Çemberlitaş

Close to the Çemberlitaş tram stop, in a plaza packed with pigeons, you’ll find one of the city’s most ancient and revered monuments: a derelict column known as Çemberlitaş (also known as the Hooped, Banded Stone or Burnt Column). Erected by Constantine to celebrate the dedication of Constantinople as capital of the Roman Empire in 330, the column was placed in what was the grand Forum of Constantine and was topped by a statue of the great emperor himself. The column lost its crowning statue of Constantine in 1106 and was damaged in the 1779 fire that ravaged the nearby Grand Bazaar. It was covered in hoardings at the time of research (and had been for many years), but restoration works were underway.

The column lost its crowning statue of Constantine in 1106 and was damaged in the 1779 fire that ravaged the nearby Grand Bazaar. At the time of research it in the process of being restored and so was covered in hoardings. Also in this vicinity is the historic Çemberlitaş Hamam.