FROM PUBLIC MONUMENT TO PUBLIC SQUARE: CHANGING MEANING AND CONSERVATION OF SULTANAHMET SQUARE FROM LATE ROMAN THROUGH TO MODERN TIMES

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Thesis - Sena Doğan Parlak.pdf

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2021-5

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Doğan Parlak, Sena

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This study aims to investigate the process of the fragmentation of the Late Roman Hippodrome of Constantinople, and its transformation from a public monument into a public square from the Byzantine period through to Ottoman and modern times. This research also focuses on the conservation of this monument, starting with the Late Roman legal regulations concerning the conservation of urban public buildings and their architectural reuse. In addition to structural damage and alterations caused by both natural factors and human interventions, the Hippodrome, located on the Historic Peninsula of Constantinople/Istanbul, was significantly vandalized by the Fourth Crusade in the first half of the 13th century, accelerating the process of its transformation into a public square, known as At Meydanı in the Ottoman period, or today’s Sultanahmet Square. The disiecta membra removed from the Hippodrome were later reused in different architectural settings in the city or displayed in museums in a wider geographical context. This study thus intends to explore this process of transformation, with particular emphasis on the evolving meaning and perception of this monument within its changing physical and socio-cultural context throughout history. It also seeks to undertake a critical assessment of the values and opportunities of and threats to the area, and to identify factors of change and their effects on the authenticity and integrity of Sultanahmet Square in its entirety.

Subject Keywords

Hippodrome, Public Monument, Public Square, Transformation, Fragmentation, Conservation

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https://hdl.handle.net/11511/91126

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

S. Doğan Parlak, “FROM PUBLIC MONUMENT TO PUBLIC SQUARE: CHANGING MEANING AND CONSERVATION OF SULTANAHMET SQUARE FROM LATE ROMAN THROUGH TO MODERN TIMES,” M.Arch. - Master of Architecture, Middle East Technical University, 2021.