Hippodrome

The Hippodrome in Istanbul, Turkey

The oldest monument of Constantinople stands in the Hippodrome, a public square, originally the ancient circus for chariot-racing. In the centre is a spina, the longitudinal barrier in the centre of the Hippodrome. In the centre of the spina are two obelisks. The larger one of pink granite was brought from Egypt and erected for the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in CE 390.  It was originally made for Thutmose III, who ruled Egypt from BCE 1479 to 1425 . ( almost 3500 years ago) It is very well preserved.

Mounted on a very sturdy base telling more of the story.
The second obelisk stands a short distance to the side.
Erected 390 AD for  DIKILITAS
Egyptian language on the top

While in transit, down the Nile River, part of the base was removed.

At the far end of the Hippodrome is a fountain to commemorate the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm in 1898 and the formation of an alliance. The alliance brought the Ottoman empire into the first world war and weakened the Ottoman military.  Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led a revolt for independence and became the first president of the Turkish Republic in 1923.

Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain
A beautiful gold mosaic tile ceiling in the dome.

– Where do You want to go today? –

http://www.livius.org/articles/place/constantinople-istanbul/constantinople-photos/constantinople-hippodrome/constantinople-hippodrome-obelisk-of-theodosius/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kaiser-wilhelm-fountain

7 thoughts on “Hippodrome

  1. We don’t build monuments like that fountain anymore for a state visit. Instead, we spend millions to attract sports figures (Olympics, stadia)- what a misplaced set of values!
    Thanks for sharing the pictures of the Hippodrome.

  2. I’ve been to Istanbul once and loved it. Since there is so much to see and I was there to work, this was one of the sights I missed.

    Thanks for getting some memories going! 🙂

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