Hippodrome
Today, Hippodrome, Constantinple, Istanbul
The Hippodrome (Turkish: Sultanahmet Meydani, At Meydani) was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. It was built by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus in 203 AD, the Hippodrome enlarged and embellished by Constantine the Great. The hippodrome was approximately 400 m/ 438 yards in length and 120 m/ 131 yards in breadth.
Today it is a square called Sultanahmet Square, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving. The Hippodrome is now a public park and it has free wifi internet connection, offered by the city government.
There are three important monuments in the area:
- Obelisk of Thutmose III (The Egyptian Obelisk)
- Serpentine Column
- Walled Obelisk
Obelisk of Theodosius, Hippodrome, Istanbul
Serpent Column, Hippodrome, Istanbul
Walled-Obelisk, Hippodrome, Istanbul
