Walled Obelisk

The Walled Obelisk

The Walled Obelisk, Constantine Obelisk or Masonry Obelisk (Turkish: Örme Dikilitaş or Konstantin Dikilitaşı) is situated near the Serpentine Column at the southern side of the Hippodrome of Constantinople (now Sultanahmet Square) in Istanbul, Turkey. Its original construction date is unknown, but it is named after Constantine VII, who repaired it in the tenth century.

History

The 32 m (105 ft)-high obelisk was reconstructed of roughly cut stones by Constantine VII. At that time, it was reportedly decorated with gilded bronze plaques that portrayed the victories of Basil I, the grandfather of Constantine VII. Also there was a sphere at the top of the obelisk. However, reportedly these gilded bronze plaques were stolen and melted down by Fourth Crusaders in 1204.

Since young Janissaries liked to use the obelisk to climb and show their prowess, the obelisk suffered further damage to its surface.

The Walled Obelisk was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 500 lira banknotes of 1953–1976.[1]


Notes and references

  1. ^ Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Archived 2009-06-03 at WebCite. Banknote Museum: 5. Emission Group – Five Hundred Turkish Lira – I. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, II. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, III. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine & IV. Series Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.
  • "The Walled Obelisk". Archived from the original on 2006-09-12. Retrieved 2006-09-16.
  • "The Walled Obelisk". Archived from the original on 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2006-09-16.

External links

Media related to Walled Obelisk at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 41°00′19.43″N 28°58′29.44″E / 41.0053972°N 28.9748444°E / 41.0053972; 28.9748444


This page was last updated at 2019-11-13 21:56 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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