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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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 Look for the owl by gilabrand
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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 The 3500 year old Obelisk
of Theodosius the First by fachd,
4 more photos
The first monument is the 3500 year old Obelisk of Theodosius the First was originally from the Temple of Karnak in ancient Egypt. It was erected at the current sight by the Byzantine emperor Theodosius the First in 390 AD. It is Istanbul oldest monument.
The second monument is the roughly built obelisk known as Orme Sutun was originally covered with bronze plaques. The Venetians in 1204 during the 4th crusade sacked and looted the city.
The third monument is the sculpture of the three headed serpent spiral bronze bought from Delphi in Greece to commemorate the Greek victory in 479 B.C. The snake heads is missing. Address: Sultanahmet Square DistrictDirections: Not far from Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace
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 Location of the Spina of the
Hippodrome by H-TownJourneyman, 3 more photos
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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 The Obelisk of Tutmosis III in
the Hippodrome by Paul2001
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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 oneupmanship by caffeine_induced78
Back in the day, first with the Byzantines and then with the Ottomans this was the scene where political uneasiness fermented into uprisings.
Now several monuments inhabit the spot that is now just a tourist attraction.
In the foreground is the spiral shaped Snake Column which was originally much taller. It originally stood in the town of Delphi to commemerate the victory over the Persians by the Hellenic Confederation from 478 BC until about 330 AD, when Constatine the Great had it moved here.
In the background is the Obelisk of Theodosius which was originally carved from Granite and erected in Egypt in around 1500 BC. The Byzantine emperor Theodosius had it transported to Constaninople in 390 AD.
Notice that the taller Obelisk was moved here only 60 years after the Spiral.
We call that one-upmanship. Leave a Comment Directions: just west of the Blue Mosque
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Towards the western end of the Hippodrome is this impressive obelisk which was brought from Egypt by the then Byzantine emperor, Theodosius, in AD 390. The beautifully carved monument was originally erected in Heliopolis which is in present-day Cairo according to the well-preserved hieroglyphs. The obelisk sits rather precariously, at least to the casual observer) on top of a marble pedestal that depicts scenes in the life of Theodosius. These badly weathered scenes stand in marked contract to the hieroglyphs of the obelisk. It's great condition, considering it is more than 3400 years old, is quite amazing and mind-boggling really. Leave a Comment Address: Hippodrome, SultanahmetDirections: In the western half of the Hippodrome directly across from the Museum of Turkish and Islami Arts.
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This odd monument rising up out of a fenced-off hole in the ground has obviously seen better days. Another example of Byzantine pillaging, the column was constructed to commemorate a Hellinic victory over the Persians if the 5th century B.C. Constantine had it brought to Constantinople from Delphi around 330 A.D. The column was at one time much taller and was topped by three serpent heads which were knocked off sometime in the 18th century. One of the heads is on display in the Istanbul Archeological Museum. Leave a Comment Address: Hippodrome, SultanahmetDirections: Between the Obelisk and the Column of Constantine Porphyrogenetus
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 Obelisk at the Hippodrome by AcornMan
The problem with the central location of the Hippodrome and surrounding area is that it is absolutely saturated with the aforementioned pesky salespeople and would-be tour guides. After a day or two you'll figure out how to deal with them, but it can be quite overwhelming at first.
This is the impressive Obelisk at the Hippodrome. Don't stop too long for your picture though, or the hawkers will never leave you alone! Leave a Comment
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Right around the turn of the 20th century, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany was establishing a relationship with the Turkish government. This marble fountain was a token of friendship from the Kaiser to Abdul Hamit II and presented in 1901. It has some nice stonework around the exterior and pretty ornamental calligraphy on the underside of the bronze dome. Leave a Comment Address: Hippodrome, SultanahmetDirections: Located on the northeast end of the Hippodrome across from the tomb of Sultan Ahmet I.
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