Salvaging Materials from the Hippodrome

Süleymaniye Mosque is an example of an Ottoman structure that took inspiration and materials from Byzantine architecture. A central dome, the use of pendentives or squinches, mosaics, and hand-crafted tiles are examples of architectural and artistic elements that both styles of architecture share.

When building the Süleymaniye Mosque, chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan incorporated some of the massive marble columns from the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome of Constantinople was once a grand arena capable of holding up to 100,000 spectators. It was also a key site for the aforementioned Nika riots in 532 CE. Today, all that remains from the original structure are the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpent Column, Constantine’s Obelisk, several substructures, and seating areas. The oval shape of the arena can be seen as an outline in Sultanahmet Square.

The practice of using spolia, or salvaged materials, became fairly common in Ottoman architecture. A common throughline in religious Byzantine and Ottoman architecture is that these structures were often designed and constructed with rituals in mind. They were also intentionally built to be monumental, grand, and to enshroud worshippers with the presence of divinity.