Byzantine Empire and Civilization

Connected Sites: 63

The Byzantine Empire is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople until its fall to the Ottomans in 1453.

Connected Sites

  • Nessebar
    Nessebar
    Bulgaria
    Inscribed: 1983
    2.99
    142
    10
    It was one of the most important strongholds of the Eastern Roman Empire from the 5th century AD onwards, and was fought over by Byzantines and Bulgars (wiki) .. The medieval religious architecture, modified by the imposition of the traditional Byzantine forms, (OUV)
  • Euphrasian Basilica in Porec
    Inscribed: 1997
    2.96
    179
    10
    a characteristic example of 5th and 6th century religious architecture, showing significant Byzantine influence (AB ev), an excellent example of early Byzantine architecture in the Mediterranean region (wiki)
  • Mystras
    Mystras
    Greece
    Inscribed: 1989
    3.52
    141
    7
    Mystras constitutes a medieval city whose art, the fruit of the so-called Palaeologan Renaissance, influenced the development of Late Byzantine and Post-byzantine art. ... an exceptional example of a well-preserved fortified late-Byzantine city (OUV)
  • Island of Patmos
    Inscribed: 1999
    3.26
    59
    5
    A major centre of worship in the Aegean archipelago, it is an ark of the Byzantine and Neo-Hellenic Orthodox tradition.. Pátmos may said to be the last living home of the Byzantine civilization which left Constantinople in 1453. (AB ev)
  • Venice and its Lagoon
    Inscribed: 1987
    4.52
    610
    19
    Byzantine territory, "a lonely and increasingly autonomous Byzantine outpost" (wiki)
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Ravenna
    Ravenna
    Italy
    Inscribed: 1996
    4.15
    272
    8
    Byzantine capital in Italy through the fifth and sixth centuries....The Basilica of San Vitale, from the time of Justinian, is one of the highest creations of Byzantine architecture in Italy (OUV)
  • Stari Ras and Sopocani
    Inscribed: 1979
    2.76
    89
    6
    The frescoes in the Sopoćani Monastery church, dating from about 1270-1276, are among the finest in Byzantine and Serbian medieval art. These exceptional paintings represent the work of the best artists of that period who were unable to work in the territory of the Byzantine Empire and found refuge at the court of the Serbian king. (OUV)
  • Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
    Inscribed: 2004
    3.12
    135
    11
    The wall paintings in the three churches are an exceptional testimony to the manifestations of the cultural tradition of the Palaiologian Renaissance of Byzantium in the Balkans. (OUV)
  • Echmiatsin and Zvartnots
    Inscribed: 2000
    3.05
    143
    6
    Echmiatsin's architecture was influenced by Byzantine examples
  • Rome
    Rome
    Holy See, Italy
    Inscribed: 1980
    4.57
    661
    13
    After the Lombard invasion of Italy (569–572), the city remained nominally Byzantine, but in reality, the popes pursued a policy of equilibrium between the Byzantines, the Franks, and the Lombards (wiki)
  • Incense Route of the Negev
    Inscribed: 2005
    2.92
    80
    7
    By the 2nd century AD all the Nabatean towns had become annexed to the Roman Province of Arabia after the Roman conquest of Petra. (AB ev)
  • Tyre
    Tyre
    Lebanon
    Inscribed: 1984
    2.78
    74
    5
    In 395, Tyre became part of the Byzantine Empire and continued to flourish. ...The necropolis on mainland Tyre with more than three hundred sarcophagi from the Roman and Byzantine periods grew to be one of the largest in the world (wiki)
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Xanthos-Letoon
    Inscribed: 1988
    2.68
    83
    7
    Letoon - remains of a Byzantine church
    See www.lycianturkey.com
  • Tauric Chersonese
    Inscribed: 2013
    2.83
    22
    4
    The buildings mix influences of Greek, Roman and Byzantine culture. (wiki)
  • Necropolis of Bet She'arim
    Inscribed: 2015
    2.86
    61
    4
    findings at the big cistern
  • Rhodes
    Rhodes
    Greece
    Inscribed: 1988
    3.61
    180
    7
    "In medieval times, Rhodes was an important Byzantine trading post, as also a crossroads for ships sailing between Constantinople and Alexandria." (wiki), The ramparts of the medieval city [were..] partially erected on the foundations of the Byzantine enclosure (AB ev), some Byzantine churches remain such as the St. Spyridon.
    See www.medievaltown.gr
  • Hierapolis-Pamukkale
    Inscribed: 1988
    3.95
    234
    7
    Hierapolis: "During the Byzantine period, the city continued to flourish and also remained an important centre for Christianity." & "The martyrium had a special design, probably executed by an architect of a Byzantine emperor. "(wiki)
  • Agrigento
    Inscribed: 1997
    3.72
    214
    8
    "After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city successively passed into the hands of the Vandalic Kingdom, the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy and then the Byzantine Empire."
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Tell Umm Amer
    Palestine
    Inscribed: 2024
    0
    0
    "exemplifying the flourishing of monastic desert centres during the Byzantine period."
  • Umm Al-Jimāl
    Inscribed: 2024
    2.85
    30
    4
    "Umm Al-Jimal bears testimony to the rural way of life on the Hauran plateau in the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods, and epitomises the Hauranian culture with its agro-pastoral identity, reflecting the social values and cultural traditions of the Hauranian people. It provides a window into the hinterland of the imperial capitals and urban centres of the time." - AB Evaluation
  • Ephesus
    Ephesus
    Turkiye
    Inscribed: 2015
    4.10
    267
    6
    The extensive remains of the Basilica of St. John on Ayasuluk Hill and those of the Church of Mary in Ephesus are testament of the city’s importance to Christianity. (OUV) & Justinian also built a number of churches and fortifications outside of the imperial capital, including .. the Basilica of St. John in Ephesus (wiki)
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Crac des Chevaliers
    Inscribed: 2006
    3.75
    65
    4
    the evolution of fortified architecture in the Near East during the Byzantine, Crusader and Islamic periods (OUV)
  • Churches of Moldavia
    Inscribed: 1993
    3.89
    101
    8
    masterpieces inspired by Byzantine art (OUV)
  • Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin
    Inscribed: 2014
    3.25
    60
    9
    During the Byzantine period, Bet Guvrin became an important Christian centre (AB ev)
  • Bosra
    Bosra
    Syria
    Inscribed: 1980
    3.06
    48
    6
    extensive ruins of Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad buildings (OUV)
  • Bethlehem
    Bethlehem
    Palestine
    Inscribed: 2012
    3.15
    193
    9
    Church of the Nativity: Byzantine frescoes and architecture (AB ev)
  • Berat and Gjirokastra
    Inscribed: 2005
    3.54
    185
    7
    Gjirokastra: The city appears in the historical record dating back in 1336 by its Greek name, Αργυρόκαστρο, Argyrókastro, as part of the Byzantine Empire. (wiki), "the citadel area numbers many Byzantine churches, mainly from the 13th century," (official description)
  • Ancient villages of Northern Syria
    Inscribed: 2011
    3.09
    27
    2
    Basilicas etc - characteristic of the transition between the ancient pagan world and Byzantine Christianity (OUV)
  • Aleppo
    Aleppo
    Syria
    Inscribed: 1986
    3.53
    67
    5
    Remains of Hittite, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ayyubid structures and elements are incorporated in the massive surviving Citadel. (OUV)
  • Dougga/Thugga
    Inscribed: 1997
    3.66
    99
    3
    Byzantine fortifications
  • Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe
    Inscribed: 2025
    2.90
    22
    3
    Sardis remained in the Byzantine Empire until 1306, when it was handed over to the Ottomans as part of a treaty.
  • Valletta
    Inscribed: 1980
    3.76
    382
    10
    ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John (official description)
  • Um er-Rasas
    Inscribed: 2004
    2.73
    110
    9
    The Outstanding Universal Value of the site resides in the extensive settlement of the Byzantine/Umayyad period (OUV)
  • Timgad
    Timgad
    Algeria
    Inscribed: 1982
    3.37
    38
    4
    In 535 CE, the Byzantine general Solomon found the city empty when he came to occupy it during the Vandalic War. In the following century, the city was briefly repopulated as a primarily Christian city before being sacked in the 7th century after the Muslim conquest of the region. (Wikipedia - Timgad)
  • Thessalonika
    Inscribed: 1988
    2.97
    243
    9
    The influence of the Thessalonian churches on the development of the monumental arts was considerable first in the Byzantine and later the Serbian world, whether in the Early Christian period, the Middle Byzantine era or the Palaeologan Renaissance. (OUV)
  • Takht-e Soleyman
    Inscribed: 2003
    3.20
    27
    4
    "was destroyed in AD627 by the Byzantine army of Heraclius I in a counter attack for the Sassanian invasion of the Roman armies. The Byzantines destroyed the fire temple and took away its treasures which were offereings by Sassanian kings. The site fell into disuse and was subsequently abandoned". See Byzantine-Sassanian War 602-628
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Syracuse
    Inscribed: 2005
    3.59
    247
    8
    After a period of Vandal rule, 469–477, Syracuse and the island was recovered for Roman rule under Odoacer, 476–491 and Theodoric the Great, 491–526, by Belisarius for the Byzantine Empire (31 December 535). From 663 to 668 Syracuse was the seat of the Greek-speaking Emperor Constans II, as well as a capital of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and metropolis of the whole Sicilian Church. (wiki)
  • Studenica Monastery
    Inscribed: 1986
    2.97
    93
    6
    priceless collections of 13th- and 14th-century Byzantine paintings (OUV)
  • Saint Catherine Area
    Inscribed: 2002
    3.50
    105
    8
    Its walls and buildings are very significant in the study of Byzantine architecture ... the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, who sent teams of architects and masons to build a fort below the rocky eminence identified by the monks as Mount Sinaï (AB ev)
  • Petra
    Petra
    Jordan
    Inscribed: 1985
    4.61
    288
    21
    Basilica church, Urn Cave
  • Pergamon
    Pergamon
    Turkiye
    Inscribed: 2014
    3.56
    141
    6
    rebuilding of the city walls during the Byzantine period, reusing stones from earthquake-damaged monuments (AB ev)
  • Painted Churches in the Troödos Region
    Inscribed: 1985
    3.42
    159
    10
    The churches of the Troodos Region are a well conserved example of rural religious architecture during the Byzantine period. (OUV)
  • Old City of Jerusalem
    Inscribed: 1981
    4.36
    274
    12
    Burial remains from the Byzantine period are exclusively Christian, suggesting that the population of Jerusalem in Byzantine times probably consisted only of Christians. In the 5th century, the eastern continuation of the Roman Empire, ruled from the recently renamed Constantinople, maintained control of the city. (wiki)
  • Mount Athos
    Inscribed: 1988
    3.50
    79
    8
    The first monasteries were built by the Byzantines.
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Meteora
    Meteora
    Greece
    Inscribed: 1988
    4.32
    240
    10
    At the end of the fourteenth century, the Byzantine Empire's reign over northern Greece was being increasingly threatened by Turkish raiders who wanted control over the fertile plain of Thessaly. The hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the fourteenth century (wiki)
  • Masada
    Masada
    Israel
    Inscribed: 2001
    3.77
    193
    11
    a Byzantine monastic community took over the ruins of the Jewish city and lived there till Arab occupation.
  • Longobards in Italy
    Inscribed: 2011
    2.81
    227
    14
    Castelseprio-Torba: "Archaeological evidence (...) indicates that the Longobards only occupied the castle around the first decades of the 7th century, a sign that this castle, compared to others such as the Sirmione Fortress, remained in Byzantine hands for a longer period of time." (Nomination file, p. 141)
  • Kyiv Cathedral and Lavra
    Inscribed: 1990
    3.55
    185
    6
    an outstanding example of Byzantine art ... a result of the cultural interaction of the Kyivan Rus’, the Byzantine Empire and Western Europe. (OUV)
  • Kotor
    Kotor
    Montenegro
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.79
    303
    12
    The city was part of Byzantine Dalmatia in that period, and the modern name of Kotor probably originated in the Byzantine name for the town: Dekatera or Dekaderon. (wiki)
  • Istanbul
    Istanbul
    Turkiye
    Inscribed: 1985
    4.37
    484
    12
    Istanbul bears unique testimony to the Byzantine and Ottoman civilizations through its large number of high quality examples of a great range of building types, some with associated artworks. (OUV)
  • Haghpat and Sanahin
    Inscribed: 1996
    3.50
    129
    4
    blending of elements of both Byzantine church architecture and traditional vernacular building styles of this region (OUV)
  • Göreme NP and Cappadocia
    Inscribed: 1985
    4.28
    229
    6
    irreplaceable testimony to the post-iconoclastic Byzantine art period.... retain the fossilized image of a province of the Byzantine Empire between the 4th century and the arrival of the Seljuk Turks (1071) (OUV)
  • Ferrara
    Ferrara
    Italy
    Inscribed: 1995
    3.19
    234
    10
    The Curtensi Castle was the ancient Byzantine Castrum of Ferrara, the first medieval nucleus of the city. A first fortified nucleus in Ferrara existed at least until the end of the 6th century, and was located north of the first Ferrara basilica, on the left bank of the Volano branch of the Po. The Byzantines built a castrum to defend the main ferry that connected the island formed by the two branches of the Po with the territory to the north, and this defensive structure was surrounded by a moat. (Wikipedia)
    See it.wikipedia.org
  • Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens
    Inscribed: 2015
    2.75
    72
    4
    Various Byzantine incursions occurred during this period; parts of the city walls were destroyed in 899, and were reconstructed to improve the city’s defence (as documented by several Abbasid inscriptions). (AB ev)
  • Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios
    Inscribed: 1990
    3.01
    179
    10
    three monasteries of the middle Byzantine period ... indisputable masterpieces of Byzantine art (OUV)
  • Damascus
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.89
    76
    5
    In spite of Islam's prevailing influence, traces of earlier cultures particularly the Roman and Byzantine continue to be seen in the city. (OUV)
  • Butrint
    Butrint
    Albania
    Inscribed: 1992
    3.30
    155
    9
    After a period of abandonment, Butrint was reconstructed under Byzantine control in the 9th century. (OUV)
  • Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan"
    Inscribed: 2015
    2.24
    140
    8
    the key development of the site occurred during the Roman and Byzantine eras, in the 1st to 7th centuries CE, with the main structures dated to after the 4th century when Christianity was declared the official state religion (AB ev)
  • Arab-Norman Palermo
    Inscribed: 2015
    3.73
    229
    8
    syncretism between Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures
  • Abu Mena
    Inscribed: 1979
    1.68
    54
    6
    early Christian holy city were built over the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria, who died in A.D. 296 (OUV) - Egypt at the time and in the following centuries was part of the (Eastern) Roman Empire (Byzantine).
  • Tipasa
    Tipasa
    Algeria
    Inscribed: 1982
    2.88
    47
    3
    The Roman period is marked by a prestigious ensemble of buildings, comprising very diversified architectural typologies. From the 3rd to the 4th centuries A.D. a striking increase in Christianity is demonstrated by the multitude of religious buildings. Some are decorated with high quality mosaic pavings, illustrating scenes from daily life, or geometric patterns. The Vandal invasion of the 430's did not mark the definitive end of prosperity of Tipasa, but the town, reconquered by the Byzantines in 531, gradually fell into decline from the 6th century. (OUV)
  • Ani
    Ani
    Turkiye
    Inscribed: 2016
    3.46
    49
    6
    under Byzantine, Seljuk and Georgian sovereignty, it maintained its status as an important crossroads for merchant caravans (AB ev)
  • Ohrid Region
    Ohrid Region
    Albania, North Macedonia
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.41
    204
    7
    a testimony of Byzantine arts, displayed by more than 2,500 square metres of frescoes and more than 800 icons of worldwide fame (OUV)