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Ayvansaray is a colorful neighborhood on the Golden Horn in Istanbul. It’s located at the northwest corner of the Fatih district, bordered by Balat and Edirnekapı to the south and the Eyüp district to the west.
Brief History of Ayvansaray
Ayvansaray corresponds to the old Byzantine quarter of Blachernae (Βλαχέρναι). It was one of the most important areas of Constantinople. After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the area fell into disrepair, although it still contains a handful of Greek Orthodox churches, Byzantine ruins, and Jewish sites. The most important of the churches is Panagia Vlacherna.
Blachernae was enclosed by the Walls of Blachernae, which included a Byzantine palace complex, the Palace of Blachernae. It was the main palace used by late Byzantine emperors. The modern name for the area, Ayvansaray, is from Persian words meaning Veranda Palace.
Getting to Ayvansaray
The T5 tram line is the easiest way to get to the neighborhood. It runs along the Golden Horn and has a stop at Ayvansaray. You could also take any bus heading to Eyüp.
A more pleasant but much slower way is to take the Golden Horn ferry on the Istanbul City Lines (Şehir Hatları). Ferries run hourly between Üsküdar or Karaköy and Eyüp.
It’s also possible to explore Ayvansaray from the top walking from Edirnekapı. You can visit some of the highlights in the area then take a short walk to the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus before walking along the Walls of Blachernae. This leads down to the Golden Horn section of Ayvansaray where you can find Panagia Vlacherna. It also avoids a steady uphill climb along the walls.
Church of St. Demetrios Xyloportas
First, along the main road on the Golden Horn side of the neighborhood, coming from Balat, is the Church of St. Demetrios Xyloportas (Άγιος Δημήτριος Ξυλόπορτας / Aya Dimitri Kilisesi). It was originally built in 1204, complete with a dome and decorated with mosaics. The church served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from 1597 to 1600 before moving to its current location in Fener.
The Church of St. Demetrios Xyloportas was rebuilt in 1730 during the reign of Ecumenical Patriarch Paisios II (d. 1756). It was restored in 1835, 1933, 1960, and again in 1995.
Balat Or-Ahayim Hospital
Further up across the street is the Balat Or-Ahayim Hospital (Balat Or-Ahayim Hastanesi), which was founded by a group of Turkish Jews in 1898 with the permission of Sultan Abdülhamid II. The building was designed by architect Gabriel Tedeschi and completed in two years. It has 98 beds and is one of the most important hospitals in the city. Or-Ahayim translates to Light of Life.
Golden Horn Wall in Ayvansaray
Back across the street is an old section of the Byzantine Golden Horn Wall. A plaque on the walls commemorates an expedition undertaken in the area by Mehmed the Conqueror on Monday, April 23, 1453.
Atik Mustafa Pasha Mosque
A block in from the main road on Çember Street is the Atik Mustafa Pasha Mosque (Atik Mustafa Paşa Camii), also known as the Hazreti Cabir Mosque (Hazreti Cabir Camii). It was originally built as a Byzantine church, St. Thekla of the Palace of Blachernae (Άγία Θέκλα τοῦ Παλατίου τῶν Βλαχερνών).
The first church on the site was built in the middle of the 9th century by Princess Thekla, the daughter of Emperor Theophilos. In 1059, Emperor Isaac I Komnenos constructed the current building. It was heavily damaged in an earthquake in 1509, destroying the dome.
Shortly after, Koca Mustafa Pasha (d. 1512), the chief doorkeeper (kapıcıbaşı) of Topkapi Palace under Sultan Bayezid II, repaired the damage and converted the church into a mosque. Koca Mustafa Pasha, who was of Greek descent, later went on to serve a short term as Grand Vizier.
The mosque was damaged by a fire in 1729. It also suffered damage during an earthquake in 1894, but was repaired and reopened for worship in 1906. When the building was restored in 1922, a marble baptismal font originally belonging to the church was taken to the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. The mosque contains a tomb purportedly belonging to Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, a companion of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari who died in 678 during the First Arab Siege of Constantinople.
Tomb of Muhammad al-Ansari
Near the end of the Golden Horn Walls in Ayvansaray is a tomb belonging to Muhammad al-Ansari, another companion of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. The tomb was repaired by Sultan Mahmud II. I have not yet had the chance to enter.
Panagia Vlacherna Church
The Panagia Vlacherna Church (Ἡ Παναγία τῶν Βλαχερνῶν / Panayia Vlaherna Meryem Ana Kilisesi) is one of the most important Greek Orthodox churches in Istanbul. It’s a block inland from the main road on the Golden Horn side of Ayvansaray.
History of Panagia Vlacherna Church
Empress Aelia Pulcheria started construction on a church near a holy spring in 450. Her husband, Emperor Marcian, completed the church after her death in 453. It was located outside the city walls at the time.
Emperor Leo I built the parecclesion of the Agia Soros next to the church to house the holy mantle and robe of the Virgin Mary, brought from Palestine in 473. He also built the Agion Lousma to enclose the holy spring on the site. Emperors Justin I and Justinian I restored and enlarged the complex.
In 626, Panagia Vlacherna Church was the only building not plundered during a siege by the Avars and Persians. Because of this, Emperor Heraclius then had a single wall built to protect the area, enclosing it within the city of Constantinople. The Palace of Blachernae was later connected to the church via a special stairway and gate.
Panagia Vlacherna Church burned down completely in 1070. It was rebuilt according to the original plan by Emperors Romanos IV Diogenes and Michael VII Doukas.
On February 29, 1434, children hunting pigeons on the roof of the church accidentally started a fire. It ended up destroying the entire complex along with most of Blachernae, and only the holy spring remained. The area sat empty until 1867, when the guild of Orthodox furriers purchased the plot of land around the spring and built a small church.
The current church is a simple structure with a narthex. Steps lead down into the nave, where the holy spring is located to the right of the iconostasis. There’s also a small gift shop where visitors can buy icons and other religious items to support the upkeep of the church.
Relics at Panagia Vlacherna Church
Panagia Vlacherna Church once housed the most important relics of the Virgin Mary as well as a famous wooden icon, the Vlachernitissa (Βλαχερνίτισσα). The relics and the icon were considered to be very powerful, and were called upon to protect the city during sieges and natural disasters.
In the middle of the 8th century, during the Iconoclastic period, Emperor Constantine V ordered the mosaics in the church destroyed and replaced with scenes of nature. The Vlachernitissa was covered in silver and disappeared soon after.
In 1030, during restoration works under Emperor Romanos III Argyros, the Vlachernitissa was rediscovered hidden behind a wall. It was believed to have been lost during the fire in 1434, but the original or possibly a copy popped up on Mount Athos in the 17th century.
On October 16, 1653, a merchant from Constantinople, Dimitris Costinari, delivered the icon to Tsar Alexis in Moscow along with a certificate of authenticity from Ecumenical Patriarch Paisius I (d. 1688). That icon is now housed in the Cathedral of the Dormition.
Origins of the Akathist Hymn
The most important moment in the history of Panagia Vlacherna Church took place during the siege in 626. Constantine III, the son of Emperor Heraclius, carried the icon of the Vlachernitissa in a procession along the ramparts with Ecumenical Patriarch Sergius I. The Avars lifted the siege after their Khan saw a vision of a young woman scouring the walls.
Citizens attributed the victory to the direct intervention of the Virgin Mary. They gathered at Panagia Vlacherna Church in an all-night vigil and sung the Akathist Hymn ( Ἀκάθιστος Ὕμνος). The hymn is now sung at the current church every Friday morning.
Holy Spring at Panagia Vlacherna Church
The holy spring inside the current church is a popular destination for both Orthodox and Muslim pilgrims. Bottles to collect holy water are available to visitors. An inscription above the faucets is a palindrome in Greek that reads:
Νίψον ἀνομήματα, μὴ μόναν ὄψιν (Wash the sins, not only the face)
The phrase is attributed to St. Gregory of Nazianzus and was also written on a holy water font outside Hagia Sophia.
Above the spring are four paintings made in 1964 by Eirenarchos Covas (1894-1972). They depict great moments in the history of the Orthodox Church, including the intervention of the Virgin Mary during the siege in 626.
Walls of Blachernae
During the Byzantine period, the Walls of Blachernae encompassed the Blachernae quarter of Constantinople, now Ayvansaray.
The Walls of Blachernae connected to the Theodosian Walls near the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus and ran north to the Golden Horn. They were made up of a series of walls built during different periods between the 7th and 11th centuries. The walls were about 12 to 15 meters high and thicker than the Theodosian Walls.
Most of the work is attributed to Emperor Heraclius, who built the inner wall to protect the Panagia Vlacherna Church after the Avar-Persian Siege in 626, and Leo V the Armenian, who built the outer wall to protect against Khan Krum of Bulgaria in 813.
Palace of Blachernae
The walls protected the Palace of Blachernae (Παλάτι των Βλαχερνών), which was originally built around 500 and was made up of several structures. It became the preferred palace of Byzantine emperors starting with Alexios I Komnenos in the late 11th century. He and his grandson Manuel I Komnenos built new halls and fortified the palace.
Prison of Anemas
Only a few structures, including the Prison of Anemas (Anemas Zindanları), survive to this day. It was named after Michael Anemas, a Byzantine general. He was the first person imprisoned there after an unsuccessful revolt against Alexios I Komnenos.
The prison was a substructure of the palace and held four Byzantine emperors during the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire. High-profile prisoners included Gregory Taronites, the Byzantine governor of Chaldia; the deposed Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos; John Bekkos, the future Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as John XI; Byzantine general Syrgiannes Palaiologos; Andronikos IV Palaiologos, who was imprisoned by his father Emperor John V Palaiologos after a failed rebellion; and finally John V Palaiologos, along with his other sons Manuel II and Theodore I, after Andronikos IV managed to escape and usurp the throne.
The Prison of Anemas has been undergoing a lengthy restoration for several years. If walking along the inside of the walls, there are panels showing renderings of the construction project and photos of the excavations. If and when it opens to the public, I will visit and update this page.
Tower of Isaac Angelos
Next to the prison is the Tower of Isaac Angelos. It was built in the late 12th century by Emperor Isaac II Angelos as a personal fortress and residence. He used material from ruined churches in the construction.
Gate of the Bootmakers’ Quarter
Finally, uphill near the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus is the Gate of the Bootmakers’ Quarter (Πόρτα ἐν τοῖς Καλιγαρίοις). Today, the gate is known as Eğri Kapı (Crooked Gate).
Just outside the gate is a cemetery and a tomb supposedly belonging to Haceti Hafir. He was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who participated and was killed in the First Arab Siege of Constantinople alongside Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, sometime between 674 and 678.
Church of Panagia Souda
The Church of Panagia Souda (Παναγία τῆς Σούδας Ἐγρίκαπου / Panayia Suda Rum Kilisesi) sits near the Gate of the Bootmakers’ Quarter and has no parishioners.
The church was built on the site of the 13th century Byzantine Church of St. Nikitas. It dates back to at least 1583 when it was first mentioned in a list of churches. That church was set fire to in 1640 and again in 1728. The building was rebuilt twice in the 19th century and restored in 1999.
Palace of the Porphyrogenitus
The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus (Παλάτιον τοῦ Πορφυρογεννήτου), known in Turkish as the Tekfur Sarayı (Tekfur Palace, literally Palace of the Sovereign), was built in the late 13th or early 14th century as an extension to the Palace of Blachernae. It sits near the point where the Theodosian Walls meet the Walls of Blachernae and served as an imperial residence during the final years of the Byzantine Empire.
The palace was named after Constantine Palaiologos (1261-1306), the third son of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. The translation of Porphyrogenitus is literally “born to the purple”, meaning a child born to a reigning emperor.
During the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the palace was badly damaged due to its proximity to the walls. In the 15th and 16th century, it housed the Sultan’s menagerie. At the end of the 17th century, it was used as a brothel.
In 1719, the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus became a pottery factory. It produced ceramic tiles similar in quality to Iznik tiles. In the early 19th century, it was converted into a poorhouse for the city’s Jews, and in the early 20th century, it was used as a bottle factory. The building was later abandoned until an extensive restoration began in July 2010.
Tekfur Palace Museum
The building reopened as the Tekfur Palace Museum (Tekfur Sarayı Müzesi) in June 2019. It’s dedicated to the pottery factory that occupied the building for nearly a century. The Tekfur Palace Museum is open daily except Mondays from 9am to 5pm. Admission for foreigners is 40₺ (as of October 2023).
The information in the museum is clearly labeled in Turkish and English, and there are some excellent interactive displays. However, it didn’t seem like the entire museum was open when we visited, as a couple side rooms were cordoned off. Other than that, we were impressed with the quality of displays and the reconstruction of the building.
Exhibits in the Tekfur Palace Museum
The ground floor of the palace contains an arcade with four arches. An original kiln belonging to the pottery factory, which was unearthed in 1995, sits in one corner.
On the first floor, there are exhibits on the pottery production process at the palace. Samples of some of the pottery produced there are on display, including coffee cups, vases, jugs, plates, and pieces of pipes. There are also fragments of glass and bottles from its time as a bottle factory.
A passage at one end of the first floor leads to another room. It has a glass floor sitting above pottery shards and other materials.
Before heading upstairs to the top floor, we enjoyed and interactive display with pictures of the palace before and after restoration.
On the top floor, there were more pottery and glass samples as well as another interactive display. This display allowed visitors to paint their own Ottoman tile and email their finished product.
One highlight of the top floor are the original tiles used at Topkapi Palace. Several pieces were on display with labels indicating which room they once decorated. There were also replicas of some of the most spectacular tiles produced at the factory.
Another highlight is the mihrab from the Kandilli Mosque, located in Kandilli on the Asian side of Istanbul. It was decorated with gorgeous tiles produced at Tekfur Palace.
Courtyard of the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus
The palace opens to a large courtyard containing a gift shop and café. On one side are the original Walls of Blachernae, with a short section open to exploration. Visitors can see the narrow windows soldiers would use to keep watch and possibly shoot arrows at attackers.
Kasturya Synagogue
A block away on Hoca Çakır Street are the walls of a former synagogue. The Kasturya Synagogue (Kasturya Sinagogu) was founded by Sephardic Jews migrating to Constantinople from the town of Kastoria, Greece. It opened in 1453 and had a capacity of 150 people.
The synagogue was repaired in 1801 and expanded in 1865. Electricity was connected to the building in 1935, but it closed in 1937 due to a decrease in the congregation. The wooden structure has since collapsed, and only the outer walls and the gate to the courtyard remain. The inscription above the gate is dated 1893.
Church of Panagia Hadzergiotissa Tekfursaray
Finally, the last point of interest in Ayvansaray before reaching Edirnekapı is the Church of Panagia Hadzergiotissa Tekfursaray (Παναγία Χαντζεργιώτισσα Τεκφοὺρ Σεράϊ / Tekfursaray Hançerli Panayia Rum Kilisesi). The original church was destroyed by fire, and the current church was built between 1836 and 1837.
The church is in a terrible state of disrepair, although the caretakers and the few remaining parishioners do their best to keep it clean and in working order. The rusted cross atop the building paints quite a picture of its physical condition.
Where to Eat in Ayvansaray
Out of all my trips to Ayvansaray, I’ve only eaten at one place.
Çanak Mangalda Kurufasulye
My favorite place for kurufasulye (white bean stew) is Çanak Mangalda Kurufasulye in Ayvansaray. It’s located across the street from the Balat Or-Ahayim Hospital.
I like to get the kurufasulye with pastırma (dried meat) and a side of their delicious buttery rice. For dessert, try the rice pudding. (Note: I visited in 2019 and it’s not as good as it was in the past.)
