The Importance of Distance in Identifying the Route
A second strong argument in favor of the Dolmabahçe route is the distance that the Ottoman ships were said to have traveled over land. This distance is clearly mentioned by the Venetian eyewitness Nicolo Barbaro, who states that the ships were dragged across land for about three miles. In his diary, he explains that the transport began from the shore near the columns, where the fleet was stationed, and continued until the ships were brought inside the harbor of Constantinople. His statement strongly supports the idea that the ships started from the Bosporus shore near Dolmabahçe and Beşiktaş Private Tours Balkan.
Why Nicolo Barbaro’s Testimony Matters
Great importance must be given to Barbaro’s account because of his personal involvement in the siege. Unlike Critobulus, who wrote his history later and was not present during the events, Nicolo Barbaro was an eyewitness. He served as a surgeon on one of the Venetian galleys that defended the chain stretched across the entrance of the Golden Horn. This chain was meant to block the Ottoman fleet, and Barbaro was directly involved in the naval defense around it.
Because of his position, Barbaro had a strong reason to closely observe the movements of the Ottoman ships. He also kept a daily diary throughout the siege, carefully recording what he saw and what he learned from others. As a result, he was in an excellent position to obtain accurate and reliable information about the transport of the ships The Dolmabahçe Route and Historical Evidence.
Why Barbaro Could Not Have Been Mistaken
If the Ottoman ships had started their overland journey from a place as close to the chain as Tophane, Barbaro would almost certainly have known it. He and the other defenders were constantly watching the waters near the chain, since this area was critical to the city’s defense. It is therefore difficult to believe that Barbaro could have made such a serious mistake about the location if the starting point had been so near to him.
Instead, Barbaro clearly describes a starting point farther away, near the columns on the Bosporus, and gives a distance of nearly three miles. This distance fits well with a route beginning near Dolmabahçe–Beşiktaş and ending inside the Golden Horn, but it does not fit well with a much shorter route from Tophane.
Confirmation from Jacques Tedaldi
Barbaro’s testimony is strengthened by another reliable witness, Jacques Tedaldi, a Florentine merchant who also took part in the defense of Constantinople. Tedaldi confirms that the ships were carried two to three miles over land. He states that between sixty and eighty galleys and other armed vessels were moved from the sea into the inlet between the two cities, which he identifies as the harbor of Constantinople.
Tedaldi’s account closely matches Barbaro’s description, both in distance and in the general movement of the fleet. The agreement between two independent eyewitnesses from different backgrounds makes their testimony especially convincing.
The clear statements of Nicolo Barbaro and Jacques Tedaldi provide strong evidence for the Dolmabahçe route. Both men were present during the siege, both had direct access to reliable information, and both describe an overland journey of two to three miles. This distance fits naturally with a route beginning near Dolmabahçe and Beşiktaş, not Tophane. Taken together, their accounts strongly support the conclusion that the Ottoman ships were transported over land from the Bosporus shore near Dolmabahçe into the Golden Horn.
