Hippodrome

A hippodrome is an ancient Greek stadium used for horse and chariot racing. The word comes from the Greek “hippodromus,” combining the words “hippos” (horse) and “dromos” (course). The Romans called it a “circus.”

Hippodromes were typically square on one end with a portico as the starting gates for horses and chariots. The racers went around a spina, a long central island decorated with statues and monuments that separated one side of the tracks from the other. Hippodromes were the sporting and social centers of cities, especially Constantinople. Besides chariot races, hippodromes were used for triumphal parades, political events, and public executions.

History of the Hippodrome

202 AD: The First Hippodrome

The first hippodrome was built before Constantinople was founded, when it was an unimportant town called Byzantium. It was built by Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (reigned 192—211 AD), to appease the town’s residents after conquering the city in 196 AD. Besides creating the first hippodrome, he rebuilt the city and expanded its walls.

324 AD: Constantine Rebuilds the Hippodrome

After making Byzantium his capital, Constantine the Great (reigned 306—337 AD) rebuilt the hippodrome into the one whose remains we see today. He enlarged the city even further, and it came to be called “Constantinople.”

532 AD: The Nika Riots Destroy Constantinople.

Leading up to this time, rival chariot racing teams and their fans were sponsored by different political groups in the Senate. At first, there were four teams: The Greens, The Blues, The Reds, and The Whites, identified by the colors worn by competitors and their fans. Eventually, the Reds and the Whites were absorbed into the Greens and Blues, which became more involved in hooliganism and behaved more like street gangs.

There was a riot after one of the chariot races that resulted in deaths. Members of both teams were arrested. Most were executed, but two team members, one from each team, survived because the scaffold broke while they were being hanged. The Blues and the Greens demanded that Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527—565 AD) pardon them. Instead, Justinian reduced their sentences to life in prison.

The Blues and the Greens rioted, shouting “Nika!” (Victory!) and over the course of a week, destroyed half of Constantinople, including the second Hagia Sophia Church.

Justinian considered fleeing. But his wife, Theodora (tenure: 527—548 AD), refused, saying, “Those who have worn the crown should never survive its loss. Never will I see the day when I am not saluted as empress.” So Justinian, instead of fleeing, hatched a plan to end the riots and remain in power.

To end the riots, Justinian had the rioters lured into the hippodrome under the ruse of a negotiation. The exits were blocked, and soldiers bearing swords entered the hippodrome. They slaughtered everyone inside.

1453: The Ottoman Turks Sack Constantinople

The Ottoman Turks were not interested in chariot racing, so after they conquered the city, they used the stone from the hippodrome to construct other buildings.

The Hippodrome Today

Constantinople’s hippodrome is now called, in Turkish, “At Meydanı,” which means “square of the horse.” While the seating and track are no longer there, the statues of the spina are still on display. The base of the spina and the ground level were two meters (6.6 feet) lower in Byzantine times, so you will look down into holes to see the foundations and the original ground level.

Where is the Hippodrome of Constantinople?

The Hippodrome of Constantinople is on the west side of the Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque. It is plainly visible and easily accessible from Divan Yolu, the main street and tram route of the Sultanahmet neighborhood, where the major sites of Christian interest are located.

Architecture of the Hippodrome

You will need to use your imagination to picture the original hippodrome. The Sultanahmet (Blue) mosque covers part of the hippodrome and part of the Great Palace, where the Byzantine emperor, his family, and honored guests would emerge into the kathisma, a luxurious box seat. After watching the races, they would go back into the palace. This imperial box seat was on the eastern side of the hippodrome, across from the Bronze Obelisk.

The Hippodrome was 450 meters (1,476 feet) long and 130 meters (427 feet) wide. It could seat 30,000 to 40,000 spectators, and vaulted arches supported the seating rows.

At the north end was the carceres, the colonnaded starting gates. On its top were four gilded copper horses. These were stolen during the Latin Crusade in 1204 and taken to Venice, then installed on the façade of Saint Mark’s Basilica, where they remain.

The hippodrome’s track accommodated up to eight chariots with two horses each. Around the track were bronze statues of famous horses and chariot racers, none of which survive.

In the center was the spina, an island that separated one side of the track from the other. It was decorated with statues and monuments from various parts of the Byzantine Empire, of which three survive.

The Hippodrome Spina Monuments

While the spina of the Hippodrome was once decorated with several statues and monuments, only three survive: The Obelisk of Thutmose III, the Serpentine Column, and the Walled Obelisk.

Obelisk of Thutmose III

The Obelisk of Thutmos III is also called the Egyptian Obelisk of the Obelisk of Theodosius. Made of a single piece of pink granite, it has Egyptian hieroglyphs on its four sides. It was originally 30 meters (98 feet) tall and erected in 1490 BC as a monument for Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III at a temple in Karnak, Egypt.

In 357 AD, Roman Emperor Constantinus II (reigned 337—361 AD) had the obelisk transported to Alexandria, Egypt, for shipping to Constantinople when the lower part of it was damaged.

In 390 AD, Theodosius I (reigned 379–395 AD) had the undamaged part of the obelisk brought to constntinople. The undamaged part of the obelisk is what you will see today. It is 18.4 meters (60 feet) tall, not counting the base it sits on.

Around the marble base, you will see reliefs depicting Theodosius and his family members.

North Side: Theodosius is supervising the erection of the obelisk.
East Side: Theodosius is standing between his sons, Arcadius and Honorius (who later became emperors), holding a crown made of laurel leaves for a victor. Below are the faces of spectators.
South Side: Theodosius and his family are watching a chariot race.
West Side: Theodosius is with Valentinian II, his nephew and ruler of the Western Roman Empire, receiving homage from kneeling captives.

The pyramidal top of the obelisk was plated with gold.

The Serpentine Column

The Serpentine Column of three intertwined serpents was brought to the hippodrome of Constantinople from the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece, and placed on the spina by Constantine the Great. The tops of the serpents diverged into three, serving as a display stand for a gilded bowl made from the shields of Persian soldiers who were defeated at the Battle of Plataea in the fifth century BC. The golden bowl was never placed on the top of the Serpentine Column, having been lost somewhere between Delphi and Constantinople. On its base are the names of 31 Greek and Spartan cities that sent soldiers to the Battle of Plataea.

The heads of the serpents were chopped off by a drunken Polish diplomat in 1700. Later, one of the heads was found and is on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

The Walled Obelisk

The Walled Obelisk, also called the Bronze Obelisk, stands 32 meters (105 feet) tall. Its origins are unclear. It was built either during the reign of Constantine the Great or Theodosius I, probably because the Circus Maximus (Rome’s hippodrome) had two obelisks. We know from an inscription that it was restored during the reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913—957 AD) and covered in gilded bronze plates. The plates were removed and melted down during the Fourth Crusade (Latin Crusade) in 1204.

During Ottoman times, young Janissaries would show their bravery and prowess by climbing the Walled Obelisk, damaging it further.

Hippodrome Visiting Hours

The Hippodrome is a public square. You can visit it 24 hours a day, free of charge.