landscape photography  kumkapı  köşkler  ancient history  antik tarih  magnaura palace  the great palace  byzantium  roman period  magnaura sarayı  cankurtaran  boukoleon palace  boukoleon sarayı  theodosius ıı  magnum platio  blakhernai palace  nicephorus ıı  

A view of one of nostalgic-old kiosks behind the Palace of Boukoleon's ruins in winter (Turkish: Boukoleon Sarayı kalıntılarının arkasında nostaljik-eski köşklerden birinin kışın görüntüsü). The Palace of Boukoleon (Greek: Βουκολέων) or Bucoleon was one of the Byzantine palaces in Constantinople. It was probably built by Theodosius II in the 5th century. It is located between Kumkapı and Cankurtaran, Fatih District of Şehr-i Istanbul, Turkey.

The Boukoleon Palace was built as a resort palace on the Marmara Sea walls, located at the south of the Great Palace. The façade is still standing. The palace, standing on the seaward walls, had a harbour with the same name. The emperors used this port to go to the Great Palace. In the resources, it is inticated that the first palace was built by Theodosius II (408-450) but neither the name nor the location or the shape is not known exactly. Like all the other buildings built by Theodosius II in the year 409, the palace should be quite isolated and built according the shape of the shore. The existing ruins of the palace whether it belongs to the Theodosius Palace or not is uncertain. Procopius writes that Justinian lived here before he became the emperor and after wearing his crown, he completely changed the House of Hormisdas and added to the constantly enlarging Great Palace (Magnum Palatio).

The palace was named Boukoleon after the second half of the 10th century because of a group of statues made of marble, showing a lion attacking to a bull, located on the quay of the harbour. Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas (963-969) started a project to construct new buildings in the area. A very strong wall with towers were built and some new buildings were added towards the north. The Opus Sectile floor decorations, walls covered with glass panels made of inlaid techniques and tiles covering the walls and some other architectural fragments, reflect the splendor of the Boukoleon Palace in 9th and 10th centuries. After the Latin occupation in the first half of 13th century, Boukoleon Palace, along with Blakhernai Palace and Magnum Palatio (Great Palace) became the residence of the Latin Emperor.