The Knitted Column, which is 32 meters high, was made in a form that tapers towards the top. Normally, there was an obelisk in the middle of the hippodromes built during the Roman period. However, similar to the Circus Maximus hippodrome in Rome, which has two obelisks, a second obelisk was erected at the hippodrome in Istanbul to glorify the city. It is unknown who erected the Knitted Column, which is thought to have been erected in the fourth century AD. The inscription on the marble pedestal under the column facing the Blue Mosque reads, "This high four-faced monument, eroded over time, was transformed into a better form than we saw before by Emperor Constantine, the pride of the Empire." Colossus of Rhodes surprised; This bronze-covered column aroused admiration.” From this information, the column was built by Constantine VII. It is understood that it was repaired during the time of Porpyrogennetos (913-959). During this repair, the body of the Knitted Column and three sides of its footing were decorated with gilded bronze plates. During the crusades in 1204, people from Western Europe plundered the city and took away the brass around the column, thinking they were gold.

Александр Владимиров

Level 30 Local Expert

I will start not with the story, but with the truth of life -) Thanks to the Obelisk of Constantine, I learned the difference between a column and an obelisk. A column is most often a cylindrical support, while an obelisk is a monolithic, tapering four-sided pillar that is a monument or memorial. Yes, and the second point is that it is important not to confuse the Obelisk of Constantine and the Column of Constantine - these two monuments are relatively close, but they look completely different (and, of course, have different histories). Now to the point -) Of the three obelisks standing on the square, this one is probably the "newest" one. But even the exact date of its installation is unknown, there is a version that it was in the IV century. and Emperor Constantine put it, but this is inaccurate. It is only known that in the 10th century AD the obelisk was restored (as the plaque reminds us). During the time of the Crusaders, the monument was looted, the gilded plates that covered the obelisk were removed, and the golden (or gilded statue, or ball) was removed from above. After that, the monument was slowly destroyed, but now, fortunately, it is fenced off from tourists and locals and, in my opinion, fits well into the architectural ensemble of the square where the Constantinople hippodrome used to be.

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Pavel Sindrevich

Level 30 Local Expert

One of the symbols of Istanbul. The image of this obelisk was even at one time on banknotes with a face value of 500 lira. Time, but most of all, people have thoroughly battered him. The obelisk is not solid, but composite. It was once crowned by a female figure on a weather vane, which is why it got its name "servant of the wind" Anemodulin in Greek. It is known for certain that it was restored in the 10th century. The obelisk was lined with gilded bronze slabs. But the Crusaders captured Constantinople, tore them off and, in all likelihood, melted them down. Then the young janissaries began to climb to the top of the obelisk. They also messed up a lot. Its current appearance is generally unpresentable, but it is still worth taking a look at it, taking into account the history. By the way, for some reason the obelisk of Constantine is often confused with the Egyptian obelisk or with the column of Constantine, apparently due to inattention, since all these monuments are completely different.

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