Palatium Magnaura / Magnaura Palace
Great Palace of Constantinople
History Revealed
In 1994, we bought a car park and accidentally discovered the ruins of Constantine's Great Palace, which are over 1700 years old.
In 330 AD, Constantine changed the capital of the Roman Empire to Istanbul.
He began to build the Great Palace, which included many different structures such as cisterns, halls, gardens, the Senate, guest rooms, and palaces.
We purchased this land in 1994.
In 1996, we initiated a four-year excavation project (1996-2000).
With the help of archaeologists, we excavated more than 670 trucks of sand and dirt from this site.
We covered all expenses and uncovered the lost ruins of the Magnaura Palace, which had been hidden for centuries.
Great Palace of Constaniople
(Palatium Magnum)
Constantine changed the capital of the Roman Empire to Istanbul in the 4th century. He famously declared, 'I will make a greater city than Rome,' and he initiated the expansion of Istanbul by constructing numerous monuments and new buildings, including the Great Palace in 330 AD.
The Great Palace is a massive complex, covering an area of 100,000 square meters. It stretches from near the Hagia Sophia to the Hippodrome and extends to the coastline.
The palace underwent expansion and changes over the centuries, serving as the seat of power for both Roman and Byzantine emperors who ruled the world from this location for almost 1,000 years.
The Great Palace was designed as a complex with various different buildings. Due to the sloping terrain, it was organized into three main terraces, known as the '3-terrace system.' The primary buildings of the Great Palace are located on the first terrace.
On the first terrace, Constantine constructed three palaces: Daphne, Khalke, and Magnaura. Each of these buildings and areas had specific purposes, and their uses evolved over time.
Our building is related to Magnaura Palace, as we understand.
Great Palace
Muller Wiener's Great Palace and Magnaura Restitution 1994-1996
and 2023 Sultanahmet area
The City under the City
17 hundreds years of story
Magnaura Palace
Senate, Throne Room, Imperial House, First University in Europe.
Constantine built the Magnaura Palace in 330 AD, constructing various buildings related to Magnaura, including the Senate, Triklinos (rooms), halls, and gardens.
The initial use of Magnaura was associated with the Senate and the Throne Room, where important guests, ambassadors, or rulers were received.
The area of the buildings changed and expanded over the years. One of the first expansions occurred in the 5th century (during Theodosius' reign), and the main expansion took place in the 6th century (under Justinian's rule).
In the 6th century, following the Nika rebellion, the Great Palace and Magnaura suffered significant damage. Emperor Justinian rebuilt Magnaura and expanded the Great Palace area, making it even more grand and magnificent.
One of the fascinating aspects of the ruins in our area is that we can see Constantine's belts from 1700 years ago, Theodosius's belts from 1600 years ago, and domes and structures from Justinian's time, which are 1500 years old, all in the same location.
Additionally, we can observe various additions from different centuries, including Ottoman walls, ovens, and structures.
One of the unique features of these ruins is that people can witness architectural styles from different centuries in the same place.
This building has been touched by three major empires throughout its history.
3 major empires had been touch same building.
Magnaura Palace (Palatium Magnaura)
The usage of Magnaura has changed many times throughout history. The building has sustained various damages and has been repaired using different building techniques in different centuries, and each of these changes is visible in our ruins.
As is known, imperial families lived in Magnaura. 'Magna Aula' or 'Magnaura' means 'great hall,' and it encompasses a vast area. Within this area, they constructed a Senate, grand gates, extensive gardens, numerous rooms for important guests and soldiers, and Magnaura Palace. With these buildings, emperors ruled the world for centuries from this location.
Emperors and empresses resided here, and important meetings and decisions took place in this grand setting. The empire expanded, and the buildings grew larger and larger.
Upon examining these ruins, we can see corridors, baths, private rooms, and a significant hall, each with its own purpose.
Our research indicates that our building is related to Magnaura Palace.
It's a prediction about the building once the structure is analyzed. It doesn't necessarily mean it must look exactly like this. It's a detailed restoration.
First Univerty of Europe
Mid-Byzantine Period
As the empire expanded, other emperors built different palaces, such as Bukeleon, Blachernae (Tekfur), Mangana, and more. The usage of the Great Palace changed to meet the needs of the empire.
The first major changes occurred in the 9th century. Initially, they started to transform Magnaura into a school, but its purpose changed again. After the 11th century, Magnaura became associated with education and the university. For many years, the Byzantine Empire used this building as a university, which is why Magnaura is also linked to science and education.
One interesting aspect of our ruins is that we can observe various building techniques from different centuries in some of the walls. They altered or repaired this building at different times to suit their needs.
Late Byzantine Period
In the 13th century, specifically in 1204, the 4th Crusade occurred in Constantinople. Over 60 years of invasion, Constantinople suffered extensive damage. The Crusaders stole many artifacts, destroyed or burned buildings and monuments, and killed thousands of people.
As we know, the population of Constantinople dwindled from around 400,000 to 80,000. The empire never regained its former strength.
The Great Palace also endured substantial damage during those years.
Many buildings were destroyed, and everything inside was looted.
That glorious palace became nothing but ruins. When the Byzantine Empire reclaimed Constantinople, they couldn't restore these buildings. Consequently, they abandoned these areas and settled in Balat, mainly using the Blachernae (Tekfur) Palace.
Natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods, as well as wars, sieges, and more, led to the destruction or burial of these buildings underground.
After 250 years of damage, these buildings became ruins.
People forgot about Constantine's Great Palace. Only his stories remained.
Latin Invasion
Early Ottoman Period
Ruins adapted for wooden Mansions
In 1453, the Ottoman Empire conquered Istanbul. Upon capturing the city, the Ottomans found the Great Palace area in a state of ruin and abandonment.
Sultan Mehmed walked through the Great Palace area, wandering through its empty halls and pavilions. It is said that he whispered a quote from the
Persian poet Saadi: "Spiders are spinning webs in the palace of the Caesars, An owl is crowing in the castle of Afrasiyab."
The Ottoman Empire built the Topkapi Palace near the Great Palace ruins and chose not to destroy or remove these ruins. They held great respect for Byzantine and Roman architecture and learned many things from it. However, they couldn't use or restore the ruins as they were. Instead, they repurposed these buildings according to their needs. They constructed large wooden mansions on top of these ruins, especially in the Magnaura area, for Pashas and other important figures. Buildings come to life when they are used by people.
If left abandoned, they are often lost forever. The conversion of these ruins during that time preserved them, and this is one of the reasons we can still see these ruins after all these centuries. In our ruins, we can observe various changes and additions from the Ottoman era, such as vaults, ovens, baths, small cisterns, and walls. It is likely that during that time, these buildings were repurposed as kitchens, baths, storage areas, and more. Wooden mansions were constructed on top of these ruins, altering their original structures.
History repeat itself
A similar story occurred during the Ottoman Empire, much like in Byzantine times. In the 18th century, the Ottoman Empire constructed other palaces such as Dolmabahce and Yildiz. Ottoman Pashas settled in the area, leaving these mansions. Eventually, regular Ottoman citizens also settled here.
However, natural disasters like earthquakes, fires, and floods took a toll on these mansions, leading to their destruction. As the Ottoman Empire weakened, people in the area stopped building such impressive mansions and couldn't make use of the ruins.
The same story repeated itself, with earthquakes, fires, floods, and various other disasters causing even more damage to these buildings. No one could repair them, and they became buried underground. Centuries passed, and people forgot about these buildings and ruins. Most of them had vanished by Byzantine times, while the rest suffered extensive damage during these later periods. As a result, everyone forgot that these ruins existed.
A significant change in the Magnaura Area is related to the Sultanahmet Prison (now Four Seasons Hotel) and the old Justice House of Istanbul, which burned down in 1934.
In 1912, the fires set by Ishak Pasha destroyed the entire Sultanahmet area, leading to the rediscovery of these ruins. Subsequently, new buildings were erected on top of the old ones (Sultanahmet Prison in 1918). Everything became buried underground again, and these ruins were forgotten once more as new houses were constructed over them.
Late Ottoman Period
Republic of Turkey Time
Ruins start to discovering
Some parts of the area were discovered in the 1940s (Mosaic Museum in Arasta Bazaar). However, the main wave of discoveries began after the 1990s. We discovered our land in 1996, while the Four Seasons Hotel made its discovery after 1998. Many other cisterns, churches, and buildings, as well as walls and areas, have been slowly uncovered as well. However, not all buildings are in good condition; often, only some walls remain.
Fortunately, our building is well preserved. The entire structure is still intact and visible, including the domes, room structures, and techniques.
Some ruins of the Great Palace have been discovered, while others remain hidden. Nevertheless, with all the information gathered so far, this location is connected to Magnaura Palace.
With each new discovery, history comes to light even more. For centuries, people believed that all of these ruins were gone forever, relying solely on old documents and their imagination. Now, people can see and feel actual buildings and ruins, learning about a 1700-year-old history in the same area. These ruins serve as a remarkable example of how every civilization adapted this building to its needs and continuously modified it. We are dedicated to preserving and enhancing this incredible human legacy.
What is our story with Magnaura
Our story in these lands started in 1994. My grandfather purchased these lands in 1994. At that time, nobody knew these ruins were here; we were only aware of one room. The condition of the area was so bad, and we didn't know it belonged to these ruins at that time.
In 1996, he started to analyze the ground, and he accidentally discovered another part of the ruins. Then, history revealed itself.
From 1996 to 2000, he excavated these ruins. We hired archaeologists, and the government checked every stage, and we finished the main excavation. More than 670 trucks of sand and dirt were removed from here. All expenses were paid by my family without any help. My father has been protecting these ruins from everything for almost 30 years.
We organized and covered all expenses, doing our best for this amazing legacy. People have been visiting these ruins for many years. Many documentaries have been made here (History Channel; Cities of the Underworld Istanbul, Netflix; Layers of Istanbul...), many books have been written here, and many people have discovered these ruins.
Throughout all these years, with our efforts, this culture has spread all around the world. Luckily, the building is in okay condition, but centuries of damage have taken their toll as well.
Now, the palace ruins are closed for restoration. We are preparing our restoration project. So after the restoration project, we will improve the building's condition. People can feel and understand history better, spend more enjoyable times, and learn about world history with great experiences.
Our Story
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