Byzantine Hippodrome, Istanbul – Historical Istanbul Tours Fotoğraf Ekle

The hippodrome means square for horse races. The Hippodrome was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 and it was extended to an immense size by Constantine the Great in 330. In Roman and Byzantine times, the Hippodrome served as the city’s main meeting, entertainment and sports center until the 10th century. Besides the chariot races and gladiator fights with wild animals, there were performances by musicians, dancers and acrobats. There were many public holidays during Roman times to allow opportunities for all these activities. The Hippodrome was shaped like a gigantic “U” and the imperial box, built like a balcony with four bronze horses on its roof, was situated on the eastern side. The original ground level of the Hippodrome was 4 or 5 meters lower than the present surface. Only the round southern end of the vast Hippodrome has survived. This is a brick structure decorated with tall vaults. In later ages, all of the stone blocks and columns of the Hippodrome were used for building material.

   Three monuments have remained to our day: the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the Constantine Obelisk.

   The Egyptian Obelisk :Around XVI. century BC the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III erected that obelisks infront of the Karnak temple in Luxor to commemorate the victories of his forces in Mesopotamia. In the 4th century AD, an unknown Roman emperor had the colossal obelisk brought to Istanbul. In 390, during the reign of Theodosius I, it was erected in Hippodromo.

   The Serpent Column :The heads of the three intertwined serpents used to form the legs of a gold cauldron. In 479 when Greeks won a war against Persians, to commemerate their victory they melted the bronze items they had captured from Persian army to create this unique monument. Once the column stood before the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. It was brought to Istanbul by Constantine and erected in the middle of the Hippodrome. The heads of the serpents, intact until 1700, disappeared at that time.

   The Constantine Obelisk :Its exact date of construction is unknown. It is named after the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus who had it repaired in the 10th century. Its bronze plates decorated with golden lettering were plundered by the Fourth Crusaders in 1204.

In the Turkish era festivals, ceremonies and performances used to be organized here.

German Fountain :The octagonal domed fountain at the entrance to the Hippodrome was a present from the German Emperor Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdulhamid II. It was built in Germany and installed in Istanbul in 1898. Built in a neo-Byzantine style, the fountain is decorated with gold mosaics inside.