Category: Culturel
Type: Monument
Location: Sultanahmet Square, Fatih
Date: 1450 BC and 390
Designer: Unknown
Period: Roman Empire
Photo: Istanbul GoTürkiye
The Obelisk of Theodosius, located in the Hippodrome of Constantinople—now known as Sultanahmet Square—is an ancient Egyptian monument originally commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15th century BC to stand at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor. It was transported to Constantinople in the 4th century AD by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, who had it erected on a decorative marble pedestal in 390 AD to celebrate his imperial power. Carved from red granite, the monolith features Egyptian hieroglyphs praising the military victories of the Pharaoh, while its Roman-era base displays intricate bas-reliefs depicting the Emperor and his court watching chariot races and presiding over the installation of the monument. Despite losing nearly one-third of its original height during transport or re-erection, the obelisk remains one of the best-preserved ancient artifacts in Istanbul, representing a unique architectural fusion of Egyptian antiquity and East Roman imperial grandeur.
