Walled Obelisk

Coordinates: 41°00′19.43″N 28°58′29.44″E / 41.0053972°N 28.9748444°E / 41.0053972; 28.9748444
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Constantine Obelisk" redirects here. For the column also in Istanbul, see
Constantine's Column
.
Walled Obelisk
Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul, Turkey)
Walled Obelisk is located in Istanbul
Walled Obelisk

The Walled Obelisk or Masonry Obelisk (

Serpentine Column. Its original construction date in late antiquity is unknown, but it is sometimes named Constantine's Obelisk (Konstantin Dikilitaşı) after the inscription added by the Roman emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus
, who repaired it in the 10th century.

History

Walled Obelisk, (left) the Serpent Column (centre) and the Obelisk of Theodosius (right). At Meydanı (Hippodrome of Constantinople), 1853

The 32 m (105 ft)-high The obelisk was most likely a

circus of Constantinople; the Circus Maximus in Rome also had two obelisks on its spina.[2]

The 10th-century emperor Constantine VII had the monument restored and coated with plates of gilt bronze; a Greek inscription in iambic trimeter was added at this time.[2] The inscription mentions the repair works carried out by Constantine VII and compares it to the colossus in Rhodes.[1] In addition to this the inscription also mentions the name of his son and successor, Romanos II.[1]

By the 10th and 11th centuries, the obelisk was referred to as the 'tower of

potsherds and nuts amongst the masonry in order to see them crack when strong winds would cause the stones to shift.[3]

At that time, it was decorated with gilded bronze plaques that portrayed the victories of Basil I, the grandfather of Constantine VII.

The obelisk's gilded bronze plaques were removed and melted down by the Fourth Crusaders in 1204.[2]

Since young

Janissaries
liked to show their prowess by climbing the obelisk, the masonry suffered further damage to its surface.

The Walled Obelisk was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 500 lira banknotes of 1953–1976.[4]

Inscription

The inscription in iambic trimeters commemorating the Obelisk's restoration by Constantine VII is as follows:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Walled Obelisk". Madain Project. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  2. ^
    OCLC 462820
    .
  3. OCLC 462820
    .
  4. ^ Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Archived 2009-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. Banknote Museum: 5. Emission Group – Five Hundred Turkish Lira – I. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, II. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, III. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine & IV. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.

Bibliography

External links

41°00′19.43″N 28°58′29.44″E / 41.0053972°N 28.9748444°E / 41.0053972; 28.9748444

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