[p.21]

And the like of this wealth is not to be found in any other church in the world.  And in this church there are pillars of gold and silver, and lamps of silver and gold more than a man can count.  Close to the walls of the palace is also a place of amusement belonging to the king, which is called the Hippodrome, and every year on the anniversary of the birth of Jesus the king gives a great entertainment there.  And in that place men from all the races of the world come before the king and queen with jugglery and without jugglery, and they introduce lions, leopards, bears, and wild asses, and they engage them in combat with one another; and the same thing is done with birds.  No entertainment like this is to be found in any other land.

This King Emanuel built a great palace for the seat of his Government upon the sea-coast, in addition to the palaces which his fathers built, and he called its name Blachernae[45].  He overlaid its columns and walls with gold and silver, and engraved thereon representations of the battles before his day and of his own combats.  He also set up a throne of gold and of precious stones, and a golden crown was suspended by a gold chain over the throne, so arranged that he might sit thereunder[46].

[p.22]

It was inlaid with jewels of priceless value, and at night time no lights were required, for every one could see by the light which the stones gave forth.  Countless other buildings are to be met with in the city.  From every part of the empire of Greece tribute is brought here every year, and they fill strongholds with garments of silk, purple, and gold.  Like unto these storehouses and this wealth, there is nothing in the whole world to be found.  It is said that the tribute of the city amounts every year to 20,000 gold pieces, derived both from the rents of shops and markets, and from the tribute of merchants who enter by sea or land.

The Greek inhabitants are very rich in gold and precious stones, and they go clothed in garments of silk with gold embroidery, and they ride horses, and look like princes.  Indeed, the land is very rich in all cloth stuffs, and in bread, meat, and wine.

[p.23]

Wealth like that of Constantinople is not to be found in the whole world.  Here also are men learned in all the books of the Greeks, and they eat and drink every man under his vine and his fig-tree.

They hire from amongst all nations warriors called Loazim (Barbarians) to fight with the Sultan Masud[47], King of the Togarmim (Seljuks), who are called Turks; for the natives are not warlike, but are as women who have no strength to fight.

No Jews live in the city, for they have been placed behind an inlet of the sea.  An arm of the sea of Marmora shuts them in on the one side, and they are unable to go out except by way of the sea, when they want to do business with the inhabitants[48].  In the Jewish quarter are about 2,000 Rabbanite Jews and about 500 Karaites, and a fence divides them.  Amongst the scholars are several wise men, at their head being the chief rabbi R. Abtalion, R. Obadiah, R. Aaron Bechor Shoro, R. Joseph Shir-Guru, and R. Eliakim, the warden.  And amongst them there are artificers in silk and many rich merchants.  No Jew there is allowed to ride on horseback.