it's not a hippodrome anymore, it's a cementer "square" but more rectangle though. the only thing of the hippodrome that's left are the obelisks, one is from egypt but it's only half it's original size. it's near the mosques so you don't have to go out of your way to see it, but it's nothing special. if no one told you it used to be a hippodrome you'd just walk past it.

You will most likely pass the Hippodrome as it is in the Old City and on your way to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. There are three monuments, including two Obelisks, one dating back to 1500 BC. It could hold 10,000 people.

Smack in the center of Sultanahmet, every tourist will walk the Hippodrome, whether they realize it or not. There's a few features that demand your attention : the obelisk, the Delphi Serpent Column. One major attraction is missing : the four horses originally yoked to a four-horse chariot, which the Venetians looted in 1204 from the Hippodrome in Constantinople. They now adorn the façade of the basilica of St Mark.

I visited the Hippodrome on my recent visit to Istanbul. It is the area in the Sultanahment District that is between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. It is a park area today, but in Roman times it was the location of the ancient Hippodrome where they had the famous roman chariot races. It is a beautiful place and it is worth a visit.

Hippodrome is located in the heart of Istanbul, between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. It is a huge park area now but in Roman times it was the location of the ancient Hippodrome where they had the famous roman chariot races. It is worth visiting! Perfect photo place!

Some fascinating history surrounds this place. Great to walk round and look at the obelisks which remain. Or just sit and watch the world go by. Hard to imagine 100k people were about to watch chariot races. Worth time reading the info on the obelisks as well.

The ancient Byzantine racing track is now known as Sultanahmet Square. Nothing of the original stands or tracks of the Hippodrome remain. Here you can see the the remaining two-thirds of the obelisk of Theodosius, originally the obelisk of Thutmose III from the temple of Karnak, transported from Egypt to here in 390 AD. Another monument brought to the Hippodrome was the Serpent Column from Delphi of which only the column (and not the three heads) is left. It is easy enough to visit as it is near the Blue Mosque, the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum but don't expect to see any remainders of the Hippodrome itself.

This is now a large square but used to be the Byzantine Race Track. There are statues and obilisks still standing and there are pits too showing the original ground level artefacts. You need either a guide book or someone telling you what things are and what timeframe they are from.

Whilst no longer in its complete state this was the area used by the Romans for their chariot races and today it includes a number of art pieces and obelisks. Nice to walk around and imagine the scene. The German Fountain is a particularly nice piece to stop and admire. Worth finding a guide to impart the history of the art pieces for you.

Most overseas visitors to Istanbul who walked around this space don't even realize what it once was, many centuries ago; A Grand Horse-Chariot Racing Arena in Constantinople! Today, there is nothing much to shout about, the Hippodrome is less than a pale shadow of its former self, it has disappeared into oblivion! Anyway, it is a nice spacious public square to wander around, the attractions nearby, such as the Blue Mosque is more worthy of your vacation time in this magnificent city.