The city of Constantinople was the heart of the Roman Empire and then the Byzantine Empire for more than 1,000 years. The city boasted great beauty and great riches and was filled with spectacular architecture and priceless art.
The main street of Constantinople was the Mese (Greek for “middle”). If we could travel back in time and take a stroll down the Mese, what would we see?
More than 80 feet wide, the Mese is wide enough for the triumphal procession of a victorious emperor arriving home with his army. In the shops that line the street, merchants and customers from many lands speak many languages. If you stop to listen, most speak the common language, Greek.
