Hippodrome of Constantinople

Now the elongated public space called Sultanahmet Square, this was the great chariot-racing arena and civic heart of Byzantine Constantinople, holding tens of thousands of spectators. Along its former central spine still stand the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, the bronze Serpent Column from Delphi and the rough-stone Walled Obelisk. Scene of riots, ceremonies and the deadly Nika revolt, it shaped the empire's political life. Today the level promenade traces the ancient racetrack between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.