Sultanahmet Square or the Hippodrome of Constantinople is a square in Istanbul, Turkey. Previously, it was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos, horse, and dromos, path or way. For this reason, it is sometimes also called Atmeydanı in Turkish. Horse racing and chariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and hippodromes were common features of Greek cities in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras
The Hippodrome (At Meydanı) was a of course a horse-racing track, what’s in the name. But during the Byzantine Empire, the hippodrome was not only used for chariot races. Court ceremonies, coronations and parades also took place at the hippodrome, making it the sporting and social center of Byzantine life for over 1000 years. The reason why some refer to it as the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
The Sultanahmet Square, also known as Hippodrome and surrounded by the famous Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Museum and Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, one of the most famous tourist areas in Istanbul, as well as a popular meeting point.The area is very impressive tourist zone of the Sultanahmet neighborhood on the Historical Peninsula that leads to all historical sites around Sultanahmet.
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