Day 2 in Istanbul, continued: The Milion Monument Hippodrome, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.

After lunch, we visited the Milion Monument, which marked the beginning of the Roman way, the Via Egnetia, which led to all the European cities.

We  then wove our way through a market, which was obviously appealing to locals, but which did very little for me, to the site of the Roman Hippodrome.  Although there is little evidence of the racecourse, these obelisks still, amazingly, exist.  The first was this 1450 BC Obelisk of Thesodius.  Originally  from Egypt, it was brought to Turkey in the 4th Century AD by Emperor Thesodius I.  It sits on top of a  plinth which depicts scenes with Emperor but looks much more modern.  I found its presence in Istanbul ironic, because, as we have visited the museums, there have been very pointed complaints about the amount of Turkish treasures which have been removed from Turkish soil by European countries like France, Germany and Denmark, which all refuse to return them.  I wondered whether Turkey would return the treasures it has taken from other countries?

The second monument is the remains of the 4th Century AD Serpent column.  Made of bronze, it was taken from Delphi by Constantine I in 324.

The third monument is the Walled Obelisk which was originally covered in gilded stone plaques and was built in the 10th Century AD by Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus.

We next entered the Museum of Turkish and Islamic arts, a converted Ottoman palace which has part of the Hippodrome building on display.  It also has a collection of fascinating artefacts which remind one of how many cultures influenced Turkey and still do. I thought this mural fragment looked rather Asian:

and I thought this looked a bit Scandinavian

This tile on the other hand seems to have definite Arabic influences.

However, my favourite pieces were the collection of old carpets.  They were really beautiful and in amazing condition considering their age.  

After this extremely busy day, we decided to wend our way back to the hotel.  On the way, we discovered the most beautiful shops which sold jewellery, carpets, hats and fabric.  If I feel very rich later on, I may return to the Mehmet Cetinkaya Gallery.  Its wares are so beautiful.