The first depiction of the city is found in the groundbreaking work by J. Pitton de Tournefort (1717). After his tour of the Archipelago, Tournefort visited Northern Asia Minor and the Pontus. He also includes specimens of local flora in his work. Views of Trebizond can be found again from the 19th century onwards, when travellers begin to tour the Black Sea for business or political motives.

CH.F.M. Texier, one of the first scholars to study Byzantine architecture, released an impressive and thoroughly documented edition on the subject in 1864. It includes plans, drawings, views and details of the Byzantine monuments which crown the splendid city of Trebizond. The reedition of his work on Asia Minor (1882) also includes portraits of Byzantine emperors.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou