Palimpsest Architecture of the Istanbul Sea Walls

Istanbul Sea Walls, a monumental testament to Byzantine engineering and defensive strategies, represent a complex palimpsest of architectural enhancements, repairs, and rebuilds. These fortifications, initially erected during the reign of Constantine I (306-337) and subsequently augmented by Theodosius II (408-450), served as a critical defense against maritime assaults, safeguarding the city's coasts and strategic harbors. The sea walls along the coast of Constantinople underwent interventions at different scales depending on the needs and demands that arose during the Middle Ages. Even some interventions resulted in the defensive roles of specific sections of the sea walls being relegated, transforming them into integrated structures with multiple functions. Throughout the Ottoman period, various scales of repairs and alterations were carried out, and the sea walls lost their military significance entirely from the nineteenth century onward, which led to a new phase of transformation. The interventions and changes that the Sea Walls have undergone can be followed from the traces of different periods that have survived today, and the data provided by surveys dated to the twentieth century and recent archaeological research provide the opportunity for comparison. This study examines the palimpsest architecture of the Istanbul Sea Walls, which has been formed due to the interventions and changes that have been carried out since the Middle Ages, and aims to make an analytical reading based on the differences in materials, construction techniques and architectural details.