The Obelisk of Theodosius is the pink granite needle in Sultanahmet Square, the site of the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople, a few steps from the Blue Mosque. It was carved for the pharaoh Thutmose III around 3,450 years ago and stood at the temple of Karnak in Egypt, which makes it the oldest monument in Istanbul. The Roman emperor Theodosius I set it up here in 390 AD, on a marble base that shows him watching the chariot races.
The Obelisk of Theodosius at a glance
- Where: Sultanahmet Square (At Meydanı), on the line of the old Hippodrome, between the Blue Mosque and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.
- Created: in the 15th century BC for Thutmose III; re-erected in Constantinople in 390 AD.
- What it is: a red granite obelisk from Aswan, today about 19.6 metres tall, perhaps two-thirds of its original height, set on bronze blocks and a carved marble base.
- What it is today: an open-air monument in a public square, free to see at any time.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes, more if you want to read all four sides of the base.
From the Nile to the Bosphorus
Thutmose III, one of Egypt's great warrior kings, had the obelisk made as one of a pair in front of the seventh pylon of the temple of Amun at Karnak, in today's Luxor. Its hieroglyphs praise him and record his campaigns in Syria, including his crossing of the Euphrates. In the 4th century AD the emperor Constantius II had it shipped down the Nile to Alexandria in 357, and it then lay by the shore for more than thirty years before it continued to Constantinople.
In 390 Theodosius I had it raised on the spina, the central barrier of the Hippodrome, where it joined other trophies brought from around the empire. The work was organised by Proclus, prefect of the city. The obelisk probably broke during transport or a first attempt to lift it, which is why only the upper part survives. The Hippodrome was the stage of Byzantine public life for centuries, with crowds of tens of thousands cheering the chariot teams. After the Ottoman conquest of 1453 the track gradually disappeared under buildings and later under today's square, but the obelisk stayed where Theodosius put it.
What to look for
- The hieroglyphs on all four sides of the shaft: Thutmose III's names and titles, and at the top, scenes of the pharaoh making offerings to the god Amun-Re. They are still remarkably sharp.
- The bronze blocks at the corners: the obelisk does not rest directly on the base but on four small bronze cubes.
- The Theodosian base: on one side the emperor and his family watch from the imperial box, with kneeling barbarians bringing gifts below; on another he holds a victory wreath above musicians, dancers and a water organ.
- The engineering scenes: one relief shows workers raising the obelisk with ropes and winches; another shows the Hippodrome itself, with the obelisk standing on the spina and four-horse chariots racing past.
- The two inscriptions: a Latin one on one side and a Greek one on the opposite side, both praising Theodosius and Proclus. Notice that the lower part of the base sits below the level of today's square: the ground has risen since Byzantine times.
Thirty days or thirty-two?
Read the two inscriptions and you'll find they disagree. The Latin verses say the 'difficult' task was done in 'thrice ten days', while the Greek couplets say Proclus raised it in 32 days. Nobody knows which is right. Proclus himself did not enjoy the glory for long: he fell from favour and was executed in 393, and his name was chiselled out of the Greek inscription, then restored after Theodosius died. The obelisk's bronze cap was blown off in a violent storm in 869.
Tips for your visit
- Walk all the way round the base: each side tells a different part of the story.
- Come early in the morning or in the evening, when the square is quieter and the low light shows up the hieroglyphs.
- Pair it with the other Hippodrome monuments in a single stroll: they stand in a line along the old spina within a couple of minutes' walk.
Nearby
- Serpentine Column: the bronze column a few steps away, made to celebrate the Greek victory over the Persians at Plataea in 479 BC and brought from Delphi.
- Walled Obelisk: the rough stone obelisk at the southern end of the square, built from blocks rather than carved from a single stone.
- German Fountain: the octagonal domed fountain at the northern end, a gift from the German Emperor Wilhelm II, opened in 1901.
- Blue Mosque: the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, right beside the square, with its six minarets and blue-tiled interior.
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Facts checked in October 2026.