Conclusion

The Theodosian Walls and Gardens are steeped in historical importance but modern life continues around it: “grandmothers gossiping over the clicking of their knitting needs; children racing after a ball on the street…” [1]. As a "lieu de memorire," the use and symbolic meaning of the site has changed over the centuries paralleling the development of the city under different historical eras. The site was built with the building of the Byzantine Empire and symbolized the protection and strength mirroring the Empire. Later, when the city fell to the Ottomans, the Wall’s use also transformed – from an useful defense afterwards was only a symbol of the past and deteriorated with time. Today, the Walls and Gardens symbolize the past and is under attack from urbanization and trying to be protected by UNESCO.

[1] Davies, Rhiannon. “Walking Istanbul’s old city walls.” The Istanbul Guide.