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 | Istanbul Byzantine Hippodrome Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 73 |  |
 | |  |  | Byzantine Hippodrome: The Hippodrome | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
Just south of the Blue Mosque, there is an oval-shaped road. This was the site of the Hippodrome, where 100,000 spectators watched chariot races. At its center, three monuments offer clues as to the prominence of this stadium. The Constantine Column, 105 feet in height, was erected by Constantine. It had been covered with bronze plates, but those were removed in 1204 by Venetians who sacked the city. Standing 55 feet high, the 3,500-year-old Obelisk of Theodosius was brought to Constantinople in 390 A.D. from the Temple of Karnak in Egypt. In addition to these two monuments, there is the Serpentine Column, commemorating the Greek victory over the Persians in 479 B.C. It was removed from Delphi during Constantine’s reign. Unfortunately, the snake heads have been detached, one of which can be found in the Istanbul Archeological Museum. The southern edge of the stadium, which the locals call the Sfendon wall, is the only remaining part of the Hippodrome. To find it, head along the first road southeast of the Constantine Column and look for an ancient wall to your right.
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| | | | Byzantine Hippodrome: On Owls and Obelisks | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Somehow I had a very different picture in my mind of what a “hippodrome” should look like. If chariot racing ever took place in the hippodrome in Istanbul, near the Blue Mosque, there is very little evidence of that today. Now it’s a park with a few grassy squares and a series of columns jutting up here and there. One of them is Theodosius’ s obelisk, a towering column that gets narrower toward the tip (“obelisk” is a diminutive of the Greek word for needle). There are 30 ancient obelisks around the world, although there are also modern examples, like the Washington Monument. The obelisk in Istanbul originally stood in front of the Temple of Luxor in Egypt, before being dismantled and dragged to Rome and then Constantinople (as Istanbul was once called). That it arrived in one piece is a miracle. Or maybe it didn’t, because the base is gone, and it sits on a marble pedestal. The obelisk looked very white against the blue sky on the day I was there. The hieroglyphics that cover its four sides are still crisp and clear, seemingly untouched by the years. What intrigued me most as I walked around the monument was the carved owl peering down at me. Wherever I went its eyes seemed to follow me. Leave a Comment Address: Hippodrome Park, near the Blue Mosque
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| | | | Byzantine Hippodrome: The Constantinople Hippodrome | Tip Rating: | | | | |
In 324 AD, Roman emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman empire to Constantinople, & organized a major renovation of the city, including the Hippodrome, where chariot races took place. The chariot races held here were one of the city's biggest social events, & the people of Constantinople loyally supported one team or another. So loyal was the following that it often led to disputes, even riots! (Ummm, can you say present-day soccer fans?!) The Nika Riots in 532 AD left half of the city destroyed & 30,000 people dead. When Constantinople was sacked in 1204 during the 4th Crusade, the Hippodrome was left in ruins. It was never rebuilt, & after the Ottomans took control of the city in 1453, most of it was either used for new structures, or was simply covered up with new structures being built on top. The present-day Sultanahmet area is where the Hippodrome was located, & there is almost nothing left of the stadium itself. Where the center of the track once was, called the Spina, there are 3 monuments still standing, each having an interesting tale themselves - The Tripod of Plataea, known as the Serpentine Column, a monument celebrating Greek victory over Persia in the 5th cent. BC, originally stood at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. Constantine ordered it to be moved from Delphi to the Spina of the Hippodrome. Only the base of it remains. The Obelisk of Theodosius originally stood in Luxor, Egypt at the Temple of Karnak, dating back to the reign of Tuthmosis III around 1500 BC. The emperor Theodosius had it cut into 3 pieces & brought back to Constantinople in 390 AD, where he erected only the top portion. The Walled Obelisk, or Column of Constantine VII, was erected by emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in the 10th cent. AD. It had been covered in bronze plates, but they were taken by the crusaders. Even though the Hippodrome itself no longer stands, it is quite interesting to stand next to these monuments, & just imagine a stadium filled with 100,000 screaming fans! Amazing! Directions: Located in Sultanahmet, just down from the Blue Mosque
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| | | | Byzantine Hippodrome: The Hippodrome | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
For a century the Hippodrome was the centre of the political and commerical life of the Byzantine Empire. The sight was originally the location of chariot races between the "Blues" and the "Greens". Although nothing remains of it today, there was a huge 100,000 seat stadium here were the races took place. The spectators were broken up into different factions, they being the "Reds", "Whites", the "Blues" and the "Greens". The latter two groups would eventually become politicalized and would often riot in the Hippodrome. Besides the stadium, the Hippodrome was adorned with many decorative monuments, several of which still stand today. First and foremost of these is the Obelisk of Tutmosis III. This is a obelisk, dating from 1450 B.C., was placed here in 390 A.D. Amazingly only one third of the original monument made it to this spot, the rest being lost in transport from its first home at the Temple of Luxor in Egypt. The obelisk is covered with hieroglyphics and sits on top of a pedestal built by the Emperor Theodosius. The features of the pedestal are now eroded but the condition of the obelisk is almost as good as new. Other monuments in the Hippodrome include the Fountain of Wilhelm II (Alman Çesmesi) and the Serpentine Column. The Hippodrome fell to ruin when the city was captured by Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade. Today the Hippodrome is essentially a park were families tend to relax and drink tea at nearby cafes. The Hippodrome was the first of Istanbul's attraction that I visited. This was of course because I stayed virtually across the street from it. This was a good thing because the place is usually full of tourists and touts. I was able to visit it early in the morning before the hordes showed up. Leave a Comment Directions: In the Sultanahmet
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