain them; such community incorporation of all parties was called "universitas".

The great reception hall at Magnaura kept also in it treasures which marvelled ambassadors, foreign or local visitors. Bishop Liutprand of Cremona visited it in the 10th century and in his description he tells that the huge throne was sided as sentinels by two gilded lions roaring frighteningly with open mouth, and every now and then beating the ground with their tail. Suddenly the throne started rising in the air all by itself. He noticed also, nearby, man made birds singing merrily on the branches of a golden tree.

Such fantastic mechanisms moving by themselves (automata) were seen in some palaces of the Islamic world too, especially those in Baghdad. It is understood from sources that during the reign of the emperor Theophilos (813-842), a lover of magnificence, gifts were exchanged between Byzantium and Baghdad. Could it ever be that this precious tree with birds of artifice singing on its branches was a gift from Baghdad?

To be blunt, this spot is not for the faint-hearted. Entering the garden behind Nakkaş Halı shop and Palatium café, you will see an area paved with glass, two metal staircases leading down on either side. Follow the staircase on the right: a full 10 meters below ground level, a brick wall holds a small door that opens into mysterious shadows. If you’re feeling nervous, the owner’s sign might not reassure you: “Dear Guests, While you are visiting this facilities our Company is not Responsible from any injury, Accident and Lost Items.” Luckily, our intrepid writer has explored and lived to tell the tale.

Through the doorway, you will find a brick chamber with high arches and beehive-like domes, as well as doors leading into further darkness. The structure’s ragged condition adds to the feeling of a lost civilization, concealed for thousands of years – no one knows what further excavation might uncover. When Fatih Sultan Mehmet took Constantinople in 1453, he is rumored to have quoted the Persian poet Ferdowsi: “The spider spins his web in the Palace of the Caesars.” Magnaura is a reminder that all empires, no matter how glorious, will be covered by the sands of time. Magnaura Palace is close to the Hagia Sophia, right beside the Four Seasons Hotel. Entrance is free, and you can visit any time from 11 am to 1 am.

A cement staircase in the courtyard of Asia Minor Carpet Shop on Kutlugün Street in Sultanahmet, leads down into the subterranean remains of the Senate House of Magnaura Palace. This shop is just one of the hundreds of neighborhood structures built atop the ruins of the Great Palace. In fact, excavations and construction are ongoing around.

ALBURA KATHISMA RESTAURANT KEEPS A SECRET
In the early 1990s, a Greek family refurbished a charming Ottoman home and opened Albura on the cobbled streets of Akbıyık Caddesi. The quality of the cuisine had locals and travelers flocking, making Albura one of the most popular restaurants in Sultanahmet. In 2009, Kathisma, a streetside terrace restaurant next-door, was added.

Today, the Greek family has sold up, but new owners Abuzer and Alp guarantee guests attentive service accompanied by a generous menu overflowing with succulent regional cuisine and tried-and-tested Ottoman favorites. Try the Chef’s specials, the jumbo shrimp in the wok, or the walnut kuzu (lamb with walnuts). For dessert, the traditional Turkish pudding is recommended.

You can choose to dine inside the cozy Ottoman abode or in the elegant streetside terrace, open-air in summer and enclosed in winter. When the belly is full and the plates are cleared, wander to the back of the terrace and find the entrance to one of Istanbul’s best-kept secrets—the well-preserved Byzantine ruins of Magnaura Palace. Take your time to explore this 4th-century basilica-like structure that inspired the design of the Kremlin Palace and San Marco Basilica in Venice.

Back in its heyday, the Palace was decorated in gold and silver, providing a grand setting for Byzantine emperors to welcome dignitaries to Constantinople. Today, it's yours to freely explore and marvel at Istanbul's past.

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WEB SITE : Albura Kathisma Cafè & Restaurant

MORE INFO & CONTACT
E-Mail : info@alburakathisma.com
Phone : +90 212 517 9031 / +90 212 518 9710
Fax : +90 212 517 9032

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PORPHYROGENITUS PALACE

Eğrikapı, Fatih - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°02'02.0"N 28°56'25.0"E / 41.033889, 28.940278



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Tekfur Palace, which is located between Edirnekapı and Eğrikapı beside the ramparts is known to be the only palace surviving from Byzantine period to date. According to the researches, it was determined that the palace belonged to the 13th century. Tekfur Palace is the only sample that remained from the Byzantine Period. Tekfur Palace has an important place not for only Istanbul but also for the world art history since it reflects Byzantine civil architectural style. The date when the palace was built and by whom it was built is still not certain.

The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, also known as the Palace of Constantine Porphyrogenitus (Turkish: Tekfur Sarayı) which means "Palace of the Emperor" is the ruins of a 13th century Byzantine palace in the north-western part of the old city of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The Palace was constructed during the late 12th or early 13th centuries as part of the palace complex of Blachernae, where the Theodosian Walls join with the later walls of the suburb of Blachernae.

Although the palace appears at first glance to be named after Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, the 10th Century emperor, it was built long after his time. It is in fact named after Constantine Palaiologos, a son of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. Porphyrogenitus, meaning literally "born to the purple", in this context indicates a child who is heir to the Byzantine throne. The palace served as imperial residence during the final years of the Byzantine Empire.

The palace suffered extensive damage due to its proximity to the outer walls during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Afterwards, it was used for a wide variety of purposes. During the 16th and 17th century, it housed part of the Sultan's menagerie. The animals were moved elsewhere by the end of the 17th century, and the building was used as a brothel. From 1719, the Tekfur Sarayı pottery workshop was constructed, and began to produce ceramic tiles in a style similar to that of İznik tiles, but influenced by European designs and colors.

The studio had five kilns and also produced vessels and dishes. The project lasted for around a century before going out of business, and by the first half of the 19th century, the building became a poorhouse for Istanbul Jews. In the early 20th century, it was briefly used as a bottle factory, before being abandoned. As a result, only the elaborate brick and stone outer façade survives today, but it is the only major surviving example of secular Byzantine architecture. As of 2006, the palace was undergoing extensive restoration.

The Blakhernai Palaces, known today as Tekfur Palace, was built by the Byzantines in the 12th century and used as an imperial residence until the Conquest of Constantinople in the 15th century. The palace complex was built next to the city walls at the ancient Blakherna district, in todays Eğrikapı neighborhood near Kariye (old church of St. Savior in Chora). The area was one of the seven hills of the old city. The cellars of the palace, known as Anemas Dungeons, were also built next to the walls a little bit further north, just near Ivaz Efendi Mosque.

During the Byzantine period, Tekfur palace was also known as Constantine Porphyrogenetus Palace. It was a pavilion of the Blakhernai Palace complex. The pavilion had three floors with a wooden roof and wooden floors, and was used by the emperor during his visits to the Theotokos church where the mantle of Virgin Mary was kept. The pavilion was enlarged during the reign of Manuel Komnenos I in the 12th century and became a summer residence for the Byzantine emperors.

The Palace was a large three-story building located between the inner and outer fortifications of the northern corner of the Theodosian Walls. The ground floor is an arcade with four arches, which opens into a courtyard overlooked by five large windows on the first floor. The top floor of the structure project above the walls, and has windows on all four sides. On the east is the remnant of a balcony. The roof and all of the floors of the structure have disappeared.

The remaining walls are elaborately decorated in geometric designs using red brick and white marble typical of the late Byzantine period. The Palace reaches to this day from Edirnekapı as concealment with its lives hidden in the pages of history and still adored architecture. Lying between the Theodosios walls in Balat with the load of the centuries, the four walls remained Tekfur Palace watches a large landscape stretching from Pera to Yedikule and from the Prince Islands to Kadıköy.

It is not known, since there is no epigraph on it, who built the Tekfur Palace which is a part of Blahernai Palace Complex one of the Byzantine Era structures - the other one is the Bukoleon Palace - and it is not known what the original name of it was. Tekfur Palace, which is important for world art history since it represents the first civilian architecture style of the Byzantine, is a part of the Blahernai Palace Complex where the Byzantine Emperors settled after leaving the palace in Sultanahmet in the 11th century.

As in Ottoman palaces, Byzantine palaces were comprised of many manor houses. Tekfur palace too, was one of the manor houses belonging to the Blahernai Palace Complex. According to the information we obtained from the Hayri Fehmi Yılmaz, an art historian and the coordinator of Foundation for Developing Cultural Consciousness, the middle floor of the three storey palace was reserved to the palace dwellers. This floor had a beautiful panorama of the city. Ground and top floors were used for services.

The frontage of the palace built in the 14th century opens to a small courtyard. Tekfur Palace which was built as a two building structure has another manor house in its courtyard. Also there is a chapel on the city-side front of the structure. Although it is partially collapsed, this chapel, which we can describe as a ‘private devotion room’, is extant to today. Hayri Fehmi Yılmaz defines this chapel where all the religious motifs and elements in a church can be found, as a ‘one-man devotion cell’.

Yılmaz, who says that ‘for the Blahernai Palace Complex which spans a 100-180 thousand square meters area, one should dream of a huge palace’, denotes that this palace complex was composed of large gardens, terraces, churches and manor houses. Located in a strategically interesting position, the palace looks at the city with its one side and the outskirts of the city with its other side. That is to say, it gives the opportunity to escape to the city or out of the city when necessary. Besides it is thought that the Byzantine Emperors preferred Blahernai palace for this reason.

The wall tiles produced at the Tekfur Palace, which was used as a tile workshop in the 18th century, still bedeck many mosques. These works of art called ‘Tekfur çinileri (Tekfur tiles)’ were produced by the adepts brought from İznik (Nicea). After the conquest of İstanbul, the palace getting popular for a short time with its adepts from İznik, later it was used as glass furnace and later on, in the 19th century, as a refuge for the Jews, and at last in 1865, it became uninhabitable after a fire that caused collapsing of the intermediate floors.

To understand the once grandeur of the Tekfur Palace, except for the tiles, it is also possible to mention the pots decorating the frontage of the palace. These pots made of red bricks and white stones, are of the most beautiful examples where two different materials are used together. This decorative art, mostly seen in Bulgaria and Balkan Peninsula, is seen only in Tekfur Palace and the belfry of the Saint Benoit French Lycée.

It is not so difficult to dream about the brilliant days of Tekfur Palace which is now a ruin. The overhangs sitting on the consoles on the frontages which we can see in late Ottoman architecture draws attention immediately. Today, this unequalled building virtually challenges time.

Tekfur Palace which is under the auspices of Fatih Municipality, still exists as a three storey, roofless building. The seventeen meters long basement, which opens to the front courtyard with four large arcs, is divided into twelve sections each covered with high vaults. The double columns carrying the arcs opening to the courtyard and their capitals were reproduced in the last restoration. There are niche-like cabinets with stone shelves at two sides of the windows in the large arcs on the second floor wall facing the courtyard and on the four walls of the third floor.

Just beyond the site of this gate there stands one of the most remarkable buildings remaining from the days of Byzantium. It is known in Turkish as Tekfur Saray, or the Palace of the Sovereign, though it is sometimes called the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus. The palace was probably built in the latter part of the thirteenth or early in the fourteenth century, and served as one of the imperial residences during the last two centuries of the Empire: it was perhaps an annexe of the nearby Palace of Blachernae.

It is a large three-storeyed building wedged in between the inner and outer walls of the last stretch of the Theodosian fortifications. On the ground floor an arcade with four wide arches opens onto the courtyard, which is overlooked on the first floor by five large windows. The top floor, which projects above the walls, has windows on all sides, seven overlooking the courtyard, a curious bow-like apse on the opposite side, and a window with the remains of a balcony to the east.

The roof and all the floors have disappeared. The whole palace, but especially the façade on the court, is elaborately decorated with geometrical designs in red brick and white marble so typical of the later period of Byzantine architecture; compare the façades of St. Saviour in Chora and of St. Theodore, both of the fourteenth century. After the Conquest the palace was used for a variety of purposes. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was used as a menagerie, particularly for larger and tamer animals such as elephants and giraffes.

The latter animal particularly amazed European travellers, for they had never seen one before. In 1597, Fynes Moryson describes it thus: “a beaste newly brought out of Affricke, (the Mother of Monsters) which beaste is altogether unknowne in our parts, he many times put his nose in my necke, when I thought my selfe furthest distant from him, which familiarity I liked not; and howsoever his Keepers assured me he would not hurt me, yet I avoided those his familiar kisses as much as I could.”

Before the end of the seventeenth century the animals were moved elsewhere and the palace served for a while as a brothel. But it was soon redeemed from this misuse; for in 1719 there was set up here the famous Tekfur Saray pottery. This works produced a new kind of Turkish tile, the so-called Tekfur Saray type, inferior indeed to those of Iznik and beginning to show European influence, but nevertheless quite charming. The project, however, was short-lived and by the second half of the eighteenth century the palace was in full decline and finally lost its roof and floors.

During the first half of the nineteenth century Tekfur Saray served as a poorhouse for the indigent Jews of Stamboul. About 1860, the American missionary Cyrus Hamlin, searching for a site for the future Robert College, seriously considered purchasing the palace and restoring it for use as an educational institution; perhaps fortunately, the idea was abandoned in favour of the present site of the College (now Boğaziçi University) on the Bosphorus.

In recent years the palace has served as a bottle works and storehouse - the lamentable history of a palace down on its luck. The building is now a mere shell; but in recent years the surviving structure has been well restored. Just beyond Tekfur Saray the Theodosian wall comes to an abrupt end, and from there the fortifications are continued by walls of later construction. There has been much discussion about the original course of the Theodosian walls from Tekfur Saray down to the Golden Horn.

It would appear that they turned almost due north at Tekfur Saray and from there followed a more or less straight line down to the Horn, whereas the present walls are bent in an arc farther out into Thrace. Stretches of what are undoubtedly the original Theodosian wall can be seen at Tekfur Saray and also along Mumhane Caddesi, which we reach by turning right in the little square beyond the palace and then taking the first left. The ruined walls along this street are quite impressive and picturesque.

The present stretch of walls from Tekfur Saray to the Golden Horn is quite different from the Theodosian fortifications. It is a single bulwark without a moat; to make up for this deficiency it is thicker and more massive than the main Theodosian wall and its towers are stronger, higher and closer together. The part of the wall that encloses the western bulge between Tekfur Saray and the Blachernae terrace can be fairly well inspected if we follow the street closest to the wall and walk through the gardens of the intervening houses.

Tekfur Palace is cared for by the Fatih Municipality, and still exists as a three-storey, roofless building. The 17-meter-long basement, which opens to the front courtyard with four large arches, is divided into twelve sections each covered with high vaults. The double columns carrying the arches open onto the courtyard and their capitals were reproduced for the last restoration. There are niche-like cabinets with stone shelves at two sides of the windows in the large arches on the second floor wall facing the courtyard and on the four walls of the third floor.

It was used for various aims after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. It was restored between the years 1955 - 1970. Presently Tekfur Palace is a three storey building without a roof. Today, one can see the façade of the Tekfur palace and the remains of four walls. It has a rectangular plan. Outer walls, arches and window frames of the palace are decorated with stones and bricks. I

f you follow the walls to the direction of the Golden Horn, you can reach to the Anemas Dungeons as well. At the moment these tunnels and halls are being cleaned so it's not open to the public, it can be visited only by a special permission. As of March 2015, the building now has roof and glass windows.

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BOUKOLEON PALACE

Cankurtaran, Fatih - Istanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'09.0"N 28°58'33.0"E / 41.002500, 28.975833



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The Palace of Boukoleon or Bucoleon was one of the Byzantine palaces in Constantinople. It was probably built by Theodosius II in the 5th century. The Bucoleon Palace as it survives today. One of the stone lions at the entrance to the Bucoleon harbour, today at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. The preserved facade of the Boukoleon Palace can be seen on the Byzantium walls, in the Çatladıkapı Quarter between Kumkapı and Ahırkapı. The Boukoleon Palace was a coastal and only used by the Emperors.

The first building of the Boukoleon Palace is said to have been constructed by Hormisdas who came from Iran in the first half of the 4th century AD. According to a different theory, the palace, which was built between 408 and 450 AD, was burned down in 474 AD. However, Emperor Justinian I, who used the palace before he became emperor, as his residence, restored and expanded it during his reign.

The name Boukoleon was attributed to the bull (bous) and lion (leo) statues standing seawards. The structure was known by the name House of Hormisdas until the period of Emperor Justinian I. Emperor Theophilus added the balcony, which is still visible today, towards the sea. The palace was incorporated into the walls in the 10th century and it was gradually abandoned in favour of the Blachernai Palace where the dynasty moved in 1081.

The palace sits on the shore of Marmara Sea. Hormisdas is an earlier name of the place. The name Bucoleon was probably attributed after the end of the 6th century under Justinian I, when the small harbour in front of the palace, which is now filled, was constructed. According to tradition, a statue featuring a bull and a lion stood there, giving the port its name (Greek for "bull" and "lion" respectively). "House of Hormisdas" and "House of Justinian" are other names referring to Bucoleon Palace.

Emperor Theophilos, among his other works, rebuilt and expanded the palace, adding a large façade on top of the seaward walls. The ruins suggest a balcony looking out to the sea was present, accessible through three marble-framed doorways, still visible today.

In the 1204 sacking of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade, Bucoleon was taken by Boniface of Montferrat who: Rode all along the shore to the palace of Bucoleon, and when he arrived there it surrendered, on condition that the lives of all therein should be spared.

At Bucoleon were found the larger number of the great ladies who had fled to the castle, for there were found the sister of the King of France, who had been empress, and the sister of the King of Hungary, who had also been empress, and other ladies very many. Of the treasure that was found in that palace I cannot well speak, for there was so much that it was beyond end or counting.

The Great Palace was extended as far as the Sea of Marmara in the late seventh century during Justinian II's reign by absorbing the Hormisdas Palace, the former private residence of Justinian I situated east Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, and possibly also two fifth -century palaces originally belonging to the noble women of Theodisian dynasty (Domus Placidiae Augustae and Palatium Placidianum).

This part of the Great Palace nearer the sea became the focus of everyday life in the palace from the ninth century onwards and was called the Sacred Palace. The ground descended gradually in a series of terraces from the Constantinian Palace to the sea and the major development of this area was undertaken, according to the written sources, by the emperors Theophilus and Basil I (that is in the ninth century).

However, the principal buildings were erected before their reigns:The sixth-century Chrysotriklinos was the main reception and dining hall of the middle Byzantine imperial residence and the real heart and nerve centre of the Sacred Palace.

The Chrysotriklinos was connected to the seventh century hall of Justinianos on the lower terrace of the Constantinian palace by the Lausiakos, built by Justinian II. This emperor is also said to have added two courtyards with fountains for the audiences of the circus factions (the so-called Phialai of the Greens and Blues).

Finally, he ordered this new palace area to be enclosed with a wall. East (or south-east) of the Chrysotriklinos was the church of the Mother of God (Theotokos of the Pharos), the palace chapel par excellence, and the lighthouse-the Pharos. We know from the written sources that emperors in the ninth century could be informed very quickly about threats on the Byzantine-Arab fronties by a kind of telegraphic system. The news was flashed across Asia Minor by eight beacon fires.

When the last fire appeared on Mt. Auxentios in Bithynia, a light was kindled in the Pharos of the Imperial palace. Unlike the Constantinian part of the Great Palace where several large halls served specific purposes, in the later palaceknown as the Sacred Palace of Bukoleon many official and ceremonial functions concentrated into one building, the Chrysotriklinos. The Chrysotriklinos was used as an audience and dining hall and its subsidary chambers served several other purposes.

The east apse of the hall was the palace where the imperial throne stood during formal audiences. On other occasions the emperor sar in a chair and it was possible to go straight through the interior of the octagonal hall and leave it by a silver door in the east apse that opened on the terrace of the Lighthouse where the chapel of the Theotokos stood.

Among the prizes, then, was Princess Margaret, daughter of Bela III of Hungary, whom Boniface married. During the subsequent Latin Empire ( 1204 - 1261 ), the Bucoleon continued to be used as an imperial residence. After the recapture of the city by Michael VIII Palaiologos, however, the palace, along with the entire Great Palace complex, was gradually abandoned in favour of the Blachernae Palace.

The Bucoleon Palace one of the Byzantine palaces in the city and was built by Theodosius II in the 5th century.  The palace is located on the shore of the Marmara Sea. The name Bucoleon was probably attributed after the end of the 6th century under Justinian I, when the small harbour in front of the palace, was constructed. Emperor Theophilos rebuilt and expanded the palace, adding a large facade on top of the seaward walls.

The ruins suggest a balcony looking out to the sea was present, accessible through three marble-framed doorways, still visible today. The Bucoleon Palace on the coast entailed Porfir Köşkü, where all the emperors were born. The Bucoleon Palace was enormous. It had five hundred rooms, that were all connected to each other.

When Mehmet II, the Ottoman emperor, entered the city in 1453, it was noted that the then-famous palace still stood, albeit in ruins. The ruins of the palace were partially destroyed in 1873 to make way for the railway line to Sirkeci.

The palace was damaged during the earthquake of 1532 and some parts, remained after the earthquake but were totally wrecked due to fire  in 1741, 1758, 1808 and 1912. The west side of the Palace was destroyed by the construction of Sirkeci railway in 1873.

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