Istanbul's Hippodrome and Cisterns

The Hippodrome, now called Sultanahmet Square, was once the center of Byzantine life and culture in the 3rd century AD. It was originally 40 rows of seating around a huge track, with the center covered with works of art, and used as a public meeting place as well a place for entertainment. It's still a very popular park area within the city. There were probably food kiosks in the old Hippodrome also, with ancient versions of Coke and corn dogs.This is Istanbul's oldest monument, built by a Pharaoh in 1500 BC, brought by Emperor Theodosius from Luxor to Istanbul in 390 BC. A portion of the base is below ground level now.This is one of the newest structures in the Hippodrome, the fountain of Kaiser Wilhelm, built in 1898.Below are some of the structures and walls around the original central area. According the the sign, this is all that remains of the triumphal arch from which distances to all parts of the Byzantine empire were measured. Nearby and below ground was one of the largest of the cisterns which supplied water to the city from the surrounding aquaducts. It was built in the 5th century AD and remained in use until the 16th century. A supply of water was important during the times when the city was under siege. It was an eerie place, with brickwork and columns overhead, and water trickling below. Because the cistern had to be built quickly, some columns had to be used wherever they could be found, as this upside-down one. This column has the design of the "evil eye", seen everywhere in Turkey as protection from harm.