Hippodrome

Lonely Planet review

The Hippodrome was the centre of Byzantium's life for 1000 years and of Ottoman life for another 400. The scene of countless political dramas during the long life of the city, the rival chariot teams of 'Greens' and 'Blues' had separate sectarian connections. Support for a team was akin to membership of a political party and a team victory had great effects on policy. A Byzantine emperor might lose his throne as the result of a post-match riot.

Ottoman sultans also kept an eye on activities in the Hippodrome. If things were going badly in the empire, a surly crowd gathering here could signal the start of a disturbance, then a riot, then a revolution. In 1826, the slaughter of the corrupt janissary corps (the sultan's personal bodyguards) was carried out here by the reformer Sultan Mahmut II. And in 1909 there were riots that caused the downfall of Abdül Hamit II and the repromulgation of the Ottoman constitution.

Though the Hippodrome might be the scene of their downfall, Byzantine emperors and Ottoman sultans outdid one another in beautifying it. Unfortunately, many priceless statues carved by ancient masters have disappeared from their original homes here. Chief among the villains responsible for such thefts were the soldiers of the Fourth Crusade, who invaded Constantinople, a Christian ally city, in 1204. After sacking Aya Sofya, they tore all the bronze plates from the stone obelisk at the Hippodrome's southern end in the mistaken belief that they were gold. The crusaders also stole the famous quadriga, or team of four horses cast in bronze, a copy of which now sits atop the main door of the Basilica di San Marco in Venice (the original is inside the basilica).

The level of the Hippodrome rose over the centuries, as successive civilizations piled up their dust and refuse here. A number of its monuments were cleaned out and tidied up by the British troops who occupied the city after the Ottoman defeat in WWI.

Near the northern end of the Hippodrome, the little gazebo in beautiful stonework is actually Kaiser Wilhelm's Fountain. The German emperor paid a state visit to Abdül Hamit II in 1901 and presented this fountain to the sultan and his people as a token of friendship. According to the Ottoman inscription, the fountain was built in the Hejira (Muslim lunar calendar) year of 1316 (AD 1898-99). The monograms in the stonework are those of Abdül Hamit II and Wilhelm II, and represent their political union.

The impressive granite Obelisk of Theodosius was carved in Egypt around 1450 BC. According to the hieroglyphs, it was erected in Heliopolis (now a Cairo suburb) to commemorate the victories of Thutmose III (r 1504-1450 BC). The Byzantine emperor, Theodosius, had it brought from Egypt to Constantinople in AD 390. He then had it erected on a marble pedestal engraved with scenes of himself in the midst of various imperial pastimes. Though Theodosius' self-promoting marble billboards have weathered badly over the centuries, the magnificent obelisk, spaced above the pedestal by four bronze blocks, is as crisply cut and shiny as when it was carved in Upper Egypt some 3500 years ago.

South of the obelisk is a strange column coming up out of a hole in the ground. Known as the Spiral Column, it was once much taller and was topped by three serpents' heads. Originally cast to commemorate a victory of the Hellenic confederation over the Persians, it stood in front of the temple of Apollo at Delphi from 478 BC until Constantine the Great had it brought to his new capital city around AD 330. Though badly bashed up in the Byzantine struggle over the role of images in the church, the serpents' heads survived until the early 18th century. Now all that remains of them is one upper jaw, housed in İstanbul's Archaeology Museum.

All that is known about the Rough-Stone Obelisk at the southern end of the Hippodrome is that it was repaired by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (r 913-59), and that its bronze plates were ripped off during the Fourth Crusade.