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Siege Of Constantinople
717–718 siege of the Byzantine capital

Siege Of Constantinople

In 717–718, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was besieged by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate.

Plan a trip to Siege Of Constantinople→From Eskişehir

The campaign marked the culmination of twenty years of attacks and progressive Arab occupation of the Byzantine borderlands, while Byzantine strength was sapped by prolonged internal turmoil. In 716, after years of preparations, the Arabs, led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, invaded Byzantine Asia Minor. The Arabs initially hoped to exploit Byzantine civil strife and made common cause with the general Leo III the Isaurian, who had risen up against Emperor Theodosius III. Leo, however, deceived them and secured the Byzantine throne for himself.

How locals move

Getting around Siege Of Constantinople the local way

  • Get inIt starts in the western suburbs at Bağcılar (for Metro M1) and runs via some 20 stations including Zeytinburnu (for Marmaray and Metro M1), Topkapı (district not palace, for Marmaray and Tram T4), Yusufpaşa (for Metro M1), Aksaray, Laleli-Universite (for Metro M2 and Grand Bazaar), Beyazit, Çemberlitaş, Sultanahmet (for Blue Mosque), Gülhane (for park), Sirkeci (for Marmaray and Tram U3) and Eminönü (for Bosphorus ferries and Tram T5 along the Golden Horn); then crosses the bridge to Galata district and Kabataş (for funicular to Taksim).
  • Get inhas ferries from Kadıköy and Üsküdar Asia-side, from further up the Bosphorus, from up the Golden Horn, and from the Princes' Islands.
  • Get inYou're likeliest to use the Bosphorus ferries: the Marmaray train is faster but do make this classic crossing at least once during your visit.
  • Get inThe main operator is Şehir Hatları, though private boats try to skim off the trade, like pesky private minibuses.
  • Get inHaliç Hattı is a ferry that pings back and forth across the Golden Horn, so a round trip is an inexpensive scenic tour.
  • Get inis the landing point for IDO ferries across the Sea of Marmara.
  • Get inSee Istanbul#by boat for ferries from elsewhere (such as the Marmara Islands) to other city ports.
  • Get inFerries no longer sail from Tekirdağ or other ports west towards the Dardanelles.

From Wikivoyage: Istanbul/Historical Peninsula, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.