Çemberlitaş Column (Constantine Column)
Located in the Çemberlitaş district, at the heart of Istanbul, this column is among the city’s most recognizable Roman-era monuments. The Çemberlitaş Column was erected in the early 4th century in honor of Emperor Constantine I. It is said to have been brought from the Temple of Apollo in Rome and set in the city’s central square, the Forum of Constantine, as a triumphal monument symbolizing the founding of Constantine’s New Rome. At its top once stood a bronze statue of the sun god Helios, later reinterpreted as an image of Constantine himself. Over the centuries, the column endured earthquakes and fires. The statue eventually fell during the late Byzantine period and was replaced by a cross, which was removed after the conquest of Istanbul. A major fire in 1515 caused serious damage, darkening the surface and creating cracks. Toward the end of the 17th century, Sultan Mustafa II reinforced the structure by adding a stone base and encircling the shaft with iron bands. From that point on, it became known among locals as “Çemberlitaş,” meaning “the ringed stone.”
Today, standing at around 35 meters, the Çemberlitaş Column continues to captivate visitors with a layered story that spans the city’s founding legends to the age of empires. Nearby highlights include the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul’s most famous marketplace; the adjacent Nuruosmaniye Mosque; and the Tomb of Sultan Mahmud II.
Kıztaşı (Column of Marcian)
One of the few monuments to survive from the Byzantine period, the Kıztaşı Column rises in a small square of the same name in Istanbul’s Fatih district. Erected in the mid-5th century by the city’s governor, Tatianus, in honor of Emperor Marcianus, the column was intended as a triumphal monument to immortalize the emperor’s authority. Carved from a single block of reddish-gray Egyptian granite, Kıztaşı stands approximately 17 meters tall. It is topped with a Corinthian capital and an impost block, which, in Byzantine times, supported a bronze statue of Emperor Marcianus. The base of the column is a square white marble block, decorated on three sides with circular reliefs bearing cross motifs. The name “Kıztaşı,” meaning “Maiden’s Stone,” is surrounded by several local legends. The renowned Ottoman-Turkish explorer Evliya Çelebi, in his travelogue Seyahatnâme, mentions a mysterious belief that “a king’s daughter lies within the column.” Another tale tells of a young woman who carried the massive stone on her own until a jinn stopped her, forcing her to leave it where it stands today. Remarkably well-preserved, the column remains intact except for its missing statue and continues to hold architectural and cultural significance as one of Istanbul’s oldest Byzantine monuments. Nearby highlights include the Aqueduct of Valens, the Şehzade Mosque, and the Fatih Mosque, all within easy reach of this quietly powerful relic of the city’s past.
Column of the Goths
The Column of the Goths stands as one of Istanbul’s oldest surviving monuments, carrying the legacy of the Roman Empire into the present. It is believed to have been erected in the 3rd or 4th century to commemorate a victory over the Gothic tribes, attributed to either Emperor Claudius II or, possibly, Constantine I. The column is located at the tip of the Historic Peninsula in Sarayburnu, within Gülhane Park, the outer garden of Topkapı Palace. Rising to approximately 18.5 meters, the monument is carved from a single block of Proconnesian marble. Its Corinthian capital is decorated with eagle reliefs, and it is said that a statue of Tyche, the goddess of fortune, once crowned the top. The column takes its name from the inscription on its base, “DEVICTUS GOTHOS” (the Goths defeated). Hidden among tall trees like a quiet relic, it is one of the few works to have survived to the present day almost entirely unchanged since before the conquest of Istanbul. During the Ottoman era, locals regarded it as one of the city’s “enchanted columns,” believing it protected the city from enemy attacks as long as it stood. Nearby highlights include Gülhane Park itself, Topkapı Palace, and the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
Serpent Column (Twisted Column)
One of Istanbul’s oldest surviving monuments, the Serpent Column tells a striking story that reaches back to the ancient Greek world. Originally dating to the 5th century BC, this bronze column was erected in front of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi to commemorate the united victory of the Greek city-states over the Persians at the Battle of Plataea. The design, formed by three intertwined serpent heads, was inspired by the myth of Apollo defeating a dragon. When Emperor Constantine I declared Istanbul the capital of the empire, he ordered the monument brought to the city around AD 324 and placed at the center of the Hippodrome to strengthen its symbolic and spiritual power. Once believed to have stood about 8 meters tall, only the lower 5-meter section survives today. The golden bowl that once crowned the column disappeared in antiquity.
The three serpent heads remained atop the column until the late 17th century. Today, one of these serpent heads is on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. For centuries, the Serpent Column was regarded as a talisman that protected the city from snakes and other harmful insects. Despite its modest appearance today, this 2,500-year-old monument remains a powerful symbol of Istanbul’s uninterrupted cultural continuity between the ancient Greek and Byzantine worlds. Nearby highlights include Sultanahmet Square, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
Obelisk of Theodosius
Standing at the center of Sultanahmet Square, the Obelisk of Theodosius is one of Istanbul’s most striking monuments. Originally an ancient Egyptian obelisk commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15th century BC, it features four sides covered with hieroglyphs praising the pharaoh’s victories. It originally stood in Heliopolis, Egypt, and was brought to Constantinople in AD 390 by Emperor Theodosius I, who erected it in the Hippodrome. In doing so, the emperor sought to symbolize the power of his rule and the unity of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Carved from pink granite, the obelisk today stands approximately 25 meters tall, including its base, which is decorated with reliefs from the Theodosian period. Because the obelisk remained underground for more than a thousand years, its surface is remarkably well preserved. The hieroglyphic figures still retain much of the brilliance they had 3,500 years ago. Standing at the intersection of ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Byzantine civilizations, it is among the oldest artifacts in Istanbul. Nearby landmarks include the Hagia Sophia and the German Fountain.
Milyon Stone (Milion)
You have probably heard the phrase “All roads lead to Rome.” Its origin is tied to the monument known as the Golden Milestone, erected in ancient Rome by Emperor Augustus. When Emperor Constantine I moved the capital from Rome to Istanbul, he carried this tradition with him, determined that the “New Rome” would be as magnificent as the old. Today, the Milion stands as a modest stone fragment at the entrance to the Basilica Cistern, the surviving piece of a grand 4th-century structure known as a “tetrapylon.” Originally crowned by a dome and adorned with statues, this impressive monument stood on four columns and was accepted as the zero point of the Eastern Roman Empire. From Scotland to the Red Sea and from Morocco to the Tigris River, the vast Roman road network—stretching nearly 400,000 kilometers—was measured from here, and all distances were calculated relative to this very stone. Although only a single fragment remains today, standing before the Milion lets you feel that you are at what was once considered the center of the world, where the roads of one of history’s greatest empires began beneath your feet. Nearby highlights include the Basilica Cistern and the Hagia Irene.
Istanbul’s historic columns continue to speak volumes as victory markers planted deep in the city’s past. These monuments stand as stone testaments to imperial power and belief, each reflecting the political and cultural atmosphere of its era while contributing to Istanbul’s identity as an open-air museum. For history enthusiasts, visiting these columns is like stepping into a journey through time, from Rome to Byzantium and onward to the Ottoman age. As you pause in their shadow, you find yourself surrounded by mosques, churches, fountains, and palaces rising nearby, with layers of history unfolding all at once.
