Our first stop next morning was the atmospheric and moody Basilica Cistern: a great underground water tank built in the C5thAD by 7,000 hard working slaves. The Cistern can hold 100,000 tons of water, yet it looks more like a high vaulted floor of a grand palace, as it used in its construction recycled stone chunks and colonnades from elaborate ruins from all around the empire.
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| Moody and atmospheric Basilica Cistern |
Even back then there were ruins of phenomenal size, style and artistic merit waiting to be recycled.
Two Gorgon heads of the Medusa swirling with snakes fill in as the base of two tall pillars: one upside down, the other turned on her cheek to better suit the construction. Or, so slave workers might better avoid the Gorgon gaze, for if trapped by that they might forever be turned to stone. Or so it was believed.
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| Upside down Medussa holding up a column |
Water was channelled into the cistern by rainfall, and via a well-planned system of purpose-built viaducts stretching 19 kilometres from north of the city in the Belgrade forest. Immense planning, and that when the city was tiny. It is even harder to conceive how much water is needed for today’s Istanbul population, exponentially larger.
Outside, we found a plain stone marker called the Million, all that is left of a much larger monument, a set of huge triumphal arches marking the beginning of the Mesa, the important ancient road that signified that all roads lead to Constantinople. The Million is among the most ancient monuments in the city. It was built in the C4thAD and parts of its triumphal arch have been found recycled in the Basilica Cistern.
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| Million- all roads lead to Constantinople |
When the Sultan returned home from his conquests only he could ride through this ceremonial arch, all others had to dismount. While his men set the heads of their vanquished onto pikestaffs in the arch for all to see and rejoice.
Today, a modern marker stands alongside the ancient Million, pointing out routes to all the corners of the globe, with Istanbul at its epicentre.
We stepped out onto the Hippodrome, or At Meydani, the Horse Square, as it is often called today. The Hippodrome was a massive oval spectator arena, much like a massive Spanish bullring set with broad stone seats, canopies draped for protection, drink seller’s kiosks, and toilets to satisfy the needs of some 60,000 spectators there to watch the two or four horse chariot races, or the gladiatorial events that were run for their benefit, often with the Sultan present in his lofty Royal box accessible only from the Palace.
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| German fountain at the heart of the Hippodrome: the obelisks in the distance |
The Hippodrome was the heart of the city for the common folk, and functions as such even today, tho’ the stadium has long been dismantled, most of its stone recycled.
Though three ancient obelisks that ran as decor down the centre of the Hippodrome, remain. Their age is so extraordinary to us that we can only gaze in awe.
Firstly, the Egyptian obelisk. Three and a half thousand years ago this obelisk was set up in front of a temple at Thebes to celebrate the thirty year reign of Pharaoh Thutmos 111. After a great defeat it became a status feature for Constantine in the C4thAD so he had the needle dug out and moved to the coast, near Alexandria, to be transported as booty to Constantinople.
But figuring out a way to ship this 30 metre long piece of stone took years of research and planning headaches. A logistics nightmare. Eventually it arrived in Constantinople, albeit split in two, so was erected shorter by 10 metres than the original. The etched markings on this obelisk are exquisite.
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| Glorious Egyptian obelisk |
Secondly, the Serpent column. This, too, was Egyptian plunder and is over two and a half thousand years old. The serpents that snake around the column once held atop a large stone bowl, and their heads lifted from the rim, sometimes spouting water, and at other times, wine. One of the original serpent's heads was recently found. Which in itself is so amazing.
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| The Serpent column, protecting the city from viper |
And thirdly, the Obelisk of Emperor Constantine. Thwarted by the inability of his thinkers to speed up the delivery of the Egyptian obelisk across the waters, Constantine, it is said, could not wait, so erected this limestone needle in C4thAD to stand in for it. It is even built at the height the Egyptian obelisk would have been had it been erected undamaged.
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| Once decorated with bronze plaques but only gouged stone remains from the metal pins which held them |
Once the Egyptian obelisk arrived acrobats soon thought to string up a high wire between Constantine’s obelisk and the Egyptian obelisk, setting hearts a’flutter as they tip-toed their way along a fine line between the two, high in the air.
Constantinople at play.
oooOOOooo
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