A Quick Guide to Istanbul’s Hippodrome Square: History, The Three Monuments, and Fun Facts About Each

Hippodrome in 1573

If you’ve ever wandered through Sultanahmet and found yourself in a long open plaza lined with benches, tea vendors, and a suspiciously racetrack-shaped layout, congratulations, you’ve stepped into Hippodrome Square, one of the most historically layered places in Istanbul. I have walked through this space so many times (it is right in front of the Blue Mosque) without knowing anything about it. I did some digging and felt compelled to share what I found with you.

One of the joys of visiting the Hippodrome is that it costs absolutely nothing. There are no tickets, no gates, and no opening hours... you can wander through 2,000+ years of history any time of day, for free. The monuments sit right in the open air of Sultanahmet, which means you can explore ancient Egypt, Greece, and Byzantium all in a single walk without spending a single lira.

Today it looks like a peaceful pedestrian zone. But for over a thousand years, this was the sports arena, political stage, and heartbeat of Constantinople. Chariots once thundered here. Emperors were cheered (and sometimes booed). Riots reshaped empires.

So What Is the Hippodrome in Istanbul, Exactly?

Built in the 3rd century and expanded by Emperor Constantine, the Hippodrome was a massive U-shaped stadium that could hold up to 100,000 spectators. Think of it as:

• the Roman Circus Maximus

• mixed with the energy of a football final

• sprinkled with some imperial drama

  
  

Chariot racing was the main event, but the Hippodrome also hosted political gatherings, imperial ceremonies, and the occasional rebellion, most famously the Nika Revolt, which almost toppled the empire in 532 AD.

Today, only the central spine of the track survives, marked by three monuments that have somehow endured every war, conqueror, and empire since.

Procession through the Hippodrome, Constantinople

Was the Hippodrome Actually Important? (Short answer: unbelievably so.)

The Hippodrome wasn’t just a sports arena. It was the social, political, and emotional center of Constantinople for nearly a thousand years. If Hagia Sophia was the city’s spiritual heart, the Hippodrome was the place where everyday life actually happened.

Here’s why it mattered:

1. It was where the emperor connected with the people.

During chariot races, emperors sat in a special box called the Kathisma, directly overlooking the track. This wasn’t just for fun, it was one of the only times rulers appeared publicly to hear cheers… or boos. The mood of the Hippodrome could reflect the mood of the entire empire.

2. Political factions were born here.

Chariot teams (Blues and Greens) started as sports fan clubs but eventually became powerful political blocs. Their support (or fury) could influence laws, policies, and imperial decisions.

3. It was the site of major historical turning points.

The most famous example is the Nika Revolt in 532 AD, when tensions between the fan factions exploded into a city-wide rebellion. Rioters crowded into the Hippodrome and proclaimed a new emperor. Justinian responded by trapping them inside, leading to thousands of deaths and the reshaping of the empire.

4. It was the city's main venue for celebrations.

Victory parades, coronations, public feasts, military displays... everything happened here. If Constantinople had a Super Bowl halftime show, this was the stage.

5. Its decorations reflected centuries of world history.

The square was filled with monuments taken from across the empire:

• Egyptian obelisks

• Greek victory columns

• Bronze statues

• Roman sculptures

In other words, the Hippodrome was a curated museum of imperial power.

6. Its footprint shaped the modern city.

Even though the original stadium is gone, modern Sultanahmet Square follows the exact shape and orientation of the racetrack. You are literally walking the same route chariots once raced.

So what exactly are the three monuments in the Hippodrome?

1. The Obelisk of Theodosius (The Egyptian One)

If you only remember one thing, remember this:

This monument is older than Istanbul, Rome, Christianity, and almost every written language still in use today.

Carved around 1450 BC for Pharaoh Thutmose III, the obelisk stood in the Temple of Karnak in Egypt for over 1,000 years before the Romans shipped it to Constantinople in the 4th century.

What you see now is:

• the upper third of the original monument

• carved from pink granite

• astonishingly well preserved

  
  

Its base shows Theodosius supervising chariot races, basically an ancient “I was here” moment in stone.

Fun facts:

1. It’s technically the best-preserved obelisk in the world outside Egypt. Most transported obelisks suffered heavy damage, but this one still has near-perfect hieroglyphs, even sharper than some in Luxor.

2. The Roman installation method was genius. Theodosius’s engineers carved a massive marble base like a giant stone “shoehorn” to stand the obelisk upright. The base design is still studied by modern engineers.

3. The Latin inscription on the base is basically an ancient brag. It claims the emperor raised the obelisk “in just 32 days,” which historians think was pure political propaganda.

4. It survived earthquakes that destroyed nearby buildings. Istanbul has been hit by dozens of major earthquakes over 1,600 years, and the obelisk hasn’t even shifted.

2. The Serpent Column (The Greek One)

The lone surviving serpent head. (Photo courtesy of hagiasophiaturkey.com)

A few steps away, the twisted bronze column looks modest... until you learn it originally stood in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and commemorated the Greek victory in 479 BC over the Persian Empire.

It once had three serpent heads at the top, each gripping a golden tripod. Yes, it was once glamorous. No, the heads are no longer attached (one survives in a museum).

The column was moved here by Constantine to symbolize unity and victory. Today it’s one of Istanbul’s oldest surviving artifacts.

Fun facts:

1. The column originally carried the names of 31 Greek city-states. These cities helped defeat the Persian Empire. Many names are still readable if you know where to look.

2. The bronze used in the column was melted from Persian weapons. The Greeks made the column from the spoils of war, turning enemy swords and shields into a monument celebrating victory.

3. The serpent heads stayed intact for 2,000+ years… until 1700.

   That means they survived:

   • the fall of Greece,

   • classical Rome,

   • Byzantine Constantinople,

   • and the first few centuries of the Ottoman Empire. Then they suddenly broke within the last 300 years.

3. The Walled Obelisk (The Byzantine One)

At the opposite end stands the Walled Obelisk, built in the 10th century by Emperor Constantine VII. It was once decorated with shimmering gilded bronze plaques.

Crusaders removed the metal during the 4th Crusade (it was a rough year for Constantinople), leaving the bare stone skeleton you see now. It’s not flashy, but it’s a rare surviving example of Byzantine monumental architecture.

Fun facts:

1. It used to shine like a mirror. Before Crusaders stripped the bronze plates, the entire obelisk glittered in the sun and was visible from across the city!

2. It doubled as a celebratory billboard. Byzantine emperors sometimes hung banners and imperial emblems on it for festivals and chariot games.

3. The top may once have held a statue. Some Byzantine accounts say a bronze eagle or a cross stood at the summit, but no physical trace remains.

Whether you’re stopping by before Hagia Sophia or strolling through Sultanahmet after lunch, take a few minutes to walk the full length of the Hippodrome. The monuments are free to visit, easy to find, and packed with layers of history you might miss if you don’t know what you’re looking at.

It’s a simple stop, but a surprisingly rewarding one. Enjoy every moment of it.

Big hugs,

Gigi