Category: Culturel
Type: Monument
Location: Molla Fenari, Vezirhan Ave. Fatih
Date: 330
Period: Roman Empire
Designer: Unknown
Photo: Hamza Yardımcıoğlu (anahtartv.com)
The Column of Constantine, known in Turkish as Çemberlitaş, was erected in 330 AD to commemorate the dedication of Constantinople as the new capital of the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine the Great. Originally situated at the center of the monumental Forum of Constantine, the structure was constructed using massive porphyry drums brought from Heliopolis in Egypt, initially reaching a height of approximately fifty meters and topped with a gilded statue of the Emperor depicted as Apollo. Architecturally, the column is a rare surviving example of Roman honorary monuments in Istanbul, characterized by its distinct purple-red stone which was historically reserved for imperial use. Throughout the centuries, the monument suffered extensive damage from earthquakes and fires, most notably the Great Fire of 1779, which blackened the stone and led to the addition of the iron reinforcing hoops by Sultan Mustafa II in 1701 to prevent the cracked drums from collapsing, ultimately giving the column its modern descriptive name.
