What was the largest hippodrome for watching chariot races
In Byzantine times, the rival chariot teams of ‘Greens’ and ‘Blues’ had separate sectarian connections. The Hippodrome was the center of Byzantium’s life for 1000 years and of Ottoman life for another 400 years and has been the scene of countless political dramas. The galleries that once topped this stone structure were damaged during the Fourth Crusade and ended up being dismantled in the Ottoman period many of the original columns were used in the construction of the Süleymaniye Mosque. Originally the arena consisted of two levels of galleries, a central spine, starting boxes and the semicircular southern end known as the Sphendone, parts of which still stand.
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Today, the area is known as Sultanahmet Square and it follows the ground plan and dimensions of the hippodrome. Subsequently, mid-eighteenth century onwards it was abandoned and destroyed. Constructions of İbrahim Paşa Palace (now housing Turkish and Islamic Art Museum) in the 16th century and Blue Mosque in the 17th century damaged the hippodrome. Hippodrome was also used by the Ottomans as well and they named it At Meydanı (Horse Square), yet they simply used it as a square. With these landmarks and monuments -brought from all around the world- the Byzantine Empire was proudly showing its strength and thousands of kilometers long territory ruled by them. The hippodrome was decorated with monuments that were brought in from across the empire including the Serpent Column (Yılanlı Sütun) from Delphi and Obelisk of Thutmosis III (Obelisk of Theodosius) from Egypt. At least eight different games could be held throughout the day and it was also used as a symbol of power for the empire.
#WHAT WAS THE LARGEST HIPPODROME FOR WATCHING CHARIOT RACES FREE#
The capacity of the hippodrome was approximately 40,000 and it was free and open to male members of the community. What landmarks to see at Hippodrome Square? Today the foundations of the Great Palace of Constantinople can be seen at the Museum of the Great Palace Mosaics. He enlarged the hippodrome and connected it to the Great Palace of Constantinople that today lies underneath the Blue Mosque. One of the first things that Constantine I rebuilt was the Hippodrome. In 330 CE, Constantine I declared the city as the capital of the Byzantine Empire and named it Constantinople, meaning Constantine’s city in Greek. However, the first Hippodrome was a small one. Hippodrome was one of the significant structures built by Severus. When Roman Emperor Septimius Severus conquered ancient Constantinople named Byzantion in 203 CE, he named the city as Augusta Antonina and built many structures. It was a gift from the Kaiser in 1898 as he was impressed by the hospitality, he received upon his second visit to Turkey. The latest structure in the Hippodrome is the Kaiser Wilhelm or German Fountain. This was removed during the invasion of the 13th century and used to make coins. The column of Constantine dates from the 10th century and its 32-meter height was covered with decorated copper and brass. The plinth was constructed in 389 AD and depicts scenes of the activities of the Hippodrome. It was reduced to 20 meters for transportation and now sits on a marble plinth. It is made from pink granite and was originally 32.5 meters high. The oldest is the Egyptian Obelisk from the 15th century BC and brought from Egypt by the then Emperor Theodosius I. The Hippodrome is now an open-air museum displaying relics of ancient and not so ancient times. It is now a landscaped park following the road from Sultanahmet Mosque to Hagia Sophia. Now a part of Sultanahmet Square, the Hippodrome was once one of the largest tracks in the ancient world – second only to the Circus Maximus in Rome. While visiting the main attractions such as Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque, you can give a break to see the Hippodrome. The third one is the Serpents Column and the last one is Walled Obelisk. The second one is the obelisk from Egypt. The first one is the German Fountain with beautiful details. There are 4 interesting spots to check-in Hippodrome. This used to be the place where chariots and horses were racing during the Byzantian era and later during the Ottoman era Cirit (an ancient Turkish game played with horses) was played in this area. The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos, horse, and dromos, path or way.
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It is sometimes also called Atmeydanı (Horse Square) in Turkish. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı (Sultan Ahmet Square) with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving. The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social center of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. But what do you know about its hippodromes? In this guide, we will share some information about them.
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You know Istanbul also known as Constantinople.