Location: Hippodrome, in the present day, is located in a square in the city of Istanbul in turkey. The square is today known as Sultanahmet Meydani (SultanAhmet Square).
Distance from Istanbul Airport: The distance between Istanbul Airport and Sultanahmet Meydani is 49 km, and it takes around 1 hour 10 minutes to reach via route O-7.
History of Hippodrome
The first Hippodrome was built when Constantinople was still known as Byzantium. Emperor Septimius Severus rebuilt the city in 203 AD (3rd century) and expanded its walls. He provided the city with an arena for chariot racing.
After Severus, in the 4th century, Constantine I improved the arena to even a bigger area, allowing the Hippodrome to be used for not only chariot and horse racing but also parades, public shaming of enemies and public executions.
Constantine, I understood that Hippodrome is not only a public circus for entertainment but it also showcases the power of the ruling emperor, wealth and generosity. It was a lavish public entertainment lasting for days. When Roman emperor Severus conquered the city, he named it Augusta Antonia instead of calling it Byzantion.
However after Constantine became the emperor of the Byzantine empire, he renamed the city Constantinople. It meant Constantine’s city in Greek. The first Hippodrome built by Septimius Severus was small. He rebuilt enlarged it to connect with the Great Palace of Constantinople, which lies underneath the modern-day the Blue Mosque.
The hippodrome was around 400 meters long and 200 meters wide. The arena could seat somewhere around 30,000 to 60,000 spectators. With marble seats used for VIPs and wooden benches for everyone else, one lap of the Hippodrome track would measure around 300 meters.
Facts about Hippodrome
Some of the facts about the Hippodrome are as follows:
- Not only by the emperors from the 3rd and 4th Centuries, Hippodrome was also used by the Ottomans. They renamed the arena as At Meydani (Horse Square) and used it as a square.
- The Obelisk that still stands tall even after 3500 years, at the square was brought to Istanbul in 390 CE by emperor Theodosius I. It was the Obelisk of Thutmose III of Karnak. He renamed the obelisk as Obelisk of Theodosius and erected it inside the Hippodrome.
- Not only the chariot races were a means of entertainment for the public during the Byzantine period, but it was a huge issue. Four teams took part in the Chariot races, each of them was financially sponsored by different political parties. Placing huge bets were common.
- In 532 CE, emperor Justinian I locked up in Hippodrome and ordered the killing of 30,000 people.
- Good charioteers, who took part in the races were just as important and respected as any other public heroes. Porphyrios was a legendary and successful charioteer and played for two teams of the four. Hippodrome used to have several statues of him, with inscriptions singing his praises on the statues.
Tips on visiting Hippodrome
- Hippodrome is a well-known tourist destination in Istanbul. However, even though it used to be a huge arena, there is nothing much of it now. So while visiting Hippodrome, do not forget to visit the Blue Mosque, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Hagia Sophia Museum.
- During summer, the heat rises to an unbearable level. The most comfortable weather to visit Istanbul is from March to May and September to November. It is then when both the temperature, room rates at hotels and crowds are less and manageable.
- Even though there are no restrictions on wearing shorts for comfort, it is advisable to dress respectfully while visiting mosques and other religious places.
