Theodosian Walls

The land walls were built in the early fifth century under Theodosius II to close off the peninsula, and the engineering is why they are famous: not one wall but a layered system - an outer moat, a low outer wall, a terrace, then the great inner wall about twelve metres high with ninety-six towers along it, so that an attacker had to take each line in turn under fire from the one behind. They run about six kilometres from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn and they held, with repairs after earthquakes, for a thousand years. Today the line passes through very ordinary neighbourhoods: allotments and vegetable gardens occupy the old moat in places, roads cut through at the historic gates, and long stretches stand as raw ruin with grass on top. Restoration has been uneven and repeatedly criticised, so what you see ranges from rebuilt crenellations to collapsing rubble within a few hundred metres.

What to look for

• The double line - inner wall, outer wall and moat terrace.
• The towers - the surviving run along the inner rampart.
• The historic gates - Belgrat, Silivri, Edirnekapı and the rest.
• The moat gardens - allotments worked in the old ditch.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Daylight only, and morning is best - the walls run through residential districts and are not a place to wander after dark.

What to expect

Much of the line is unrestored, unfenced and unstable - climbing is genuinely risky and there are no guardrails. The surrounding neighbourhoods are ordinary residential areas; stay on populated stretches and go in daylight.

Nearby

Yedikule Fortress anchors the Marmara end; Chora Church sits just inside the walls at Edirnekapı.

Key facts