323

 LIGHTING DESIGN

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING DESIGN, MASTER THESIS, HOCHSCHULE WISMAR

TABLE OF CONTENT

THE LOCATION OF ISTANBUL

The importance of İstanbul for the world

THE HISTORY OF THE CITYWALLS

The Walls of Constantinople

The Walls of Byzantium and Constantine

The Theodosian Walls - The Land Walls

The Gates of the Wall

The Sea Walls

The Golden Horn Walls

THE WALLS PROTECTING THE CITY: 16th - 20th CENTURY IN ISTANBUL

The city walls has lost its function since 16th century

The city is out of the walls

YEDİKULE VEGETABLE GARDENS AND GREEN CORRIDOR

WHY IS THE CITY WALLS IMPORTANT FOR ME?

LIGHTING DESIGN OF THE CITY WALLS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The history and the importance of Yedikule Gardens

Istanbul’s Yedikule Gardens should not be destroyed

Yedikule gardens are green corridor

Concept

Analysis

Proposal

3

5

6

8

9

10

13

20

21

22

24

25

26

28

29

31

34

36

37

42

47

56

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 3

THE LOCATION OF ISTANBUL

4 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Istanbul, historically also known as Constantinople and Byzantium, is the most populous city in Turkey and

the country’s economic, cultural, and historic center. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling

the Bosphorus strait between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies

on the European side and about a third of its population lives on the Asian side. The city is the administrative

center of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, both hosting a population of around 14 million residents.

Istanbul is one of the world’s most populous cities and ranks as the world’s 7th largest city properand the largest

European city.

Istanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents. The city has been spread over two sides. Bosphorus

connects the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea, and therefore the history of Bosphorus that separates Europe

and Asia is spread over two opposite sides on the southern end. City is devided by Haliç (Golden Horn) as

known European’s freshwater and being in the form of machete. In the middle of 6th century historicians mentioned

about the city as “ it is surrounded by a wreath formed from water “. (İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality,

the walls of İstanbul )

TURKEY

İSTANBUL

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 5

The walls of İstanbul, which have served in both defending the city since it was founded and determining the

city’s borders, are important architectural structures. The walls had advanced architectural features for the

time period in which they were built; however, this wall that surrounds İstanbul was sill not able to prevent the

Crusaders invasion in 1204 and the promised conquering by the Turks in 1453. One of the first architectural

endeavors of Fatih Sultan Mehmet in İstanbul following the conquering of the city, was the repairing of the city

walls. A few years after the coquering, Seven Towers, which is a citadel, was added on to the south of the land

walls. The city walls were also restored by Municipality (İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the walls of İstanbul).

The importance of İstanbul for the world

Historical Peninsula Map - İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the walls of İstanbul

6 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

THE HISTORY OF THE CITYWALLS

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 7

When speaking “istanbul’s city walls”, we generally think of the walls of Bizas, Septimus Severus, Constantine,

Teodosios and the Sultan’s walls. To this we can add the Galata walls of Anastasios, located a little further away

from the historical peninsula.

Humanity’s anxieties over the matter of defense have always been intense. For this reason, ever since the Neolithic

age, the time when life in settlements began, these settlements have been surrounded by the presence of

high, thick walls. In periods to follow, these walls were supported by towers, bastions and monumental gates,

becoming the prestigious structures with which newly developing cities and the priest-kings who ruled over

these cities could exhibit their might and wealth. For centuries, building traditions passed on meticulously

from generatio to generation, from society to society (İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the walls of İstanbul).

İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the walls of İstanbul

Map of Constantinople showing the line of the Theodosian walls and the sea walls.The course of the walls of

Constantine the Great is shown as a dotted line.

8 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople

since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With

numerous additions and modifications during their history, they are one of the greatest and most complex

fortification systems ever built.

Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against

attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the

5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, when well manned, they were almost

impregnable for any medieval besieger, saving the city, and the Byzantine Empire with it, during sieges from

the Avars, Arabs, Rus’, and Bulgars, among others. Only the advent of gunpowder siege cannons rendered the

fortifications obsolete, resulting in the final siege and fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans on 29 May 1453.

The walls were largely maintained intact during most of the Ottoman period, until sections began to be dismantled

in the 19th century, as the city outgrew its medieval boundaries. Despite the subsequent lack of maintenance,

many parts of the walls survived and are still standing today. A large-scale restoration programme

has been under way in the past twenty years, which allows the visitor to appreciate their original appearance.

( The book of the architecture of Byzantine Monuments )

The Walls of Constantinople

The Walls of İstanbul

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 9

The Walls of Byzantium and Constantine

The original fortifications of the city were built in the 8th century BC, when it was founded as Byzantium by

Greek colonists from Megara, led by the eponymous Byzas. At the time the city consisted of an acropolis and

little more. Byzantium, despite being a prosperous trading post, was relatively unimportant during the Roman

period, but featured prominently in the civil war between Septimius Severus and Pescennius Niger, holding

out a Severan siege for three years (193-96 AD). As punishment, Severus had the strong walls demolished and

the city deprived of its status.However, soon after he rebuilt it, appreciating the city’s strategic importance, and

endowed it with many monuments and a new set of walls, increasing its area.

When Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Empire to Byzantium, which he refounded as Nova

Roma, he greatly expanded the new city by building a new wall about 2.8 km westwards of the Severan wall and

incorporating even more territory. Constantine’s fortification consisted of a single wall, reinforced with towers

at regular distances, which began to be constructed in 324 and was completed under Constantine II. It survived

during much of the Byzantine period, even as it was replaced by the Theodosian Walls as the city’s primary

defence; only the Old Golden Gate still survived to late Byzantine times. Already by the early 5th century, Constantinople

had expanded outside the Constantinian Wall. ( The Book of Walls of Constantinople ).

Old Map of Historical Peninsula

10 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

The Theodosian Walls - The Land Walls

Restored section of the Theodosian Walls at the Selymbria Gate. The Outer Wall and the wall of the moat are

visible, with a tower of the Inner Wall in the background.

In 408, during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II, construction began on a new wall, about 1,500 m to the west

of the old, which stretched for 5,630 meters between the Sea of Marmara and the suburb of Blachernae near the

Golden Horn.The new wall, which became known as the Theodosian Wall (Greek Theodosianon Teichos), was

built under the direction of Anthemius, the Praetorian prefect of the East, and completed in 413.New Rome

now enclosed seven hills and justified the appellation Eptalofos, like Old Rome. On November 6, 447, however,

a powerful earthquake destroyed large parts of the wall, and Theodosius II ordered the urban prefect Kyros of

Floros (sometimes referred to as Constantine) to supervise the urgent repairs, as the city was threatened at the

time by Attila the Hun. Cyrus employed the city’s demoi (more widely known as “Circus factions”) in the work,

and succeeded in restoring the walls within 60 days, as testified in two inscriptions in Greek and Latin on the

Mevlevihane Gate. At the same time, a second outer wall was added, and a wide ditch opened in front of the

walls. ( The Book of The Walls of Constantinople AD 324-1453 ).

The walls of İstanbul - The Archive of Atatürk Library

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 11

The walls of İstanbul - The Archive of Atatürk Library

The walls of İstanbul - The Archive of Atatürk Library

12 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

The walls were built of alternating layers of stone and brick in two lines of defense which adjoined the ditch.

The Inner Wall (Great Wall) was a solid structure, 5 metres thick and 12 metres high. It was strengthened with

96 towers, mainly square but also octagonal or hexagonal, 18-20 metres tall, every 55 metres. Each tower had a

battlemented terrace on the top. Its interior was usually divided by a floor in two chambers. The lower chamber,

which opened to the city, was used for storage, while the upper one could be entered from the wall’s walkway,

and had windows for view and for firing projectiles. Access to the wall was provided by large ramps along their

side.The Outer Wall was built 15-20 metres from the main wall, creating a space between the two walls called

perivolos. The Outer Wall was 2 metres thick at its base, and featured arched chambers on the level of the

perivolos, crowned with a battlemented walkway, reaching a height of 8.5 metres.Access to the Outer Wall from

the city was provided either through the main gates or through small posterns on the base of the Inner Wall’s

towers. The Outer Wall likewise had 96 towers, square or crescent-shaped, situated in the middle distance between

the Inner Wall’s towers. They featured a room with windows on the level of the perivolos, crowned by

a battlemented terrace, while their lower portions were either solid or featured small posterns, which allowed

access to the outer terrace. The moat was situated at a distance of about 15 metres from the Outer Wall, creating

a terrace called parateichion, where a paved road ran along the walls’ length. The moat itself, which could be

flooded, was about 20 metres wide and 10 metres deep, featuring a 1.5 metre tall crenellated wall on the inner

side, serving as a first line of defence ( The Book of The Walls of Constantinople AD 324-1453 ).

Out of

İstanbul

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 13

The Gates of the Wall

There are the main doors and side doors along the walls of İstanbul. Doors are under an arch which is in 5m

width on the wall. Some doors focuses on inscriptions, but they are from the Ottoman Empire. Between the

inner door to the outer wall is 25 meters.

Topkapi Palace, starting from the gate to the Golden Horn, is like the doors of the wall encircling the Topkapı

Palace here Yedikule and again ( The Book of İstanbul and Gates of Wall ):

* Topkapısarayı kapısı

* Ahırkapı

* Fenerlikapı

* Küçükayasofyakapısı

* Bukalonkapı

* Balıkhanekapısı

* Odunkapısı

* Manganakapısı

* Gülhanekapısı

* Kadırgakapısı

* Çatladıkapı

* Kumkapı

* Yenikapı

* Samatyakapısı

* Narlıkapısı

* Yedikulekapı

* Belgradkapı

* Silivrikapı

* Mevlanakapı

* Topkapı

* Edirnekapı

* Eğrikapı

* Ayvansaraykapısı

* Atikmustafakapısı

* Balatkapısı

* Fenerkapısı

* Yeniayakapı

* Ayakapı

* Cibalikapısı

* Unkapanıkapısı

* Ayazmakapısı

* Odunkapısı

* Balık pazarıkapısı

* Yenicamikapısı

* Bahçekapısı

* Avcılarkapısı

* İmparatorkapısı

* Zindankapısı

* Sirkecikapı

* Yalıköşkü

14 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Eğrikapı

The walls of between Topkapı and Edirnekapı

Sulukule Gate - Present

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 15

Yedikule Gate

Silivri Gate

16 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Gate of Biachermae

Gate of Kaligaria

(Eğrikapı)

Gate of Charisius

(Edirne Gate)

Fifth Military

Gate

Fourth Military

Gate

Gate of Rhegium

(Yeni Mevlevihane Gate)

Third Military Gate

(Silivri Gate)

Belgrade Gate

Golden Gate

Gate of Christ

Psamathia Gate

Gate of

the Contoscalion

Gate of

the Lighthouse

Gate of

St Barbara

Platea Gate

Gate of St Theodosius

Gate of St Romanus

(Topkapı Gate)

Gate Map

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 17

Topkapı Gate

Altın (Golden) Gate

18 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

1. The First Military Gate, or Gate of Christ, named so because of the Chi-Ro Christogram inscribed on it,

today known as the Tabak Kapı.

2. The Golden Gate (Turkish Altınkapı or Yaldızlıkapı), which was a triumphal arch from the reign of Theodosius

I, originally standing alone, outside the Constantinian Wall, over the Via Egnatia. It was incorporated in

the Theodosian Walls, serving as the state entrance into the capital, especially for the occasions of a triumphal

return of victorious emperors from battle. It was architecturally elaborate, built of large square blocks of polished

marble fitted together without cement, with three arches. During later years, two great flanking towers of

the same material were added.

3. The Second Military Gate, the greatest of the military gates. Its is known today as Belgrade Gate, after the

Serbian artisans settled there by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent after he conquered Belgrade in 1521.

4. The Gate of Melantias or Selymbria Gate (Turkish Silivri Kapısı), also known as Zoodochos Pege after a

monastery outside the Walls, where the forces of the Empire of Nicaea under General Alexios Strategopoulos

entered and retook the city from the Latins on 25 July 1261.

5. The Third Military Gate at the section known as the “Sigma”, today walled up.

6. The Gate of Rhegium, modern Mevlevihane Gate, also named gate of the Reds, because it had been repaired

in 447 by the demos of the Reds.

7. The Fourth Military Gate, south of modern Millet Street.

8. The Gate of St. Romanus, named so after a nearby church, is called Topkapı, the “Cannon Gate” today,

because of the great cannon that was placed opposite it during the last siege of Constantinople. Emperor Constantine

XI established his command here, at the central and most threatened stretch of the walls.

9. The Fifth Military Gate, called Hüjum Kapısı, the “Assault Gate”, in Turkish, because there the decisive breakthrough

was achieved on the morning of May 29, 1453.

10. The Gate of Charisius or Polyandrion (named so because it led to a cemetery outside the Walls), in Turkish

Edirnekapı (Gate of Adrianople), where Mehmed II made his triumphal entry into the conquered city. This

gate stands on top of the sixth hill, and was the highest point of the city at 77 metres.

( The Book of İstanbul and Gates of The Wall ).

There are ten doors which have survived till now.

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 19

Second Military Gate - Belgrade Gate

20 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

İstanbul’s sea walls, which now have a shore road passing in front of them, were built right on the shorein order

to prevent the enemy soldiers from having access to land. Along with this, there were large stone blocks placed

into the sea in order to prevent the waves from damaging the walls during stormy weathers.

These walls were generally 12-15 meters in height. The towers, of which historical sources indicate to have been

188 of, were 20 meters in height. The towers which originally had four corners, came to have six or give corners

after repair work. There were drains and stairs in order for the soldiers to climb on the 5 meter high walls;

however, they don’t remain in existence today.

There were eight large gates on the sea walls. Some of the palaces between Topkapı and Çatladıkapı were build

right on the walls. There were the piers of Ahırkapı, Bukkoleon, Kadırga, Kumkapı, Kaesarus and Langa, which

is located in Yenikapı. Some of the gates by the sea walls were a part of these harbors. Effords were made to use

marble blocks as the base stone blocks of the walls in order to make them sturdy against the waves, in addition

to another precaution taken by way of lightening the weight on the top part of the walls by using palliation

belts. (partly cited by the book of the walls of İstanbul)

The Sea Walls

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 21

Initially the Golden Horn Walls extended to the Eminönü Square. The surroundings of the Tekfur Palace,

which is located in the modern day neighborhood of Ayvansaray, was for a long time an autonomous area outside

of the city walls. Later on the Theodosion and İstanbul walls there expanded to include the Tekfur Palace.

During these works, the Constantine walls, which begin at Sarayburnu and continue along the Golden Horn

shore, were extended toward the west.

The Golden Horn walls, similar to the sea walls, are lower than land walls. There are two reasons for this. The

first reason is that in terms of the defense strategy of the city, there was no large threat expected from that area.

Secondly, there was a problem of a week ground. Because the Golden Horn, Kağıthane and Alibey streams all

flow here, it continually fills up with soil. The Golden Horn walls, which were built right on the shore to prevent

the enemy from having access to land, were constructed on top of this filled in land. In order to strengthen the

defensive role of the Golden Horn, there was chain extended from the Kentanarion Tower in Sarayburnu to the

St.Croix Tower in Galata. (partly cited by the book of the walls of İstanbul)

The Golden Horn Walls

22 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

THE WALLS PROTECTING THE CITY: 16th - 20th CENTURY IN ISTANBUL

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 23

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of

Constantinople (today Istanbul in Turkey) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine

the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great

fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built.

Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against

attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the

5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, when well manned, they were almost

impregnable for any medieval besieger, saving the city, and the Byzantine Empire with it, during sieges from the

Avars, Arabs, Rus’, and Bulgars, among others. The advent of gunpowder siege cannons rendered the fortifications

vulnerable, but cannon technology was not advanced enough to be decisive enough alone to capture the

city, and the walls were repaired between reloading. Ultimately the city fell from sheer force of Ottoman forces

on 29 May 1453 after a 6 week siege.

The walls were largely maintained intact during most of the Ottoman period, until sections began to be dismantled

in the 19th century, as the city outgrew its medieval boundaries. Despite the subsequent lack of maintenance,

many parts of the walls survived and are still standing today. A large-scale restoration program has

been under way since the 1980s, which allows the visitor to appreciate their original appearance.

(Article of military architecture)

A historical view from Galata by Antoine Ignace Melling

24 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

The 16th century witnessed the peak of Ottoman power and a movement towards centralisation and these were

manifested in a series of construction works undertaken in Istanbul that changed the layout of the city. Indeed,

this period is considered by some scholars as a time when Istanbul had become an imperial city thanks to an

elaborate architectural programme implemented by Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of the Empire between

1540 and 1588. Reflecting the height of the Empire’s political power and economic prosperity, Sinan mostly

built vast monumental buildings such as the Süleymaniye complex, which included a mosque, hospital, schools

as well as shops and fountains. Such complexes served both as religious and communal spaces and provided for

the functions of a centralised religious institution.

This high level of architectural activity was also a result of the dramatic population increase in the 16th century

throughout the Empire. The reflection of this on Istanbul was the creation of new mahalles outside the city

walls and ever shrinking street widths, some even leading to formation of cul de sacs which contributed to the

maze like structure of the city. As a matter of fact, broad streets that connected mahalles shown in a plan dated

1520 had completely disappeared in later plans. At this point it is important to realise that Mimar Sinan did not

engage in a general plan that aimed at an overall change in the urban setting; his concentration was mainly on

individual residential and communal areas as well as urban services such as water supply and fire prevention.

The changes in the urban fabric of the 17th and 18th centuries were mostly small scale as were the innovations

introduced to the Empire. However, they were no less important since these minor changes were signals of the

vast urban transformation that accompanied modernisation efforts in the 19th century. During this period,

the economic capacity of the Empire was in decline and the construction works decreased considerably when

compared to the 16th century. Yet, this was also a period of increasing Western influence that revealed itself

in the newly constructed buildings and sites of the city. (A Lecture Book Istanbul Technical University: Culture

and İstanbul).

The city walls has lost its function since 16th century

End of 18th Century

Yeniköy

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 25

The city is out of the walls

Istanbul has began out of the historical peninsula in the 19th century and after this has changed rapidly with

Westernization reforms both lifestyles and urban fabric. The city was not determining its borders with the limits

of Theodosius Walls, it was continuing to extend westward. Due to the fires and eartquakes, 19th century

was an era of change in Ottoman Empire. Because of the increasing the population of the city with reprisal in

18th and 19th century , attached wooden buildings have increased rapidly. This was the main reason of fires as

well.

In the 20th century, the majority of jobs were still concentrated in the core of the city. Since the historical centre

was the hub of a transportation system, it possessed locational attributes and potential business advantages

sought by a wide range of office-based services and trade; which is very characteristic for a city in a developing

country based on public transportation (A Lecture Book of Istanbul Technical University: Culture and İstanbul).

1925 - Karaköy

26 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

YEDİKULE VEGETABLE GARDENS AND GREEN CORRIDOR

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 27

Yedikule is located in the conservative, pro-government Fatih municipality, on the other side of the Golden

Horn from Istanbul’s Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Yedikule means “seven towers,” and refers to the four

Byzantine and three Ottoman towers in the city walls;

In Ottoman times, the Yedikule bostans belonged to the Armenians. Over the centuries, they were farmed by

Greeks, then by Bulgarians and Albanians, and, since the nineteen-fifties, by migrants from the Black Sea region

of Kastamonu.

28 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Gardens are located due north of the Yedikule fortress, running along the inside of the historic land walls. The

gardens may be as old as the walls. An edict in the Theodosian Code (422 A.D.) designates space in the walls’

towers for storing produce and farming implements; a sixth-century Byzantine text mentions the cultivation

there of “a large variety of green salads, endive, carrots, onions, and cabbage.” To this day, the Yedikule bostans

are known for their salad greens, particularly a special lettuce.

The fifth century Theodosian walls and the gardens within represent the layers of history that have made Istanbul

a World Heritage City. The walls were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, but the

gardens, just as venerable and worthy of cultural heritage status, weren’t. The Yedikule gardens have long been

recognized as a place of cultivation, having been mentioned in sixth century Byzantine text as a place to grow

a variety of vegetables, keep farm implements and store produce. As one of the largest and most fertile green

spaces to survive in Istanbul, they are a tangible connection to the city’s urban history, withstanding change

and continuing to grow vegetables, including their well-known Yedikule lettuce variety, which has been added

to the Ark of Taste (A Report of Concern on the Conservation Issues of the Istanbul Land Walls World Heritage

Site: With a Special Focus on the Historic Yedikule Vegetable Gardens

The history and the importance of Yedikule Gardens

Photographic postcard outside of the Yedikule fortress. Late 19th-early 20th century.

This postcard of the exterior of the Yedikule fortress, but apparently more from the south or western side, nevertheless

gives us an idea of the orchards interspersed with the gardens near the monument. It is precisely these

types of green spaces that are currently under threat.

For the historical significance of these gardens, they are also a sustainable system that provides jobs and fresh

local produce to the city’s markets.

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 29

The problem of Yedikule Gardens

Istanbul’s Yedikule Gardens should not be destroyed

The word ‘demolition’ is being pronounced again in the Yedikule Gardens. Since January 13, Istanbul Metropolitan

Municipality, aided by riot police, has been demolishing the gardeners’ sheds. Gardeners, journalists, and

activists, who have been trying to document and broadcast the destruction, have been harassed and attacked.

As you may know, the Yedikule Vegetable Gardens Renewal Project that began in July 2013, is predicated

upon the destruction of 85,000 m2 area of fertile urban farm land inside the City Walls. Through successful

campaigns by various activist groups, the project was cancelled in November 2014. (Initiative for Preserving the

Historical Yedikule Gardens)

It is said that vegetable gardens would not be destroyed for the moment, but some researches which are done

until now shows the opposite. Municipial polices entered to the site area with handcuffs and hazarded cultural

layers. Specialists are worried about the security of cultural layers.

As public, we are concerned about the destruction of more than1500 years of history and the effect of quite

fertile agricultural land will be irreversible.

Yedikule gardens count as the first example of urban design and it has a huge history from Byzantine to Ottoman,

from Ottoman to present.

Yedikule vegetable gardens are one of counted green areas in İstanbul.

30 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

A view of vegetable gardens from the sky

Green corridor of the Walls

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 31

The respective gardens are on the world heritage list of UNESCO and they are on the proteciton line of land

walls extending from Yedikule (Seven Towers) to Ayvansaray.

Historical land walls of İstanbul are accepted as a world heritage in 1985 by UNESCO. In this regard, vegetable

gardens (bostans) being 1500 years historically valuable need the protection.

Istanbul’s Yedikule Gardens should not be destroyed

In additon to this, the borders of the city walls show us the green corridor as well. No place showcases the beautiful

impossibilities of Istanbul better than the vegetable gardens in Yedikule. Situated in the filled-in moats at

the base of the 1,600-year-old Theodosian Walls along the southern flank of the Old City, these urban farms

(known as bostans) form a green belt of neat gardens that are a touchstone in the local culinary world: Yedikule’s

marul “romaine lettuce” is famous and even branded.

Yedikule gardens are green corridor

32 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

33

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

34 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

WHY IS THE CITY WALLS IMPORTANT FOR ME?

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 35

Istanbul’s walls have already made me feel that they are the real root for origins of the city. Undulating around

the city, enveloping and protecting it on all four sides, they have ensured its development. In time, these walls

lost their function and were left to the mercy of nature’ s destructive forces. The fires that broke out frequently

during the 18th and 19th centuries led the sultan of that period to issue an edict stating that the city’s walls

should be torn down and the stones used in the rebuilding of houses destroyed by the fires; this edict was later

abandoned. If it had actually been carried out, İstanbul’s unique character makes it one of the most extraordinary

cities in the world. Its walls, a testament to Byzantine and Ottoman times, are major elements of its strong

character. We must restore and preserve them. These walls, these monuments are ours; our future generations

have a right witness them.

I have chosen this topic owing to the fact that by using this strong characteristic of the Wall, I would like to

create exist feelings and emotions to the area. First thought is to renew the vegetable gardens and to make its

presence felt in İstanbul. Therefore, gardeners would keep earning money and selling fresh vegetable to the

public. Then, as second thought, it is significant to highlight the Walls. They are very gorgeous and meaningful.

36 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

CONCEPT OF THE CITY WALLS

LIGHTING DESIGN

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 37

Introduction to the site

Yedikule is in the land walls near the Sea of Marmara shore. The land walls, by the way, extend for 6.5 km

(4 miles) northward to Ayvansaray (near Eyüp) on the Golden Horn.

FATİH

AYVANSARAY

YEDİKULE

MARMARA SEA

TOPKAPI

PALACE

SULTANAHMET

GALATA

KABATAŞ

TAKSİM

EYÜP

EMİNÖNÜ

KARAKÖY

KADIKÖY

38 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Each year, 50,000 vessels transit the straits, not including local traffic like the city ferries. Of those 50,000,

about 5,500 are tankers. On a per-day average, this works out to about 140 through-traffic vessels, including

15 tankers.

Bosphorus

A view from Maiden’s Tower

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 39

The Golden Horn, also known by its modern Turkish name as Haliç, is a major urban waterway and the

primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Golden Horn is a horn-shaped fyord on the European side of Istanbul and is fed by two small streams. It

is a natural harbor where Byzantine and Ottoman fleet and commercial ships were anchored. Today, it’s surrounded

by parks and promenades with ancient sites around it. Its name comes from the color of the water

when at sunset it shines with a gold color because of the reflection of the sun.

Golden Horn was an old trading harbor and a popular residential area during the Byzantine period. Its entrance

was blocked by a huge chain to stop unwanted ships to enter. During the Ottoman period it was largely

inhabited by Jewish immigrants from Spain. The mixtures of Armenians, Greeks, Gypsies and Turks living

along its shores reflected the city’s colorful ethnic mosaic.

Golden Horn

A view from Galata

40 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

The significance of the designation “golden” is more obscure, with historians believing it to refer to either the

riches brought into the city through the bustling historic harbor located along its shores, or to romantic artistic

interpretations of the rich yellow light blazing upon the estuary’s waters as the sun sets over the city.

color of the water when at sunset it shines with a gold color because of the reflection of the sun

A view from Karaköy

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 41

YEDİKULE

MARMARA SEA

HISTORICAL PENINSULA

In the southern part the Wall lies in a wider green strip of cemeteries, parks, vegetable gardens and nearby

industrial fallows ideas. In İstanbul where open space is scarce resource, the Wall still offers a green corridor

of open space but owing to the apparently uncontrolled changes the corridor and its sections do not longer

offer a strong identity. The quality of the open space is low and tourists’ interest unavoidable concentrates on

the Wall itself.

An opportunity ro strenghten the identity of the wall corridor lies within the bostans as a typical İstnabul land

use element. Many bostans are still to be found in the southern part of the Wall between Mevlevihane and

Belgrad gate. They are located in the former moat, on the Peribolos and on the fields following the inner side

of the ancient walls.

The main gain is to strenghten the identity of the green corridor and to keep alive the vegetable gardens for the

gardeners. Besides to this, it is to make visible the golden concept in the borders of historical peninsula, like

color of the water on Golden horn when at sunset it shines with a gold color due to the reflection of the sun.

Because historical peninsula is represented as sultan of jewelry; more valuable, more rich...

AYVANSARAY

42 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

ANALYSIS OF YEDİKULE GARDENS

LIGHTING DESIGN

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 43

The Theodosian Wall once bordered the city of Constantinople, but today it lies within the urban realm of

the Istanbul metropolis. The wall is accompanied by major traffic routes, especially in its northen part. In the

southern part the Wall lies in a wider green strip of cemeteries, parks, agricultural land (bostans) and nearby

industrial fallow areas. Dense settlements draw nearer from the inner side of the Walls. Here, the open spaces

beside the Wall turn from horticultural land to parks with sport and playing fields. In Istanbul where open

space is a scarce resource, the Wall still offers a green corridor of open space but due to the apperantly uncontrolled

changes the corridor and its sections do not longer offer a strong identity. The quality of open space is

low and the tourists’ interests unavoidable concentrates on the Wall itself.

To generate new uses for touristic attractions

To encourage the existing agriculture

The aim is that:

Empty and inactive areas

1

2

3

44 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Images from the walls of Yedikule, April 8,2016

1

Yedikule

2

3

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 45

Existing Lighting Elements

Hight pressure sodium lamp

Along the Walls, high pressure sodium lamps are used to highlight the Wall.

46 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Empty and inactive areas

Existing Yedikule Vegetable Gardens

1

1

2

2

3

3

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 47

PROPOSAL OF YEDİKULE GARDENS

LIGHTING DESIGN

48 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

YEDİKULE “BOSTANS”

VEGETABLE GARDENS

PATHWAYS

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 49

BOSTANS”

GARDENS

EXISTING VEGETABLE

GARDENS

YEDİKULE FORTRESS

“SEVEN TOWERS”

Reference lines are coming from the gates and main roads. The aim is to encourage initiatives to meliorate

inactive areas along the Theodosian Wall through the construction of local infrastructure. Another point is

that surrounding Yenikapı neighborhood will be kept clean, therefore the popularity of the neighborhood

will be increased by attracting people.

By taking role model of existing vegetable gardens behind the Wall, I am designing new vegetable gardens to

create the historical sense of that area. Then I am planning to highlight the Wall to get impression more and

more.

50 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Lighting Plan

51

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

52 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Aluminum made

Height 3 to 4 m

Total height up to 5 m

Technilum - Treille

Above the open-work area: optical unit with

bright anodized aluminum narrow reflector,

(30°) and lighting system tilted downwards

inside the profile

Possible fitting 20, 35 and 70 W MH in class 1 or 2

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL 53

Luce & Light - Siri

projector for outdoor

16W 230Vac - adjustable 200°

2700 K 30° IP66

54 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

Bosphorus is the pearl necklace of İstanbul...

Golden Horn, Its name comes from the color of the water when at sunset it shines with a gold color because of

the reflection of the sun...

And... historical peninsula is represented as sultan of jewelry; more valuable, more rich...

With this golden concept, when we look at the historical peninsula on the sky, the peninsula will be seen like

wearing golden necklace. Therefore, İstanbul would have the third nickname.

55

THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

56 THE CITYWALLS OF ISTANBUL

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