The Hippodrome and the Obelisk of Theodosius

Look at the shape of this square: long, narrow and slightly curved at its southern end. That's no accident. You're standing on the track of the Hippodrome of Constantinople, the great circus where chariot races were held. Septimius Severus began it in the early 3rd century, and Constantine enlarged it when he made the city his capital in 330. The Turks called it At Meydanı, "the square of horses".

1A 3,500-year-old obelisk

The obelisk in front of you is the oldest object in Istanbul. Pharaoh Thutmose III had it carved around the 15th century BC for the temple of Karnak. Theodosius I had it shipped here and raised it in 390. Only the upper section made the journey: the original shaft was considerably taller. The reliefs on the base show the emperor in his imperial box, handing a wreath to the winner, and even the operation of hoisting the monolith upright.

2The Nika riot

The races pitted two factions against each other, the Blues and the Greens, who were almost political parties. In January 532 they joined forces against Justinian, shouting "Nika!", "Conquer!", and set half the city ablaze. General Belisarius trapped the rebels inside the Hippodrome and slaughtered them.

According to the historian Procopius, some thirty thousand people died in a single day.

From the ashes of that revolt rose the Hagia Sophia you'll see later on.

3What to look for

• The reliefs on the base, showing the emperor surrounded by his court and the crowd.
• The hieroglyphs: the pharaoh's falcons and cartouches are still crisp.
• The Latin and Greek inscriptions on the pedestal, which boast of how quickly the obelisk was raised.