All you ever wanted to know about Istanbul’s Hippodrome
While the Hippodrome was central to Byzantine social life, the Hippodrome continued to exist after the 1453 conquest because the Ottomans also saw the square as a perfect place to hold their own unique horse-related games. Thanks to a recent exhibition and accompanying book, people can see what the Hippodrome may have looked like in ancient times, along with its development in subsequent eras.
Anyone who has traipsed around Istanbul’s historic peninsula on the way to the Hagia Sophia or the Blue Mosque cannot have failed to come across the large, rectangular stretch of land that constitutes the Hippodrome.
For decades this space was nothing more than a dusty plain with a few decorative, almost nondescript pillars devoid of explanation. It was known as the Hippodrome where the ancient Romans and Byzantines used to have horse races (in modern times made famous by Charlton Heston in the movie “Ben Hur,” an adaptation from the book written by Lew Wallace, the United States’ ambassador to the Ottomans in the 19th century) and gladiatorial games of varying sorts. The square was also renowned for its political riots that nearly unseated Emperor Justinian, builder of the Hagia Sophia.
The square survived after the Ottoman conquest of 1453 because the new rulers saw the value of using the space for their own games, usually played on horseback. As a result, the square acquired the name Atmeydanı, or Horse Square. In addition, parades and festivities, such as those depicted in the miniatures of the 1582 Surname-i Murat III, were also held there. The space further played a part in political actions taken against later sultans because it was a convenient place for rebels to gather.
Now, thanks to the generosity of the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation, the Istanbul Research Institute and the Pera Museum, people can see what the Hippodrome may have looked like in its heyday and its progression through the various eras thereafter.
"Hippodrome/Atmeydanı: A Stage for Istanbul's History" is an exhibition that opened this week at the museum and will provide a start-to-finish pictorial tour of the space until April 18.
In tandem with the exhibition, a splendid, two-volume set of books has also been published in both Turkish and English under the same name as the exhibition. The set includes a number of articles related to the Hippodrome, as well as a catalog for the exhibition. The book certainly ranks among the most outstanding, comprehensive publications ever published for an exhibition and is one of those collections of material that provide all the information you ever wanted to know about the Hippodrome and likely much more that you have not even thought about.
In the foreword to the set, Suna, İnan and İpek Kıraç pay tribute to the Istanbul Research Institute whose research departments for the Ottoman and Republican periods facilitated the work. “We are happy to honor this very special and colorful square of Istanbul, which has hosted a variety of consequential incidents during the foundation of the Republic, with this exhibition that opens in 2010, the year Istanbul becomes the Culture Capital of Europe.”
The material has been collected under the general editorship of Brigitte Pitarakis, a researcher and writer on the Byzantine period. Because one can only see the masonry obelisk – whose origin is unknown – the Serpent Column and the Egyptian obelisk today, she says few can imagine the splendor and size of the original Hippodrome.
Throughout the Byzantine period, the Hippodrome was used for horse races between factions although this practice was discontinued under the Ottomans, who preferred to play cirit (a form of polo).
Volume one of the research deals particularly with the Byzantine period and reconstructions of what the Hippodrome might have resembled.
Pitarakis says much of the Hippodrome was still standing when the Ottomans conquered the city – apart from many metal statues and other ornamentation that had been melted down during the conquest of the city by 13th century Crusaders.
The books divides the Byzantine period into five sections: Imperial Power and the Arena of the New Rome, Entertainment at the Hippodrome; The Architecture and Archaeology of the Hippodrome; Ancient Myths and Urban Legends: the Statues of the Euripos; and Rediscovering the Hippodrome. The last section deals with the accounts of Western travelers between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Regarding the Istanbul Research Institute and Pera Museum, Pitarakis says, “[The institutes] seek to undertake exhibitions that highlight the major buildings, monuments and spaces of Istanbul that span the Byzantine and Ottoman periods and continue to make a significant contribution to the cultural richness of the Republic of Turkey.”
Meanwhile, part of the book’s visual material was provided by A. Tayfun Öner through 3-D representations of what the Hippodrome might have resembled in its former brilliance based on remains from the area found at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum and the garden of the Blue Mosque.
Öner worked with available archaeological reports, recent surveys, visual records, and the literary contributions of Byzantine writers and historians and travelers to ancient Istanbul.
His representations are so realistic that one could almost imagine being right in the middle of the Hippodrome – requiring only a few charioteers and a roaring crowd to whisk one back in time.
In fact, there are small statutes that represent some of the people that might have performed in the arena, as well as frescoes depicting charioteers in a church in Kiev.
If one thus fails to see the exhibition, there is always the two-volume set and with outstanding reproductions of colored miniatures and photographs.
The only problem is that each of the two is heavy and the thought of taking them around the exhibition is rather daunting. Nonetheless, the tomes are marvelous reference books that will stir up many memories of Istanbul’s historic peninsula.
(Hurriyet Daily News Friday, February 19, 2010)
Visiting Hours
Tuesday - Saturday 10.00 - 19.00
Sunday 12.00 - 18.00
Museum is closed on Mondays.
Special Days
Museum, with sugar and on the first day of Kurban bayram is closed on New Year's holiday
Address
Meşrutiyet Caddesi No.65
34443 Tepebaşı - Beyoğlu - İstanbul
Tel. + 90 212 334 99 00
Fax. + 90 212 245 95 11
Şunu daha büyük bir haritada görüntüle: Pera Museum (Pera Müzesi)
Gold in Topkapi Palace Istanbul
Gold in Topkapi Palace Istanbul
Gold held a great symbolic value in the lives of the sultans during the Ottoman period. One can see the treasuries made of gold belonging to the Ottoman Sultans preserved in the Topkapi Palace. Gold was the first mineral discovered by man and gained immense importance to become a hot passion among people since times immemorial.
While looking at the ancient history of the Turkish people makes it quite clear that from Central Asia, the passion for gold continued to the Seljuks, Mamluks and the Ottomans till the present times. In the Topkapi Palace Museum, one can find golden chandeliers, cup holders, rosewater flacons, candle scissors, water pipes, dessert sets and candlesticks.
Apart from the above named articles, the museum also has items such as fans, snuff boxes, pill boxes and seal pouches which were commonly used either on ceremonies like weddings, coronations etc. or on day to day basis. Also on display is the jewelry belonging to the Ottoman period. Some of the jewelry is studded with diamonds, pearls, emeralds and jade.
By going through the Chronicles of the House of Osman by Asikpasazade (a source of the history of Ottoman dynasty), it becomes quite clear that the Ottomans used gold as gifts on important ceremonial occasions in their lives. According to a report from the Chronicle, ten trays of gold and silver were presented as gift at Murad I’s son’s circumcision.
During the 15th century, a number of gold and silver mines were captured after the conquest of the Balkans. Hence, there was a mass production of jewelry in Istanbul, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Trabzon and Prizren. Further, the production of jewelry increased manifold after Sultan Mehmed (1451-1481) conquered Istanbul. According to Jacopo de Promontario, a chief merchant of Sultan Mehmed, there were a large number of candlesticks, pitchers, basins and bowls made of gold and silver.
Several items of luxury were in great use in the reign of Bayezid II and their use increased manifold after Selim’s I trips to Egypt and Iran. Some of the gold artifacts gifted to Shah Tahmasp of Persia by Suleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566) include carafe, tray and belts of gold.
Among the other gold items belonging to the 16th century include a jade cup and a gold tray presented by Mustafa II to the Voyvoda of Poznan in 1699 on the occasion of signing of the Treaty of Carlowitz.
The fact that there was a vast wealth of jewelry during the Ottoman Empire also makes it quite clear about enormous resources of the sultans during the period. Moreover, the sultans gave whole-hearted support to encourage the artists dealing in such work. There were a number of learned and skilled artists dealing in hammering gold and weaving embroidered cloth using gold.
During the later periods, we can find Indian and Mughal inspiration in the Ottoman jewelry pieces. The vast Ottoman Treasuries were the result of the gifts and the taxes collected from the provinces. Meanwhile, during the economic straits, a large number of gold objects were melted to make coins. However, the highly valued gold pieces of ancestral value were largely spared.
The Ottoman Treasury was protected by the Superintendent of the Treasury with a seal of Sultan Selim I till 1924 when the Topkapi Palace was converted to be used as a museum at the behest of Ataturk.
The Great Palace Mosaic Museum of Istanbul Sultanahmet
In the beginning of 21st Century, the neighboring places of Ishakpasa in Sultanahmet were completely destroyed by a devastating fire that engulfed the region. On 3rd June, 1912, yet another tragedy took place resulting in destroying the wooden houses of the city. However, for the archaeologists, this tragic disaster was a blessing in disguise. Researchers wasted no time once the debris of the burnt houses destroyed in the fire behind Haghia Sophia as well as the Sultanahmet was cleared. This led to the discovery of the Byzantine Great Palace by Wiegand, a German archaeologist, and Mamboury, a Swiss topographer.
The excavation work of the Byzantine Great Palace built by Justinian I (527- 565) started in the year 1935 by a group of archaeologists led by Prof. Baxter from St. Andrews University. While looking for remains of the Byzantine Great Palace, they discovered a small yet beautiful collection of mosaics believed to be belonging to the era of Justinian the Great. The excavation work had to be halted briefly due to the outbreak of the 2nd World War and was later resumed in between the years 1951-1954.
The collection of mosaics discovered in this century is believed to be one of the largest and most exquisite collections of mosaics belonging to the sixth century. Although, originally the courtyard was nearly 2000 square meters, but now, only 180 square meters remains, as displayed in the museum.
The pavement has some very vivid and intricate motifs covering nearly 9 m area along with a border of 1.5 m. There are exclusive and lively images of fruits and animals including tortoises and reptiles like lizards and serpents. Then, the collection includes four male figures personifying the four different seasons while the border is believed to the symbol of the god Dionysus’ fertile world.
The images also include mythical beasts and some enchanting imagery of hunting activity so common in the era they belong to. The liveliness and the wide variety of the mosaics in the Mosaic Museum is unmatched for. For example, there are images of a man milking a goat, a monkey climbing up a palm tree and beating the dates, an elephant being attacked by a furious lion and a deer biting a serpent like reptile.
You will also come across images of kids playing with wild beasts while there are some pictures representing the village life of herdsmen grazing animals. So, in these mosaics, the nature is shown in full bloom while it does not miss to depict other themes as well making the total number of scenes covered in the mosaics to around 90 and the animal as well as human figures to nearly 150.
Due to being exposed to extreme weather conditions, the mosaics suffered serious deterioration over the period. It was only after a campaign by the Department of Monuments and Museums of Turkey and the Austrian government was initiated to restore and preserve the antique mosaics from further damage using conservation methods.
Located in Torun Street also known as Arasta Carsisi which is a street belonging to the 17th Century, one can get a true, eye-catching and vivid glimpse of the Great Palace Mosaic Museum which depicts the life of Istanbul under the Byzantine rule nearly 1400 years back.
