But Bohemond had no need to confront them; he was inclined to use them.
The party arrived at the tip of the peninsula, where every street and alley converged.
They soon understood why. They were entering a vast, open plaza known as Augustus Square.
To one side was the magnificent Saint Sophia Cathedral. Its dome, taller than any other church they had seen, was not made of copper but of gold, and its walls shimmered with silver and sea-blue mosaics.
The walls depicted the lives of the Saints, alongside a jewel-encrusted Statue of the Virgin Mary, her robes and Crown covered in precious stones. Light clouds floated at her feet; at first, Bohemond thought they were cotton, but upon closer inspection, he saw they were carved from alabaster and mother-of-pearl.
Opposite was the Emperor's palace, known as the Grand Palace. Its walls rose hundreds of feet straight up from the plaza. Farther in the distance towered a massive arena, said to hold a hundred thousand spectators.
