Istanbul Hippodrome is located in Sultanahmet Square (Horse Square) today. There are Obelisk of Theodosius, Serpent Columns and Walled Obelisk in the square.
OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS
The obelisk was originally set up by Tutmoses Ill of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt in close to 1450 BC along with a similar one in front of the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak.
Inscribed on the obelisk is an Egyptian hieroglyph script, still clearly distinguishable. The script reads that it was in his father’s honor that Tutmoses erected an obelisk at) Karnak and a monument in Mesopotamia. Depictions of the Pharaoh and Amun-Re are also featured on it.
Several obelisks were transported from Egypt to Rome. It was Constantine the Great who displaced this one in order to decorate his new capital, yet the delivery took long for unknown reasons. It was during the reign of Theodosius that the obelisk was re-erected in its current place.The stone piece now stands 19.59 meters tall, which is shorter than and most probably only two thirds of its original size. The base has been significantly smoothened with an eventual gash up) one of the hieroglyphs in the middle. It may be that the monument was broken during handling or deliberately damaged to take off the burden to a certain degree.The obelisk is placed on a marble pedestal. On two sides of the main part are inscriptions in Ancient Greek and Latin. Featuring on all four faces are hieroglyphs. The base of the pedestal got buried in time during the Ottoman era due to the rising ground level, which was excavated and unearthed up until the bottom level by the British researcher C.T. Newton in April 1857. The pedestal has ever since been located in a square-shaped hole encircled by iron railings..
The marble pedestal was set up when the obelisk was re-erected at the Hippodrome along with various depictions among which is the re-erection itself. The scenes on the pedestal depict chariot races with the Emperor in attendance.
SERPENT COLUMN
It is a Bronze monument which is well-known under the name of Serpentine Column survived to the present day from the Roman Hippodrome.
While I. Constantine’s establishing the Constantinople; i.e. the new capital of Rome, he brought some of the monumental obelisks established in order to commemorate important historical events previously and with the aim to celebrate to the Hippodrome in order to decorate the new city. One of these obelisks is the Serpent Column.
Columns erected in the city were placed on the spina bisecting the race area in the Hippodrome. This column is the column in front of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in the process of the Introduction of new capital. It has been moved to the city from here. The process of the monument erected to the temple of Apollo is also quite interesting. After the Salamis (480 BC) and Platea (BC 479) victories gained against the Persians Invading their homelands, 31 Greek colonies made a boiler of gold, by melting the spoils of war they seized and have submitted it to the Temple of Apollo. This monument is formed from a gold boiler with 3 pedestals embracing one another, 8 meters in height, carried by 29 wreathed three snakes. The heads of snakes separated from each other overlook in three separate directions. On the bodies of snakes, also the names of the 31 Greek sites participated in the war are written. It is seen that this monument is complete till the 16th century among the miniatures in Hunername. In the later period of the heads of snakes are lost. Snakes heads are not currently available, but in a study in the late 19th century an upper chins thereof was found and today this part is in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
In 5th century B.C., the Persian Empire falls upon various Hellenic cities, yet Hellenes unite against and resist the Persians, coming out victorious from the battles of Salamis and Plataea. The most commonly accepted story has it that this bronze column of a three-headed snake was built using the melted-down Persian shields, armors etc. also with the addition of a golden tripod bolling pot set on the heads.
The column used to stand approximately eight meters high. But, we see a part of about five and a half meters today. Wherein the floor is raised over time, the lower part of the column remains below ground level. With the excavations carried out in the middle of the 19th century, its current shape was revealed.
WALLED OBELISK
Walled Column also known as Walled Obelisk is one of three ancient monuments, which hast survived to the present day. In the middle of
the Hippodrome, there was a set that bisects race space and called as ‘spina in Roman period where car racings of Constantinople were made. On this set, monumental buildings having moved here from various places were located and at the end of this spina, there was this column as last monument.
Columns are formed by hewn stones in different sizes by walled up. On one side of the marble pedestal al a six x verses Greek Inscription wastreated. Here. “This four-comered majestic and wonderful monument was ruined, was optimized with respect to the previous image by the Emperor Constantine and by his son Romanos the glory of the state. Rhodes colos was marvelous; this bronze monument creates the fascination Kolos mentioned herein was a considerably Apollo statue located at the harbor of Rhodes and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World in the first era. As it’s understood from the text of the inscription, it was restored by the Emperor Constantine and his son Romanos. According to the inscription: this structure of earlier period was ruined in the 4th or 5th century and was repaired by Emperor Constantine Vil and his son Romanos ll
During the Ottoman period in the 16th century Pierre Gilles has done quite fully depiction of Orme Column. Evliya Çelebi discloses that the monument is one of the city’s charms. Due to the ground-level rise of At meydani, while the base of the monument is embedded, was Surrounded by railings around by opening the base surroundings with the permission giv given t by Charles the Crimean War. In photographs Newton in 1856 during taken in the 19th century, a result of falling of the stones of monument in the middle part, there seems to be a drain. In the repairs, the gaps were filled and the demolition of the monument was prevented. Monument is 32 feet tall and role pedestal at the base comes after three digits. The marole body is bullt of many non-uniform chiselled stone. In the centrs section, more uniform filler with respect to the top years of the 19e traces of repairs performed in the last and bottom bears th century.