Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The pavement is filled with bucolic imagery and has a gorgeous ribbon border with
heart-shaped leaves. In the westernmost room is the most colourful and dramatic picture,
that of two men in leggings carrying spears and holding off a raging tiger.
The museum has informative panels documenting the floor's rescue and renovation.
HIPPODROME
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(Atmeydanı; Sultanahmet)
The Byzantine emperors loved nothing more than an afternoon
at the chariot races, and this rectangular arena was their venue of choice. In its heyday, it
was decorated by obelisks and statues, some of which remain in place today. Recently re-
landscaped, it is one of the city's most popular meeting places and promenades.
Originally the arena consisted of two levels of galleries, a central spine, starting boxes
parts of which still stand. The level of galleries that once topped this stone structure was
damaged during the Fourth Crusade and ended up being totally dismantled in the Ottoman
period - many of the original columns were used in construction of the Süleymaniye
Mosque.
The Hippodrome was the centre of Byzantium's life for 1000 years and of Ottoman life
for another 400 years and has been the scene of countless political dramas. In Byzantine
times, the rival chariot teams of 'Greens' and 'Blues' had separate sectarian connections.
Support for a team was akin to membership of a political party and a team victory had im-
portant effects on policy. Occasionally Greens and Blues joined forces against the emper-
or, as was the case in 532 BC when a chariot race was disturbed by protests against
Justinian's high tax regime - this escalated into the Nika riots (so called after the protest-
ers' cry of Nika!, or Victory!), which led to tens of thousands of protesters being massac-
red in the Hippodrome by imperial forces. Not unsurprisingly, chariot races were banned
for some time afterwards.
Ottoman sultans also kept an eye on activities in the Hippodrome. If things were going
badly in the empire, a surly crowd gathering here could signal the start of a disturbance,
then a riot, then a revolution. In 1826 the slaughter of the corrupt janissary corps (the sul-
tan's personal bodyguards) was carried out here by the reformer Sultan Mahmut II. In
1909 there were riots here that caused the downfall of Abdül Hamit II.
Despite the ever-present threat of the Hippodrome being the scene of their downfall,
emperors and sultans sought to outdo one another in beautifying it, adorning the centre
with statues from the far reaches of their empire. Unfortunately, many priceless statues
carved by ancient masters have disappeared from their original homes here. Chief among
