A detailed survey records the emperor's building program across the Byzantine world, describing churches, fortifications, bridges, baths, and civic works commissioned throughout cities and provinces. It provides close architectural description of major monuments, construction methods, materials, dimensions, inscriptions, costs, and restorations, with particular attention to the great church at Constantinople and numerous works in Palestine. The account combines technical observation, topographical notices, and occasional official praise, aiming to document authorship, chronology, and stylistic features so as to identify imperial patrons and to illustrate the characteristics of contemporary Byzantine architecture.