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Binbirdirek in İstanbul in Fatih, Turkey — West Asia or Southeast Europe
 

Obelisk of Theodosius

Theodosius Dikilitaş (Obelisk)

 
 
Obelisk of Theodosius Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 4, 2015
1. Obelisk of Theodosius Marker
Inscription. English:
The obelisk was originally set up by Tutmoses III of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt in close to 1450 BC along with a similar one in front of the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak.

Inscribed on the obelisk is an Egyptian hieroglyph script, still clearly distinguishable. The script reads that it was in his father's honor that Tutmoses erected an obelisk at Karnak and a monument in Mesopotamia. Depictions of the Pharaoh and Amun-Re are also featured on it.

Several obelisks were transported from Egypt to Rome. It was Constantine the Great who displaced this one in order to decorate his new capital, yet the delivery took long for unknown reasons. It was during the reign of Theodosius I that the obelisk was re-erected in its current place.

The stone piece now stands 19.59 meters tall, which is shorter than and most probably only two thirds of its original size. The base has been significantly (sic) smoothened with an eventual gash up one of the hieroglyphs in the middle. It may be that the monument was broken during handling or deliberately damaged to take off the burden to a certain degree.

The obelisk is placed on a marble pedestal. On two sides of the main part are inscriptions in Ancient Greek and Latin. Featuring on all four faces are hieroglyphs.

The base of the pedestal
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got buried in time during the Ottoman era due to the rising ground level, which was excavated and unearthed up until the bottom level by the British researcher C.T. Newton in April 1857.The pedestal has ever since been located in a square-shaped hole encircled by iron railings.

The marble pedestal was set up when the obelisk was re-erected at the Hippodrome along with various depictions among which is the re-erection itself. The scenes on the pedestal depict chariot races with the Emperor in attendance.

Turkish:
Bu Dikiltaş ilk olarak eski Mısır'da 18. Sülale hükümdarlarından III. Tutmosis adına M.Ö 1459'ye yakın bir tarihte, bir benzeri ile birlikte, Karnak'taki Amon-Ra Mabedi önüne yerleştirtmiştir.

Obeliskin üzerindeki Mısır'in hiyeroglif yazısı net bir biçimde görülmektedir. Bu yazı, Tutmosis'in babası için Karnak'ta bir obelisk diktirdiǧini ve Mezopotamya'da bir anıt yaptırdıǧını anlatmaktadır. Üzerinde Firavun'la tanrı Amon Ra'nın resimleri de vardır. Yeni Roma kentine Mısır'dan çok sayıda obelisk taşınmıştır. Büyük Konstantin de kendı kurduǧu yeni başkenti süslemek için bu obeliski yerinden söktürmüş ancak buraya getirilmesi bilmediǧimiz nedenlerle
Theodosius Dikilitaş (Obelisk) Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 4, 2015
2. Theodosius Dikilitaş (Obelisk) Marker
uzun süre gecikmiştir. I. Theodosius zamanında şimdi bulunduǧu yere dikilmiştir.

19,59 m yüksekliǧindeki taşın ırk halini daha yüksek olduǧu ve bugüne kalan kısmının, aslının ancak üçte ikisini oluşturduğu söylenebilir. Anıtın alt kısmı muntazam bir briçimde düzletirmiş ve bu arada da hiyerogliflerden bin tam ortasından kesilmiştir. Anıt, taşıma sırasında kırılmış ya da bir dereceye kadar hafifletilmesi amacıyla kesilmiş olması da mümkündür.

Dikilitaş mermerden bir kaide üzerine oturtulmuştur. Kaidenin yine mermerden yapılmış temel kısmının iki yüzüne Grekçe ve Latince kitabeler işlenmiştir. Dikilitaş'ın dört yüzünde hiyeroglifler yer almaktadır.
Osmanlı dönemi boyunca Dikilitaş etrafındaki zemim zamanla yükseldiǧi için kaidenin alt kısmı topraǧa gömülmüştür. İngiliz araştırmacı C T. Newton, Nısan 1857'de kaidenin etrafında bir kazı yaparak en alt seviyeye kadar açmıştır. Bu tarihten beri Dikilitaş'ın kaidesi, etrafı demir parmaklıklı kare bir çukurun içerisinde bulunmaktadır.
Hıpodrom'a
Obelisk of Theodosius Marker (Arabic) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 4, 2015
3. Obelisk of Theodosius Marker (Arabic)
konulurken obelisk için mermerden bir kaide ve çeşitli kabarmalar arasında taşın dikilişini gösteren bir resim yapılmıştır. Hipodrom'u süslemek için getirilen obeliskin kaidesinde burada yapılan araba yarışlarını ve onları seyreden İmparator'u resmeden kabartmalar bulunmaktadır.

Arabic: To read the Arabic text, click on the Arabic image to enlarge it.
 
Erected by Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality).
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Landmarks. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1857.
 
Location. 41° 0.352′ N, 28° 58.521′ E. Marker is in İstanbul, in Fatih. It is in Binbirdirek. Marker is on Atmeydanı Caddesi close to Terzihane Sokak, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Atmeydanı Cd 53, İstanbul 34122, Turkey. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Walled Obelisk (within shouting distance of this marker); Serpent Column (within shouting distance of this marker); German Fountain (about 180 meters away, measured in a direct line); St. Euphemia's Martyrion (about 210 meters away); Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I (about 210 meters away);
Obelisk of Theodosius image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 4, 2015
4. Obelisk of Theodosius
The Walled Obelisk is in the background.
Cistern of Philoxenos (about 240 meters away); Firuz Aga Mosque (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); Kapi Agasi Mahmud Aga Mosque (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in İstanbul.
 
More about this marker. This obelisk is located near the southwest end of the Hippodrome, you cannot miss it.
 
Obelisk of Theodosius image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 3, 2015
5. Obelisk of Theodosius
Base of the Obelisk of Theodosius image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 3, 2015
6. Base of the Obelisk of Theodosius
<i>Constantinople. Place de L'Hippodrome (Obélisque) image. Click for full size.
circa 1910
7. Constantinople. Place de L'Hippodrome (Obélisque)
<I>Salut de Constantinople. Obélisque de L'Hippodrome.</i> image. Click for full size.
circa 1910
8. Salut de Constantinople. Obélisque de L'Hippodrome.
The Obelisk of Theodosius is on the left, the much smaller Serpent Column is visible in the center, and the Walled Obelisk is on the left.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 498 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 25, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.   7, 8. submitted on July 19, 2015. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

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Apr. 19, 2024