The Antiquities of Constantinople. Gilles Pierre
itself; besides, it adjoins to the first Hill: I say, for these Reasons I might call it a part of the first Hill; but to understand it more distinctly, I shall treat of it by itself.
Chap. VII.
Of the first Hill, of the Palace of the Grand Seignor, of the Church of St. Sophia, and the Hippodrom
THE first Hill, extending itself from the South-east to the South-west, opens at the Entrance of it to the Breadth of thirty Paces; from thence it widens gradually, and so on, till at last ’tis almost as broad as ’tis long. It rises at the Nook of the Isthmus, which joins the Peninsula to the Continent. It projects itself in the Form of a Cymetar, or a Hawk’s Beak, and almost divides the Straits of the Bosporus, and the Bay called Ceras. The whole Hill projects beyond the others almost to the Mouth of the Bay. ’Tis all upon a Descent, except the Top of it, where there’s a Plain which joins to the Plain of the Promontory. The lesser Eminences which stand upon it, and which face the East and the North, have a moderate Descent, others of them are more steep, so that in some Places you are obliged to climb them by Steps, but the tallest of them is not above four hundred Paces high. The Plain, at the Foot of this Hill, is very different. The Eastern Part of it is much widen’d by the Sea Shore, which jets out in a semicircular Manner. The Breadth of the South-east and northern Part of it is encreased by the Valley, which divides the first from the second Hill. The Plain on the Top of the Hill is about seven hundred Paces in Length. This Hill is not only fortified by Nature, as being encompassed on the East by the Bosporus, on the North by the Bay of Ceras, and on the West by a cool Valley; but ’tis also inclosed within the Walls of the Seraglio, which are guarded with numberless Ramparts and Towers, which are equal in Strength to the Walls of the City. Towards the Foot of the Hill, and the Plain near the Sea, lie the Gardens of the Grand Seignor. The Imperial Palace, which is partly situate on the Top of the Hill, and partly on the Eminences below it, affords almost an unmeasurable Prospect, both by Sea and Land. In this Plain there are two Imperial Areas or Courts; the first of these Courts is seven hundred Paces long, and two hundred broad. You pass through this into another inner Court, which is a Quadrangle two hundred Paces long, and has round it a magnificent Portico, supported with a Multitude of fine Marble Pillars curiously variegated. In the Middle of the Court there’s a fine shady Walk of Plane and Cypress-Trees for the Lawyers, and in the North Angle of the City is the Forum Judiciale, which the Ottomans call their Divan. On the South-east Side of a large Court stands the magnificent and stately Palace of the Grand Seignor, on the North Side of which are built many Imperial Bagnio’s, and Kitchens with eight arch’d Roofs, rising like a Cupola, in an hemispherical Manner; each of these Cupola’s representing the Figure of a little House, is nothing else but a Chimney with Windows, light at Top, made in the Likeness of a Lantern. There is a two-leav’d Iron Gate which lets you into the first Court, the Leaves of it, when opened, stand at twenty Paces Distance. The Porters or Capoochees stand always upon Duty at these Gates. Just above them the Hill rises up to a smooth Level with the Ridge of the Promontory. The Porch or Gate-house is lined on each Side with glittering Armour, and shines, as do also the Jambs of the Gate with rich Marble. Over the Porch there rises a square Building cover’d with Lead, as are all the other Edifices of the Palace. There’s a Passage out of the first Court through another two-leav’d Gate into the second inner Court. This is the Station of the Drudging Porters. The Gate-house here also blazes with refulgent Arms. This Gate, without side of it, has nothing like a Porch, though within side it has. ’Tis supported with ten Pillars of different Kinds of Marble; the Roof of it proudly glitters with Gold, and is beautify’d with the most rich and lively Colours of Persian Work. At the third Gate, where the Entrance opens into the Seraglio, there are other Porters or Capoochees attending. These are under the Command of the Capoochee-Basha, or Captain of the Porters, who is also Chamberlain to the Grand Seignor. No body is suffer’d to enter the Palace without his Permission, but the Servants and Officers of the Houshold, unless it be his Noblemen, who while he is sitting near the Door of the Seraglio, may freely enter to pay their Homage to him. All Ambassadors, when introduced into his Presence, are allow’d to kiss his Hand, who receives them sitting upon a low Couch, but curiously embroider’d, in a little Apartment built with Marble, adorn’d with Gold and Silver, and sparkling with Diamonds and precious Stones. This Room of State is incircled with a Portico, which is supported with Pillars of the finest Marble, the Capitals and Pedestals of which are all gilded. Besides these I have mention’d, there are many other Gates round the Seraglio, through which none are admitted, but such as are in the highest Favour with the Emperour. If I mistake not, I counted twelve, which were all Iron-work; seven of them were near the City; two of them, through which they carried their Hay to the Seraglio, were near the Sea; on the Sea Side there were five more: The first of these stands to the North of the Seraglio, towards the Bay; the second stands upon the Ridge of a Hill: ’Tis very large, has a Porch with an arch’d Roof before it, is gilded, and adorn’d in a surprizing manner with Persian Paintings, supported with Pillars of Ophitick Marble, and looks into the Bosporus. At some Distance Eastward there is another Gate facing Chalcedon. Just before it the Vessels are moor’d, in which the Grand Seignor sails to some distant Shore, when he goes a hunting, or is inclined to divert himself in his Gardens. The fourth Gate stands South-east near the Ruins of a Christian Church, some Tokens of which are still remaining in a Wall, to which the Greeks to this Day, by their frequent Visits, continue to pay a kind of devotional Reverence. Beyond this there is a fifth Port or Gate, where is built a Room, though it is only rafter’d, whence you may have the Diversion of seeing the Fish catch’d; as it is also a kind of Repository, where the Grand Seignor’s Fishermen lay up their Tackle. I would observe by the By, that though all the Hills of Constantinople afford a very pleasing Prospect, yet there is none which entertains you with such peculiar Delectation as the first Hill, where the Sultan lives in a licentious and luxurious manner. He has before him, whether he is walking in his Gardens, or in his Chambers of the Seraglio, a full View of the Bosporus and both its Shores, which are green, and flourishing with Woods belonging to the neighbouring Farms. On the right Hand he beholds a spacious Field of Chalcedon, cover’d with his own Gardens; he sees the Propontis, Islands without Number, and the woody Mountains of Asia. If he looks at an immense Distance, behind him he beholds the Olympus always cloath’d in Snow. If he takes a shorter Prospect, he views before him the Wonders of his own City, the Church of St. Sophia and the Hippodrom. If he casts his Eyes to the left Hand, he beholds the seven Hills on which the City is seated, and more remotely, he looks round the unmeasurable spacious Fields of Thracia. If he extends his Prospect over the Seas, he views a moving Scene of Ships passing and repassing before him; some sailing from the Hellespont, or the Black Sea, others again coming into his Port from all the Coasts of the Propontis, while other Vessels at the same time are sailing up and down the Bay of Ceras, where there are also abundance of Wherries and small Boats always oaring from Side to Side. And if he looks below him, he has the agreeable Pleasure of beholding the three Sides of the first Hill, dressed with Trees, Flowers and Plants of all Kinds. But he has not only a fine Prospect from the Palace, but is entertain’d with several delightful Visto’s from the Top of the Gardens rising on the Hills. If he has an Inclination to take a View of his Seraglio, from that Point of Land which projects so far into the Sea, and which, as I observ’d, divided the Bosporus; here he beholds it in all its Glory, strengthen’d with large Pillars of Marble, and fann’d with gentle refreshing Breezes, where he often sits with small Osier Lattices before him; so that, like another Gyges, he discerns all that sail near him, though he himself is visible to none: And if at any time he is weary of the Company of his Domesticks, he can divert himself with the ridiculous Drollery of the Watermen, when fixing their Oars and Boat-poles to the Shore, they tug against the violent Stream of the Bosporus, which is much more rapid than the Rhone. Without the Seraglio stands the Church of St. Sophia, which is about seventy Paces distant from the Gate of the first Court. ’Tis situate on the Brow of the first Hill, upon an Eminence that hangs over the Garden of the first Valley: From thence you ascend by Stone Steps to the Gate of the Seraglio, and the Church of St. Sophia, which from the