The Lost Walls of Thessaloniki

In its heydays, Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη) was a major port and strategic centre in the Byzantine Empire. It is also known in Greek as i Symprotévousa or Συμпρωτεύουσα ('the co-capital') a reference to its historical status as the 'co-reigning' city of the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).

The Byzantine sea walls were a crucial part of Thessaloniki's extensive fortifications, originally constructed and periodically reinforced from the 4th century CE onwards, particularly under Roman emperors like Theodosius I (379-395). The walls were vital for the protection of the city from naval attacks and pirate raids coming from the Thermaic Gulf, located at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea.

Over the centuries, they has witnessed countless sieges, and played a key role in the city's defence against various invaders, including Slavs, Saracens, Normans, and ultimately the Ottoman Turks, who captured the city in 1430 AD.

An old photo of 4th Century CE, Byzantine Sea Walls of Thessaloniki, taken in 1860, is an incredibly rare and historically invaluable document. It captures a significant architectural feature of the city that no longer exists, offering a direct visual link to its Ottoman-era appearance before its modern transformation.

The fact that the photo was taken in 1860 places it firmly in the late Ottoman period. By this time, Thessaloniki (then known as Salonica) was a bustling, cosmopolitan city within the Ottoman Empire. The decision by the Ottoman authorities to demolish these ancient sea walls was part of a broader restructuring of Thessaloniki's urban fabric in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This initiative aimed to modernize the city, improve sanitation, facilitate trade, and its accommodate growing population.

[Modern Thessaloniki]

The removal of the walls created space for the creation of wider boulevards, new quays, and public spaces, aligning the city more with European urban planning trends. While these modernizations brought new infrastructure, they also resulted in the loss of significant historical landmarks.

A photograph from 1860 would therefore depict the walls in their late-stage existence, perhaps showing clear signs of its age, but still standing as a testament to Thessaloniki's Byzantine past, before they were dismantled to make way for the city's future.