Sphendone Wall

Sphendone, which means a curved, semicircular wall used for structures such as theaters or hippodromes, is of great importance in terms of reflecting the history of Istanbul as one of the rare relics from the Byzantine Empire. Although we do not have clear information on the construction of this legacy from Byzantium, some sources say that it was built in the early 3rd century AD, during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, and that it was transformed into a more magnificent structure by Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century AD. Some sources say that it was built by Constantine I.

Constantine I wanted the city to be more magnificent than Rome, so he worked hard to make it more magnificent than the Circus Maximus in Rome. The Hippodrome is 430 meters long and 120 meters wide. While some sources say that it had a capacity of 30 thousand spectators, some sources say that this figure goes up to 100 thousand. This structure, where parades and horse races were held until the 13th century, hosted many historical events from bloody executions to riots, and the Hippodrome was burned and destroyed when the city was looted by the Crusader Army during the 4th Crusades.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who took over the administration of the city after the conquest of Istanbul, used this ruined area as the Horse Square.

What remains of the structure is not limited to this wall, the Ibrahim Pasha Palace is located above the tribune where the spectators were located. The Sultanahmet Mosque is above the imperial lodge where the kings watched the races. The Sphendone, the turning point where the public watched the races, is the only structure still standing. Sultan Ahmet Industrial Vocational High School and Marmara University buildings are located on it. The bottom of the Sphendone was used as a water cistern during the Ottoman period, and since there is still water inside, it can only be advanced inside by boat.

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