Lefke / Osmaneli MemoryTracing the past, sharing memory
TREN
Lefke / Osmaneli Memory

Leukai in the Byzantine Period

Byzantine Lefke, from the Crusader route of 1097 to thirteenth-century Laskarid fortifications.

Traces of the past
still speak today.

Leukai in Byzantine Sources

1097

Anna Komnene’s Alexiad reports that forces leaving Nikaia during the First Crusade reached Leukai within two days and then headed towards Dorylaion.

1221

A Byzantine document records property of the Constantinopolitan convent of the Cistern Nuns at Lephky/Leukai, connecting Lefke to networks of monastic ownership and economy.

Roads, Bridges and Fortifications

Continuity of the Roman Road

The Nikaia–Lefke–central Anatolia corridor continued to carry military, administrative and pilgrimage traffic in the Byzantine period.

İki Kule / Göksu Towers

The two round towers near Çiftlikköy / Psallea are interpreted as parts of a small thirteenth-century Laskarid fortification.

Selçik / Maurice

The monogram of Emperor Maurice and Nikola’s benefaction are epigraphic traces of Byzantine road and Christian building activity.

Some source maps, charts and plans retain Turkish labels; the captions are in English. Label key: harita = map; köy = village; merkez = town centre; yol = road; nehir = river; nüfus = population; göç = migration; yıl = year; kadın = female; erkek = male; eski = historical; güncel = present-day; compass K/D/G/B = N/E/S/W.

Cultural map of Lefke and its surroundings
Schematic cultural map showing ancient and Byzantine layers together. It is not a map of modern ethnic boundaries.

Bridges and Towers: The Book’s Visual Record

Visual documentation of late antique and Byzantine transport infrastructure, from the Laskarid towers to the Maurice Bridge.
Image source: Hüseyin Sami Öztürk, Nikaia Egemenlik Alanı Epigrafik-Tarihi, Coğrafya Araştırmaları I: Osmaneli/Lefke (Bilecik) [Epigraphic and Historical-Geographical Studies of Nikaia’s Territory, I: Osmaneli/Lefke], 2021. The images were included in the research draft to show their relationship to the source. Reproduction permissions must be checked separately before public publication.
Laskarid Bridge: images 1–2
Laskarid Bridge: images 1–2 Click to enlarge.
Laskarid Tower / İki Kule: images 3–6
Laskarid Tower / İki Kule: images 3–6 Click to enlarge.
Maurice Bridge: images 7–12
Maurice Bridge: images 7–12 Click to enlarge.
Mansio Mido / Moedo Orientis and Göktepe Mound: images 12–13
Mansio Mido / Moedo Orientis and Göktepe Mound: images 12–13 Click to enlarge.
Moedo Orientis Bridge: images 14–15
Moedo Orientis Bridge: images 14–15 Click to enlarge.
Rēbas Bridge / Taşköprü: images 16–20
Rēbas Bridge / Taşköprü: images 16–20 Click to enlarge.
Bridges, settlements and route maps: maps 1–2
Bridges, settlements and route maps: maps 1–2 Click to enlarge.

An Early Ottoman Interpretation of the Göksu Towers

Arıkan and Çetin associate the Göksu towers with the small stronghold granted to Samsa Çavuş in Ottoman chronicles. This is an interpretation of use and naming distinct from the building’s Byzantine past; it is not an established original name or a new dating. 2025, pp. 123–124. Watchtowers and location notes.

Contribute to the Research

If you have photographs, documents, gravestone records or family accounts relating to Lefke, please share them with us.

✉ Contact Form