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SULTANAHMET - OLD PENINSULA
 The most important monumental buildings of the city are found in this
section of old Istanbul. Ever since the Roman period, the imperial
buildings and sanctuaries were situated there. Where Sultanahmet mosque (the
"Blue Mosque") stands today, imperial palaces had stood, and Topkapi
Palace stands atop the Roman Acropolis. The great cathedral Hagia Sophia
of the Byzantine emperors still stands near Sultanahmet mosque.
Sultanahmet is the only mosque in the world with six minarets.
All these monuments remain in place, with the exception of the famed
equestrian statues that once adorned the square and were later carried off
by the Crusaders to Venice where they still stand in St. Mark's Cathedral
square.
Ahmet III Fountain : Standing just to
the right of the Bab-i-Humayun Gate of Topkapi Palace, this fountain is
one of the most striking examples of the Baroque style fountains built in
the city at the beginning of the 18th century. The fountain has a spout on
each of its four sides.
The Built Pillar : It is said that the
bronze plating that once covered this column was melted down and pressed
into coins during the Latin invasion. During the Ottoman period acrobats
used to climb up this rather odd-looking column and perform their feats.
Egyptian Obelisk : After the world
hegemony had passed to Rome, this column was brought from Egypt to
Constantinople in 390 A.D. by Emperor Theodosius and placed on a square
pedestal in the center of the hippodrome in the spina. The obelisk could
also be called as Theodosius Column. Reliefs on the pedestal depict
Theodosius watching the races in the hippodrome and tell the story of how
the column was erected. The Egyptian hieroglyphics on the column itself
tell about sacrifices that the Pharaoh Tutmosis made to the god Amon-Ra.
The Hippodrome: The hippodrome, which
was built during the reign of Septimus Severus, on the square next to
where Sultanahmet Mosque is located, was 480 meters long by 117 meters
wide and could contain 100,000 people. Many sculptures adorned the walls
of the hippodrome. By means of special underground passageways, the
emperor could reach the hippodrome or Hagia Sophia without leaving the
palace. In the center of the arena was the spina around which the horse
chariots would race. The hippodrome occupied a very important place in
Byzantine social life. The most exciting of the many amusements that took
place there were the chariot races between four teams representing the
four elements: the blues representing air, greens representing earth,
whites representing water and reds representing fire. In Ottoman times,
hippodrome became an area where polo games and the circumcision ceremonies
of the crown princes took place and named At Meydani.
Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain : This
fountain was a gift of the kaiser to the Ottoman sultan.
Milion : Situated today at the corner
opposite to Hagia Sophia, this stone was known during the era of the
Eastern Roman Empire to indicate point zero the forming of the known
universe.
Serpentine Column : This stone, made
of the bronze shields of Persian soldiers who were killed at the battle of
Palatea, was brought to Constantinople from the Apollo Temple of Delphi.
Its name is derived from the relief of three intertwined snakes that
encircle it. It is said that the three snakes once had a golden bowl
placed over their heads but this was melted down in order to press coins
during the Latin invasion of the city. The two snake heads were lost
during the Ottoman period and one of them is now displayed in the Istanbul
Archaeology Museum.
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