View of the walls of Istanbul

Description

Featured in the 1836 collaborative work of Thomas Allom and Robert Walsh, this steel engraving depicts the historical land walls of Istanbul (near Topkapı) and the city's multilayered structure. The composition skillfully brings together the monumental texture of the Byzantine-era triple wall system and the rising silhouette of an Ottoman mosque in the background, while illustrating how historical heritage organically intertwines with daily life through the locals conversing at the foot of the walls and the travelers passing by on horseback in the foreground.