Obelisk of Theodosius by junge1
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Description
The Obelisk of Theodosius stands near the southern end of the Hippodrome not too far from the entrance to the Blue Mosque.
The Hippodrome was the center of Byzantium's life for 1,000 years and of the Ottoman life for another 400, and the scene of countless political and military dramas. In Byzantine times, it was used for chariot races, and the rival chariot teams of 'Greens' and 'Blues' that raced there were politically connected.
The Obelisk that is now known as the Obelisk of Theodosius was first set up by Tutmoses III (1479-1425 BC) to the south of the Great Temple of Kamak. The obelisk is of red granite from Aswan and was originally 30 m tall. The lower part was damaged in antiquity. The obelisk today is only 18.54 m high.
Each of its four faces has a single central column of inscription, celebrating Tutmoses III's victory on the banks of the river Euphrates in 1450 BC.
The Roman Emperor Constantius II (337-361 AD) had it and another obelisk transported along the river Nile to Alexandria to commemorate his Ventennalia or 20 years on the throne in 357.
The obelisk stayed in Alexandria until 390, when Theodosius I (378-392 AD) had it transported to Constantinople and put up on the 'spina' of the Hippodrome there (Sources: Lonely Planet, Tarkey, 2001; Wikipedia).
This picture was taken on 29 June 2013,
Sig...
Comments (17)
Faemike55
Very cool capture and great history lesson Thanks Sig!
tigertim
Cool... those hieroglyphs still look sharp as a pin , and thanks for the background info Sig, an interesting read!
Richardphotos
so interesting Sig. thanks for sharing your journeys
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God bless.
auntietk
Such crisp lines ... it looks quite modern!
Juliette.Gribnau
cool shot; great pov
starship64
Great shot.
dakotabluemoon
A very nice piece of history here.
drifterlee
Lovely shot!
ontar1
Cool, outstanding capture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nefertiabet
Wonderful photo and info my friend!!!
farmerC
Fantastic shot.
flavia49
fabulous image
rawdodb
Gorgeous shot!!!!
pixelmeister
Cool capture!
angora
wonderful!! and THX! only knew about the obelisk in Paris
danapommet
I can't imagine something that old has survived all those years. It doesn't seem that the reduction in height has taken away any of it's power. An amazing photo Sig!