HISTORICAL SITES AND MONUMENTS Sultan Ahmet Square In front of the Blue Mosque is the site of the ancient Hippodrome, the scene of chariot races and the centre of Byzantine civic life. On the monuments which once decorated it only three remain: the Obelisk of Teodosius, the bro nze Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine. Remains from the curved end section of the Hippodrome's wall can be seen to the south of the these three monuments. Today, it is the center of historical, cultural and touristic activities. The square, with its surroundings, is like an open-air museum. The l8th century houses on Sogukcesme Street, delightfully restored, are now guest houses for tourists and also contain a fascinating library of books on Istanbul.

Ahmet III Fountain Standing at the entrance to Topkapi Palace and built in 1729 as a gift to Ahmet III, it is one ot the most magnificent free-standing fountains. Highly ornamented and covered with a pointed roof with deep eaves, it is a fine exam ple of fountain architecture.

Rumeli Hisari The Rumelian Fortress, built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 prior to the conquest of Istanbul, was completed in only four months. One of the most beautiful works of military architecture anywhere in the world, it is now used as the setting for some of the events of the Istanbul Festival. (Open every day except Mondays)

Galata Tover This huge tower, built by the Genoese in 1348, is 62 meters high. From the top there is a wonderful view of the Golden Horn and the Istanbul Bogazi. It now houses a restaurant, night club and bar.

Beyazit Tower Situated on the grounds of Istanbul University, it was built by Mahmut II in 1828 as a fire tower, and is 85 meters high.

The Istanbul Land Walls Built in the 5th century by the Emperor Theodosius II, the walls (with some sections completely restored) stretch 7 km trom the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn. With many towers and bastions, they were once the mightiest fortifications in Christendom. UNESCO has declared the land walls, and the area which they enclose, one of the cultural heritages of the world.

Bozdogan-Valens Aqueduct Built by the Emperor Valens in 36B AD, this aqueduct supplied the Byzantine and later the Ottoman palaces with water. About 900 meters of the double tier arches remain.

Kiz Kulesi (The Tower of Leander) Known as Leander's Tower, Kiz Kulesi is one of the romantic symbols of Istanbul. First constructed in the l2th century on a tiny islet at the entrance to Istanbul Harbor the present building dates from the 18th c entury.

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Melih Özbek

melih@knidos.cc.metu.edu.tr