The Roman Hippodrome, which was built by Septimus Severus in 200,
was enlarged by Constantine the Great to hold 100,000
people. In 532, during the Nika Rebellion against Justinian, 50,000
rebels who had gathered in the Hippodrome were put to the sword.
The obelisk in the middle of the Hippodrome is from the original
spina and was brought by Theodosius from the temple in Luxor. The
Serpentine Column that was originally in the Hippodrome
was a bronze shaft fashioned from the melted-down shields of Persian
soldiers killed at the Battle of Platea in 479 BC and dedicated
to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi from which it was brought here.
The shaft consisted of the intertwined bodies of three serpents
supporting a golden bowl with their heads. The golden bowl disappeared
long ago. The serpents' heads were still in place during Ottoman
times. Today only one has survived and is now in the Archeological
Museum. The 32-meter dressed stone column that stands at the south
end of the Hippodrome contains an inscription indicating that it
was originally covered with bronze plates that have since disappeared.
Galata Tower was originally constructed in 1348 as an extension
of the Galata fortifications by the Genoese, who
had been granted the right to establish a semi-autonomous enclave
or colony by the Byzantines. In the course of its long history it
has been restored many times to repair the damage caused by fires
and earthquakes. With the restorations of 1875, the structure assumed
its present appearance. In the 16th century, it was utilized as
a prison and later as a lookout tower for fire-spotters. In the
17th century, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi put on wings
that he fashioned himself and flew from the tower to Uskudar. The
top floor of the tower is a night club-restaurant today. From the
balcony one has a magnificent panoramic view of Istanbul.
The Tower of Leander or Maiden's Tower stands on a small, rocky
island off Uskudar at the entrance to the Bosphorus. It was originally
built in the 12th century but the present condition dates to the
18th. According to one version of the legends related about this
building, soothsayers told the king that his daughter would die
of snakebite, upon which the king shut his daughter in the tower
that he had built here. A snake, which was hidden in a basket of
grapes that an admiring prince sent to the daughter, bit and killed
her. Over the course of its history, the tower has been used as
a lighthouse and as a quarantine checkpoint and lookout.
Please note that there are boat trips from Ortakoy and Kabatas to
Tower and also from Salacak (Uskudar) regular ring boat trips.
Day Time Hours
Everyday (exept Monday)
From Ortakoy to Tower : at 13:00 pm. / at 15:00 pm. / at 17:00 pm.
From Tower to Ortakoy : at 14:30 pm. / at 16:30 pm. / at 19:00 pm.
From Salacak to Tower (Regular Ring trips) : between 12:00 noon
- 19:00 pm.
Dinner Time
From Kabatas to Tower : at 20:30 pm.
From Tower to Kabatas : at 23:30 pm. and at 00:15 midnight
From Salacak to Tower (Regular Ring trips) : between 20:00 pm. -
01:00 midnight
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Istanbul is an open air museum with its 8000 years history. One can continously find different historical sites from different periods at each footstep.
TURING
In 1985-1986 Sultanahmet area was taken in hand by the Turkish Touring
and Automobile Association, which has restored many old sections of
Istanbul..
