6 minute read
Timeless Treasures
Exploring through a walk the multicultural Sites of Thessaloniki through time
by Zoe Kalogianni
If you want to go back in time, a stroll in Thessaloniki is enough. Thessaloniki is one of the oldest cities, with a history that takes you back 24 centuries. One civilization followed another, leaving indelible historical landmarks in the city and turning it into a crossroad of civilizations.
Walking through the streets and picturesque alleys, crossing the narrow lanes, descending the stone streets of the Upper Town, and heading towards the port, you will discover the traces of past civilizations. Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman, and Jewish monuments blend, revive, and come to life, transforming the city into a colorful and multilingual open-air museum created by the greatest civilizations of the world.
Our journey with the time machine takes us to the Byzantine period, and the walk starts from the Upper Town. The fortified city with its rich monuments can be considered an authentic Byzantine museum.
The tour begins with the Byzantine and Medieval walls and fortresses, which still stand and guard modern Thessaloniki, as they were built to protect it from enemy raids. The city walls have transformed over time, starting from the ancient Greek city, while each new ruler, such as the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans, added or changed something. Mostly, their Byzantine form has been preserved.
At the northeastern end of the city walls, you will find the Heptapyrgion Fortress, also known as ‘’Yedikule’’ in Ottoman. The Heptapyrgion showcases the fusion of Byzantine culture through the Byzantine fortress, consisting of ten towers, and Ottoman culture, which emerged after the Fall of the City (1430) with the addition of the ‘’Yedikule’’ Tower. Continuing the walk alongside the walls, descending the slope and passing through the “Portara,” we reach the most important point of the walls, the Tower of Trigoniou.
After admiring the view of the Thermaic Gulf, the walk continues outside the city walls. Crossing the Acropolis Street, we encounter a Byzantine gem known as the Vlatadon Monastery. The Vlatadon Monastery is the only Byzantine monastery in the city that has been continuously operational since its foundation until today.
The walk continues, and the time machine transports us from the Byzantine period to the Ottoman period of Thessaloniki. The city is bathed in an eastern atmosphere. Baths and covered markets are built in the neighborhoods, while the grandest Byzantine and Christian churches of Thessaloniki are transformed into mosques. Descending from the Upper Town, we cross the Pasha Gardens, which once served as the garden of the Agios Dimitrios Hospital. Continuing our walk, we come across the house of Kemal Atatürk, a mansion representing the Ottoman presence in Thessaloniki, which now serves as a museum. A little further down, we encounter the “Yeni Hamam” (New Bath), a small Ottoman bath. The building ceased to function as a bathhouse after the liberation of Thessaloniki, unlike the other hamams in the city.
After the journey to the Ottoman era, we discover the Jewish presence in Thessaloniki. Jewish Thessaloniki can be described as an invisible city. However, by observing more carefully and raising our gaze to the mansions and elaborate buildings, one can reconstruct its significant history.
The walk in the Jewish culture begins with a visit to the Modiano Market. Modiano Market is part of the city’s culture as it is the first traditional food market and one of the largest covered markets in Thessaloniki, which still operates today. The covered market houses fishmongers, butchers, and coffee shops. However, one can also encounter other points in the city that are related to Jewish culture.
Exiting our route and exclusively to complete the picture of the Jewish element, heading towards the eastern part of Thessaloniki, in the then suburb neighborhood, one can walk on the aristocratic road of Queen Olga and admire the famous Casa Bianca as well as the mansions of Alatini and Modiano (Lifo).
The tour continues, and we go again back in time to meet the Egnatia Road, which takes us directly to the Roman era as it is located at the same spot where the Roman road used to be. The road took its name from the then governor of the city, Egnatius.
Going up a bit on Egnatia Road, we encounter the Roman Market. This market was built in the 2nd century and was uncovered in 1966, known as the “Market of Diocletian.” It was the commercial and social core of ancient Thessaloniki. During the Roman era, the market space constituted the religious and social center of the entire city, as well as a space that gathered the most imposing and magnificent public buildings (tvxs.gnews).
Continuing our stroll through the era of Roman Thessaloniki, leaving behind the Roman Forum and crossing the road of Egnatia, we encounter one of the city’s most significant monuments and its true symbol, which captures its continuous transformations: the Rotonda. The ‘’Ροτόντα’’ was part of the grand architectural complex that comprised the palaces. This monument dates back to the early 4th century AD, commissioned by Galerius, and it is speculated that he intended it to be his mausoleum. However, it never served that purpose.
Descending from the ‘’Ροτόντα’’, we come across the imposing Arch of Galerius, also known as the “Kamara.” It was built to commemorate Galerius’ victories against the Persians, narrating his triumph through the engraved reliefs. The Arch of Galerius boasts an exclusive wealth of sculptural decorations.
Concluding our tour of Thessaloniki’s past, it is worth descending from the famous pedestrian street where we also find the renowned Navarinou Square. This square is one of the most important monuments of Late Antiquity, as it preserves monumental structures that constituted an imperial residence during the Roman era. A
At the end of the pedestrian street, alongside the Thermaic Gulf, stands the captivating White Tower, the symbol of the city. It was constructed in the 15th century as a defensive fortification. The tower, as it stands today, was built in the late 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1430, as part of the fortifications’ modernization. In its place, there was an earlier tower from the Byzantine fortifications of Thessaloniki, located at the point where the eastern wall met the seawall.
Ascending to the top of the tower, we enjoy a panoramic view of the city, with the sea stretching out before us and the monuments emerging on the horizon. This completes the tour of Thessaloniki’s past, and the time machine transports us back to the present.
During this stroll, we encountered the cultural heritage of Thessaloniki, which stands proud to this day, transforming the city into a historical center and a meeting point of languages and civilizations. This city, flooded with the spirit of diverse cultures, is worth exploring and discovering in every corner. Let us not forget that Thessaloniki has been and will continue to be a crossroad of four cardinal points on the horizon.
