Sphendone Remains

Sphendone Remains are the surviving curved retaining wall at the southern end of Constantinople’s Hippodrome, in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet area. Built between 532 and 537, the Roman structure used vaulted chambers and a corridor to support the racecourse across sloping ground. Look at the curve and the masonry from the lower streets to see how the arena’s southern end was carried above the slope. The interior is closed, but you can view the remains without an entrance fee.

The wall beneath the Hippodrome

The Sphendone is the curved retaining structure at the southern end of Constantinople’s Hippodrome. Built between 532 and 537, it carried the course and seating across ground that sloped towards the Sea of Marmara. Its masonry supported an artificial upper level, allowing the racecourse to continue across the uneven terrain.

The structure included 25 vaulted chambers and a corridor arranged in a half circle. From the lower streets, the curve and the changing support bays reveal how the builders carried the weight above the slope. These remains formed only the southern end of a much larger arena.

A surviving part of the racecourse

The Hippodrome hosted chariot races and imperial ceremonies. The arena brought the emperor and an organised urban audience within sight and hearing of one another; public acclamations could praise, petition or challenge. The surviving wall is a reminder that this public life depended on the construction of the ground beneath the arena as well as the events held there.

The structure was damaged during the Fourth Crusade and later dismantled by the Ottomans. Only the remains can be seen today, and the interior is not open to visitors. You can view the wall from outside in the Sultanahmet area without an entrance fee.