Obelisk / German Fountain / Brick Column / Basilica Cistern

Obelisk

It is the obelisk placed in front of the Carnac Temple to monumentalize the Egyptian Pharaoh III. Turmosis’ passage across the Euphrates River in B.C. 1471. Obelisk is pink granite and one-piece and four-cornered and there are hieroglyphic scripts on it. Such obelisk, which is brought from Egypt to Constantinople in the period of Emperor Great Theodosios (378-395), is placed in its place in the Hippodrome in 390.

German Fountain

Fountain, located in the Horse Square (Hippodrome), which was built by architects Spitta and Carlitzik and Italian architect Joseph Antony in 1899-1901 by order of German Emperor II. Wilhelm in honor of the 15th anniversary of the accession of Sultan II. Abdülhamit’s accession to the throne, is brought to Istanbul and assembled in its place. Fountain is a structure which is a mixture of German Renaissance, Byzantine and Ottoman water tanks with a fountain with ophite columns on marmoreal octagonal base and round archways among them and with its copper covered dome. Dome is covered with golden mosaic from inside and intials and signuteres of emperor and sultan are engraved.

Brick Column

This is an obelisk made of bricks. This brick column was covered with bronze plates in its time. Probably, the Brick Column, which was supposed to be built in the period of Emperor Constantine the Great, was repaired in the period of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenetos (913-959). While the city was sacked during the IV. Crusade in 1204, bronze plates of the columns was destroyed.

Wreathed Column

Wreathed Column, which is cast by melting bronze booties obtained by Greeks from Persians whom they defeated in Salamis and Platea battles in 479 B.C., is presented to Temple of Apollo in Delphi Island. The column is composed of three intertwined snakes. There is a golden trivet on three snakes. There is a golden trivet on three snake heads, separated from each other at the top, and a golden vessel in diameter of about three meters on this trivet. When the Emperor Great Constantine (306-337) had this column brought here from the island of Delphi in 330, the trivet and vessel on the Wreathed Column were missing.

Basilica Cistern

Cistern is built in 527 by Emperor Iustinianos I and constructed to convey water for Hagia Sophia and Emperorship Palace. Cistern is named after Basilica, which is located here in front and in the position of cultural center. Furthermore, it is also known as Iustinianos Cistern. When Turks who came to Anatolia for the first time encountered a cistern, they took it for an underground column forest for the first time, they call here as Yerebatan Cistern because they likened this place to a palace going down to the ground. Cistern is used to be fed by water, carried by Valens (Bozdoğan) aqueducts. Basilica Cistern is the only cistern that maintained its function in Istanbul until the close periods. It even provided water for the gardens of Topkapi Palace. Basilica Cistern is in the form of rectangle and in the sizes of 65x138m. There are 336 columns (12×28) supporting cross vaults with 8 meters ground clearance in the cistern. It can be seen that two mythological marble heads of Medusa, one on its side and the other upside down, are placed under two short columns in the cistern. After restoration and cleaning works carried out inside the cistern by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality between 1985-1987, walkwats are built inside the cistern and it is opened for public visit.

Million Stone

There was Augustinian Square, surrounded with colonnaded cloisters in 36 in front of Hagia Sophia Church in Byzantine Age. Monumental Million Stone (Milestone) is erected in the beginning point no: 0 (zero) of Mese Avenue (Divanyolu) in the center of Istanbul and the road, named as “Triumph Way of Byzantine”, and going from Istanbul to Rome in Basilica Cistern side of this square. Top of this stone was decorated with sculptures and reliefs in its time. It is widely told firs erected milestone is “Golden Million Stone”. There are remains of water gauge, belonging to Ottoman period and rising like a tower and adjusting water pressure and damaged consiiderably, immediately near this stone.

Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (Ibrahim Pasha Palace)

There was Augustinian Square, surrounded with colonnaded cloisters in 36 in front of Hagia Sophia Church in Byzantine Age. Monumental Million Stone (Milestone) is erected in the beginning point no: 0 (zero) of Mese Avenue (Divanyolu) in the center of Istanbul and the road, named as “Triumph Way of Byzantine”, and going from Istanbul to Rome in Basilica Cistern side of this square. Top of this stone was decorated with sculptures and reliefs in its time. It is widely told firs erected milestone is “Golden Million Stone”. There are remains of water gauge, belonging to Ottoman period and rising like a tower and adjusting water pressure and damaged consiiderably, immediately near this stone.

The art works exhibited in the museum are composed of carpet art collection, wood art collection, manuscripts and calligraphy collection, stone art collection, metal art collection, ceramics and glass art collections. The richest of these collections is the carpet collection, which contains the most beautiful models of the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The most beautiful models of rugs, prayer rugs and carpets from Uşak, Gördes, Bergama, Ladik, Milas, Sivas, Konya and Kars are exhibited. It is possible to see extremely unique art of other collections in the museum. Some of them are Siyer-i Nebi by the famous calligrapher Ahmet Karahisari, explaining the Koran and the life of the prophets, and work called Zübde-tüt Tevarih with miniature, recording the Turkish and Islamic history until the reign of Sultan III. Murat, Koran case covers with the pearl inlay and reading desks, wooden sarcophagus dated 1251 by Seyyit Mahmut Hayrani and also excellent models of metal, glass, tile and calligraphy arts. In addition, the museum also has the ethnographic arts section. Carpet and rug looms, wowen pieces, wool dying techniques, collected from different regions of Anatolia costumes are exhibited in their local richness and household wares, handicrafts, handicraft equipment, migratory tents are exhibited in their peculiar locations here.