Handmade perfume seller

Handmade perfume seller, Çemberlitaş, İstanbul, pentax k10d

Çemberlitaş

Çemberlitaş sütunu, Constantine Column, Burnt Column, İstanbul

It was brought to Constantinople from the Temple of Apollo by the emperor Constantinus I between 325-328 AD. There was a statue of Apollo on top which was replaced by a cross during Christianity. The column also symbolizes the end of Pagan tradition on the Byzantine lands. It was erected in the middle of an oval square known as Forum Constantini, located on the second hill of the city. The cross was removed after the Conquest of Constantinople during the Ottoman period. The 35 meter   high column was damaged by big fires and weather conditions during the ages therefore Sultan Mustapha II re-enforced the column with iron rings.