Constantinople is clearly at the center of the picture. The great
majority of references to the Byzantine Empire are really references
to Constantinople. The Arab authors concentrated on the marvels of
the city and on its Islamic monuments: talking about Constantinople
was talking about a number of monuments that subsumed the entire city.
Thus the
idea of Constantinople and the fascination felt about it remained at
the center of our literature. The Byzantine Empire continued to be
defined by its capital. The Arab authors are moved by Constantinople’s
diversity, opulence, the many marvels to which they impute talismanic
powers, and, of course, the monuments endowed with Muslim religious
connotations. In their descriptions, the city is harmonious, orderly,
and organized. The authors do not talk about dilapidated, shabby
Constantinople. It is as if the city survived all its catastrophes
intact. Constantinople succeeded in maintaining its reputation and
prestige despite the fact that this period witnessed both its conquest
by the Latins and the development of fada’il al-quds (merits
of Jerusalem) literature.
