Excursion to the Old City “Constantinople. Hagia Sophia (Hagia Sophia)

Hagia Sophia inside.

The history of Hagia Sophia begins in the 6th century, when it was built in its current form by Emperor Justinian. The figure is monstrously ancient and unlikely, since, as history goes, for the next almost a whole thousand years, advanced Byzantine architects did not build anything comparable in size. Then the city was conquered by the “illiterate” Turks and huge mosques suddenly began to grow like mushrooms after rain... No, we don’t need such a story.

Moreover, for some reason these mosques are stylistically very similar to the Byzantine architecture of that ancient time, including Hagia Sophia. It’s as if this thousand years never happened. It is often difficult to immediately determine what is shown in the photo: Aya Sofia or one of the large mosques of the 15-17 centuries, of which there are many in Istanbul.

Historians will also say that Hagia Sophia was built two centuries earlier - by Constantine the Great. But then this cathedral burned down, then it was rebuilt and it burned down again, etc. However, this has nothing to do with what we see today.

The size of the cathedral is amazing. Its height is 55 meters, and the diameter of the dome is 31 meters. Before the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in the 16th century, Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian church in the world - for a thousand years! Look how it rises above the landscape, how small the figures of people seem.

When the construction of the cathedral was completed, Justinian allegedly exclaimed: “Solomon, I have surpassed you!” This refers to the legendary biblical temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. This, of course, is a story, but the mention of King Solomon, famous for his wisdom, is very interesting. Especially in relation to the Temple of Wisdom (Greek “Sophia” - wisdom).

It must be taken into account that the results of biblical archeology in Palestine are zero. And there is no Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, just as there are not even traces of it. Therefore, it is obvious that the geography of the Holy Land is incorrect and you need to look not there, but in another place. For example, on the territory of ancient Constantinople, where in the Middle Ages almost all the Old and New Testament artifacts were located. Including the temple, which amazed contemporaries with its unprecedented grandeur and splendor.

An interesting hypothesis was put forward at one time by Academician A.T. Fomenko, who identified the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem with the Hagia Sophia. According to this hypothesis, it was built by Sultan Suleiman and of course much later than is commonly believed. Incomprehensible and dark passages in the Bible describing the construction of the temple acquire clarity and meaning in the light of this theory.

A huge amount of money was spent on the construction of Hagia Sophia. Precious metals were used in the interior decoration and it literally shone with gold. This point, by the way, occurs in the descriptions of the construction of both the Temple of Solomon and the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent. But it is confirmed only in Aya Sofia.

It is difficult to say exactly in what year the Turks covered all the walls of the cathedral with plaster, thereby hiding the magnificent mosaics and frescoes from the view of worshipers. It was only in the 20th century that the plaster was removed and these masterpieces of Byzantine art were revealed to the world.

The ceiling in one of the galleries.

The main part of the temple.

Ant tourists swarm below. Unfortunately, almost half of the cathedral inside was covered in scaffolding.

Let me remind you of the history of the cathedral and Constantinople. In 1204, the city was captured by the crusaders, who had as their goal to conquer Jerusalem. The Crusaders sacked the city, and Hagia Sophia was no exception. Among the many trophies, the soldiers of the cross took away from the cathedral the famous shroud, which later became known as the Shroud of Turin.

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Turks, who converted the cathedral into a mosque. Currently, Sofia is a museum. Huge round shields depict words from the Koran.

Handprint of Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Constantinople. Of course, it doesn’t really look like a palm, but there is such a legend. When Sultan Mehmed rode into the cathedral on horseback after storming the city, he leaned his hand on the column. And since his horse walked over a mountain of corpses, the imprint was high off the floor.

Column with the Sultan's handprint.

In 1054, within the walls of Hagia Sophia, the papal legate presented the Patriarch of Constantinople with a letter of excommunication. This date is considered to be the date of the division of the Christian Church into the Catholic, with its center in Rome, and the Orthodox, with its center in Constantinople.

By the way, the fact that Constantinople was the second Rome is also, perhaps, a historical untruth. Having visited both Rome and Istanbul-Constantinople, I noticed that the ancient architecture in the second is more archaic, often made of stone, with uneven masonry, and poorly maintained geometry. In Rome, even the older buildings are made of standard brick, smoother and more architecturally complex, which may indicate a later construction time than in Constantinople.

Therefore, perhaps the first Rome was Constantinople. Even its very name “City of Constantine” can be translated as “Eternal City” (Latin “constant” - constant, unchanging) - allegedly this is what Italian Rome was called from ancient times. For a run-down town, like Rome was in the Middle Ages, such a name is not clear, but in the case of the huge Constantinople, everything is clear.

Even the famous phrase “All roads lead to Rome” can only refer to Rome on the Bosporus, as a city located at the intersection of many trade routes, both land and sea. By and large, no roads lead to Italian Rome; it is not even a port city. In general, here the Catholic Church clearly attributed the glory and rich history of Constantinople to its house.

But let's return to Hagia Sophia. In the photo: traces of its former beauty.

Entrance to Aya Sofia, of course, is paid. The ticket costs 25 liras - about 10 euros. There are many people interested: one line at the ticket office, another at the actual entrance to the cathedral. You can walk around inside as much as you want, but, to be honest, there’s not much to see - you can see for yourself. Everything is monotonous and ascetic. Due to repeated looting, periods of iconoclasm and Turkish rule, little remains of the interior. The spirit of history and size are, of course, impressive and exciting.

A few more photos of Aya Sofia.

City tour

Is it possible to get to know a city more fully than by walking around it? Obviously not.

All you have to do is dress appropriately for the time of year, put on comfortable shoes, take with you everything you need - for example, things like an umbrella, scarf, hat, sunglasses, drinking water - and that’s it, you’re ready to explore the city!

During this excursion you will see Church of St. George, which is one of the most important monuments in Ancient Sofia that has survived to this day. Over the course of one and a half thousand years, the building changed its appearance more than once, and its main purpose often even changed. At first there was a temple here, and after that a bathhouse. When the Christian faith came to these parts, the building turned into a baptistery, and then became an ordinary church. Around the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Turks turned it into a mosque. Today it is an ancient beautiful church, which is famous for its wonderful ancient frescoes.

Church of St. George:

Close to it are located remains of the Serdika Fortress. Here Emperor Constantine once exclaimed: “Serdica is my Rome.”

By coincidence, in the very place where the Roman emperor uttered these words, the Presidency is located in our time.

Bulgaria has always been a state known for its tolerance. A clear proof of this can be the close proximity of a Catholic church, an Orthodox church, a mosque and a synagogue.

On a walking tour around Sofia you will see National Theater named after Ivan Vazov. The beautiful building is decorated with reliefs on mythological themes and figures of the goddess Nike. This building, which is a temple of art, is somewhat similar to the temples of antiquity.

One of the oldest buildings is Saint Sophie Cathedral, thanks to which the capital of the country got its name. This temple is one of the main ones in Christianity. Over the years, it was destroyed more than once, and then restored again.

This excursion also includes a visit to the famous Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is a symbol of the deliverance of the Bulgarian people from the oppression of the Ottomans. It was erected in honor of Russian soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of Bulgaria. This building is located in the very center of the city.

Located nearby monument to the Tsar Liberator- this is how Alexander II is called in this country. During the reign of this monarch, the state was liberated from the Turks - during the Russian-Turkish War.

Monument to the Tsar - Liberator:

In addition, it will also be interesting to look at Library named after Cyril and Methodius. Nowadays it is the largest book depository in Bulgaria. There are more than 1,800 ancient handwritten and early printed books here. Next to the St. Sophia Cathedral there is a secluded park, in the central part of which there is the so-called Doctor's Monument- in honor of Russian military personnel - doctors who died during the Russian-Turkish war.

Also located nearby monument in honor of the Soviet Army, which used to be a symbol of Soviet-Bulgarian friendly relations. Over the past twenty years, debates regarding the preservation of this monument have not subsided in the country. At least for now it stands in the same place.

We'll also take a look at Church of St. Nicholas, which is known as the "Russian Church". This temple was built in 1912 - 1914 in memory of Russian soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke.

The cost of this excursion is from 45 euros per group, and it will take three hours.

Excursion: spirituality and holiness

This excursion lasts two days and includes a visit to Rila Monastery, beautiful town of Melnik and territories Rupita

This excursion departs from Sofia in the morning – at nine o’clock. Rila Monastery is the concentration of Orthodoxy in the state. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This place is the most popular among tourists visiting Bulgaria.

The path leads us straight to a large building that looks more like a fortress than an Orthodox monastery. Only after passing through the gates, equipped with forged bars, do visitors immediately become aware of the uniqueness of this place. The entire architectural complex is filled with silence, beauty and peace.

At first, tourists' eyes are drawn to the church, which is located in the central part of the courtyard, as well as the medieval tower that rises immediately behind it. Then the visitors' eyes move around the residential buildings, but in order to see all four floors, they have to lift their heads - because otherwise they will not be able to look at everything that is located above. No matter how many times you come here, the first or the hundredth, you will still be amazed and amazed at the sight of this monastery.

This is followed by a tour of the church and the monastery museum. We walk along the paved road to the church. Its outer walls are decorated with frescoes, and inside there are wall paintings, carved objects and priceless icons created by dozens of artists, many of whom remain unknown. In the monastery museum you can see the famous Crucifixion of Raphael. Monk Raphael devoted twelve whole years to his work - carving the Crucifixion from a single piece of wood! According to legend, he paid for this work with his health - he lost his sight.

Rila Monastery:

After visiting the Rila Monastery, we will have lunch at a wonderful restaurant and then drive to the small beautiful town of Melnik.

It is the smallest in the country, with only five hundred people living here. The city is located at the base of beautiful natural formations - the Melnik Pyramids. These strange pink sandstone sculptures are located on an area of approximately seventeen square kilometers! In Melnik there are buildings that were built between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries. This place is a true city - a museum, which became famous not only for its beautiful nature, but also for the magnificent local red wine, which is distinguished by its thickness and astringency.

Here you will be accommodated in a hotel, followed by a walk to the largest local curiosity - the Kordopud House, which has become an ethnographic museum.

The next day we will go to the area of Rupite, which is famous because Vanga used to live here, and we will see the temple that she built before her death.

Nearby there are sulfur mineral springs that attract pilgrims at any time of the year. We inspect the church, light a candle, absorb the local energy and head back to Sofia.

The cost of the trip is from 275 euros per tourist group.

Hagia Sophia, or Aya Sophia, is the main attraction of Istanbul and one of the oldest Christian churches that has reached us almost completely intact. This building gained worldwide fame due to its enormous size, age and architectural splendor. Aya Sofia is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Hagia Sophia inside.
The history of Hagia Sophia begins in the 6th century, when it was built in its current form by Emperor Justinian. The figure is monstrously ancient and unlikely, since, as history goes, for the next almost a whole thousand years, advanced Byzantine architects did not build anything comparable in size. Then the city was conquered by the “illiterate” Turks and huge mosques suddenly began to grow like mushrooms after rain... No, we don’t need such a story.
Moreover, for some reason these mosques are stylistically very similar to the Byzantine architecture of that ancient time, including Hagia Sophia. It’s as if this thousand years never happened. It is often difficult to immediately determine what is shown in the photo: Aya Sofia or one of the large mosques of the 15-17 centuries, of which there are many in Istanbul.
Historians will also say that Hagia Sophia was built two centuries earlier - by Constantine the Great. But then this cathedral burned down, then it was rebuilt and it burned down again, etc. However, this has nothing to do with what we see today.
The size of the cathedral is amazing. Its height is 55 meters, and the diameter of the dome is 31 meters. Before the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in the 16th century, Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian church in the world - for a thousand years! Look how it rises above the landscape, how small the figures of people seem.
When the construction of the cathedral was completed, Justinian allegedly exclaimed: “Solomon, I have surpassed you!” This refers to the legendary biblical temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. This, of course, is a story, but the mention of King Solomon, famous for his wisdom, is very interesting. Especially in relation to the Temple of Wisdom (Greek “Sophia” - wisdom).
It must be taken into account that the results of biblical archeology in Palestine are zero. And there is no Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, just as there are not even traces of it. Therefore, it is obvious that the geography of the Holy Land is incorrect and you need to look not there, but in another place. For example, on the territory of ancient Constantinople, where in the Middle Ages almost all the Old and New Testament artifacts were located. Including the temple, which amazed contemporaries with its unprecedented grandeur and splendor.
An interesting hypothesis was put forward at one time by Academician A.T. Fomenko, who identified the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem with the Hagia Sophia. According to this hypothesis, it was built by Sultan Suleiman and of course much later than is commonly believed. Incomprehensible and dark passages in the Bible describing the construction of the temple acquire clarity and meaning in the light of this theory.
A huge amount of money was spent on the construction of Hagia Sophia. Precious metals were used in the interior decoration and it literally shone with gold. This point, by the way, occurs in the descriptions of the construction of both the Temple of Solomon and the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent. But it is confirmed only in Aya Sofia.
It is difficult to say exactly in what year the Turks covered all the walls of the cathedral with plaster, thereby hiding the magnificent mosaics and frescoes from the view of worshipers. It was only in the 20th century that the plaster was removed and these masterpieces of Byzantine art were revealed to the world.
The ceiling in one of the galleries. The main part of the temple. Ant tourists swarm below. Unfortunately, almost half of the cathedral inside was covered in scaffolding.
Let me remind you of the history of the cathedral and Constantinople. In 1204, the city was captured by the crusaders, who had as their goal to conquer Jerusalem. The Crusaders sacked the city, and Hagia Sophia was no exception. Among the many trophies, the soldiers of the cross took away from the cathedral the famous shroud, which later became known as the Shroud of Turin.
In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Turks, who converted the cathedral into a mosque. Currently, Sofia is a museum. Huge round shields depict words from the Koran. Handprint of Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Constantinople. Of course, it doesn’t really look like a palm, but there is such a legend. When Sultan Mehmed rode into the cathedral on horseback after storming the city, he leaned his hand on the column. And since his horse walked over a mountain of corpses, the imprint was high off the floor. Column with the Sultan's handprint.
In 1054, within the walls of Hagia Sophia, the papal legate presented the Patriarch of Constantinople with a letter of excommunication. This date is considered to be the date of the division of the Christian Church into the Catholic, with its center in Rome, and the Orthodox, with its center in Constantinople.
By the way, the fact that Constantinople was the second Rome is also, perhaps, a historical untruth. Having visited both Rome and Istanbul-Constantinople, I noticed that the ancient architecture in the second is more archaic, often made of stone, with uneven masonry, and poorly maintained geometry. In Rome, even the older buildings are made of standard brick, smoother and more architecturally complex, which may indicate a later construction time than in Constantinople.
Therefore, perhaps the first Rome was Constantinople. Even its very name “City of Constantine” can be translated as “Eternal City” (Latin “constant” - constant, unchanging) - allegedly this is what Italian Rome was called from ancient times. For a run-down town, like Rome was in the Middle Ages, such a name is not clear, but in the case of the huge Constantinople, everything is clear. Even the famous phrase “All roads lead to Rome” can only refer to Rome on the Bosporus, as a city located at the intersection of many trade routes, both land and sea. By and large, no roads lead to Italian Rome; it is not even a port city. In general, here the Catholic Church clearly attributed the glory and rich history of Constantinople to its house.
But let's return to Hagia Sophia. In the photo: traces of its former beauty. Entrance to Aya Sofia, of course, is paid. The ticket costs 25 liras – about 10 euros. There are many people interested: one line at the ticket office, another at the actual entrance to the cathedral. You can walk around inside as much as you want, but, to be honest, there’s not much to see – you can see for yourself. Everything is monotonous and ascetic. Due to repeated looting, periods of iconoclasm and Turkish rule, little remains of the interior. The spirit of history and size are, of course, impressive and exciting.
A few more photos of Aya Sofia.

Total 71 photos

Hagia Sophia is inexhaustible. This post will be interesting in my opinion because I will try to talk about the open-air archaeological museum of Hagia Sophia. There is almost no information on the Internet about this interesting place near the St. Sophia Cathedral. Hagia Sophia was built on an ancient historical site where the ancient acropolis was once located. In addition, the forerunners of Hagia Sophia were two basilicas - the Roman emperors Constantine and Theodosius, which I talked a little about in the first part of my story about Hagia Sophia. The fact is that numerous archaeological studies were carried out around the St. Sophia Cathedral, and these same archaeological finds are located in this open-air archaeological park. It turned out that the Basilica of Theodosius, judging by them, was a magnificent majestic Christian temple, richly decorated with stone carvings. Looking at these surviving architectural masterpieces is a great pleasure.

During these excavations, many columns, capitals and other white stone architectural elements were found that could create an additional emotional response in the viewer, which we wanted to implement if possible. Thus, the task of this material is to introduce additional sensory context for the reader, not only when viewing the St. Sophia Cathedral, admiring its external and internal charm, but also to see what surrounds the St. Sophia Cathedral, what is located on this territory. In the fifth part, I will also tell you about Muslim buildings on the land of the former Christian St. Sophia Cathedral. These are the plans. What happened about the archaeological museum and the Basilica of Theodosius is up to you to decide - that is, for this, right now you can look under the cat.

Now let's explore the open-air archaeological museum of Hagia Sophia. The photo below shows the ticket office and security checkpoint of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul.
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For the most part, this very territory has been improved. There are many columns from the ancient period here, but they are installed on flower beds and green lawns, often haphazardly and as if as some kind of curiosities, rather than valuable archaeological finds.
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The open-air area of the Hagia Sophia Archaeological Museum is located on the western side of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral from its entrance and mostly gravitates towards its outer fence and stretches along the western part of the territory of the Hagia Sophia Museum.
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The first Christian church was built on the Augusteon market square in 324-337 under Emperor Constantine I. From 360 to 380, St. Sophia Cathedral was in the hands of the Arians. Emperor Theodosius I in 380 handed over the cathedral to the Nikenians and on November 27 personally introduced Gregory the Theologian into the cathedral, who was soon elected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. This temple burned down during a popular uprising in 404. The newly built church was destroyed by fire in 415. Emperor Theodosius II ordered the construction of a new basilica on the same site, which was completed in the same year. But the Basilica of Theodosius burned down in 532 during the famous Nika uprising. Its ruins were discovered only in 1936 during excavations on the territory of the cathedral. This excavation has been improved. It is located very close to the western entrance to Hagia Sophia “on the left hand”.

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In the late 1920s - early 1930s, these same excavations near the cathedral were carried out by one of the founders of the archaeological study of Istanbul, A.M. Schneider (German Archaeological Institute). He discovered the remains of a colonnade from the era of Emperor Theodosius: eight meters west of the current exonarthex, two meters below its level, lay steps, column bases, architectural details (capitals, pieces of frieze, segments of arches, parts of ceilings and pediments, covered with beautiful carvings of classical art ). It became clear that during the construction of the times of Justinian, the ancient foundations were only filled up and they lie significantly below the floors of the current temple, awaiting further research.

In the photo below we can see the real remains of the Basilica of Theodosius, including the above-mentioned steps of this temple.
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Basilica of Theodosius

The Konstantinovsky and Theodosian temples were large five-nave basilicas. An idea of it is given by archaeological finds, which allow us to judge not only its impressive size but also its rich marble decoration. Also, based on its ancient descriptions, researchers conclude that above its side naves there were two-tiered galleries, similar to the Basilica of St. Irene, built simultaneously with it, which is located in close proximity to Hagia Sophia and was the main cathedral church of Constantinople before it.
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Basilica of Theodosius

The architectural elements of the Basilica of Theodosius amaze with the richness of their decoration. It is in this area of the open-air archaeological museum of Hagia Sophia that these same elements are collected.
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Fragment of an ornamental frieze
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Everything suggests that the structure was majestic and impressive in every sense.
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Here you can also find a large fragment of the famous porphyry column of the internal volume of Hagia Sophia from the Aurelian Temple of the Sun in Rome.
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Let's take a closer look, however, at the most interesting friezes “with lambs” from the archaeological site of the Basilica of Theodosius.
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The continuity of the Basilica of Theodosius of Hagia Sophia is undoubted in everything. And the inscription on the Gospel of Jesus from the architrave of St. Sophia in Church Slavonic is as follows: “...the Lord says: I am the door of the sheep; By Me whoever enters will be saved, and will go in and will come out, and will find pasture...”.

In general, opposite the entrance to Hagia Sophia, among the “forest” of ancient columns and numerous artifacts...
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There is a large “summer” cafe in the shade of the trees.
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Numerous sarcophagi, their lids and much more are placed here and there among the “cafe” tables)
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You sit like this at the table, look melancholy into the inside of the sarcophagi and somehow involuntarily remember Bulgakov’s expression - “but we are alive” about the fate of the “late Berlioz”. Somehow all this is arranged incorrectly in my opinion)
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Dear guests,

We visit:

1. Hagia Sophia

2. Topkapi Palace

3. Basilica Cistern

4. Blue Mosque

5. Roman Hippodrome

(P walking tour)

1. Hagia Sophia— This masterpiece of ancient Byzantine architecture was built in the 6th century by order of Emperor Justinian. Emperor Justinian opened it on Christmas Day, raising his hands to the sky and saying: “I have surpassed you, Solomon!” The costs of building the temple were enormous and amounted to three annual incomes of the Byzantine state, approximately 130 tons of gold. He is a symbol of the golden age of Byzantium. When it was built, the world began to divide the Eastern churches from the Western churches. It is the oldest Orthodox church in the world, 1,479 years old. It remained the largest Christian church in the world for 916 years (until the construction of St. Peter's in the Vatican in the 17th century). At the beginning of the 13th century, it was sacked by the Crusaders, and in the 15th century, the Ottomans, who captured the city, turned it into a mosque. And after the founding of the Turkish Republic (1923) in 1935, by decree of the state, it was turned into a museum. Now it has become the most popular object of the Byzantine period. The temple amazes with its scale and beautiful interior.

2. Topkapi Palace(Palace of the Ottoman Empire) - It was built in oriental style and is a medieval symbol of Ottoman statehood. The main parts of the palace were built during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in the 15th century. For 400 years, 25 sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived in this palace. The famous Sultan Roksalana, the wife of Sultan Suleiman, lived in the harem of the palace. Today the palace is a museum containing the harem, courtyards, palace kitchen, pavilions, gardens, spiritual treasures, precious stones and objects, and a courtyard with beautiful views of the Bosphorus. From here, the Ottomans ruled the empire for 400 years, stretching across Europe and Asia, the East and the West.

3. Basilica Cistern(Underground Reservoir) - In the 6th century, during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, a huge reservoir was built in the acropolis of the old city. It is located in the historical center next to the Hagia Sophia. The cistern stored a large supply of drinking water in case of drought or siege of the city. About 100 thousand tons of water fit here. At the base of the two columns are the inverted heads of the Gorgon Medusa - one looking down and the other looking to the side. Historians still cannot figure out where these heads of Medusa were brought from. Even today it is the largest Roman underground reservoir in Europe.

4. Blue Mosque— The mosque was built in the 17th century directly opposite the St. Sophia Church by order of Sultan Ahmed I. The name “Blue Mosque” was derived from the 21,043 blue, green and white ceramic tiles that were used in interior decoration. Flowers of tulips, hyacinths, pomegranates, roses, grapes and cypress decorate the tiles. There are more than 50 different completed compositions and patterns in the mosque. In addition, thanks to 260 stained glass windows, the spaciousness and grandeur of the mosque is felt. The unique arrangement of the windows creates the impression that the dome is suspended in the air. The only mosque with 6 minarets in Turkey. The Blue Mosque is one of the symbols of the city.

5. Roman Hippodrome- After the city became part of the Roman Empire, Emperor Septimius Severus built a large Hippodrome in the 3rd century for the entertainment of the people, where chariot races, gladiator fights and circuses were held, like the Colosseum in Rome. The capacity of the hippodrome was about 100 thousand people. It was the heart of the political and sporting life of Constantinople for 500 years. Here you can see the oldest monument in Istanbul - the Egyptian Obelisk, which is 3,500 years old. It was brought from Egypt in the 4th century and weighs about 100 tons. The Obelisk of Constantine VII and the Serpentine Column are also located here. The Crusaders took away the precious monuments located at the Hippodrome, and today only these three monuments remain there.

The price includes the services of a licensed guide. Price does not include – Entrance fees to museums (Temple Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern) Tour duration: 5-8 hours