The square beside Hagia Sophia occupies
the site which was once the heart of ancient Constantinople.
The square coinsides almost exactly
with the Augustaeum, the public forecourt to the Great
Palace of Byzantium. On it's northern side the Augustaeum
gave access to Hagia Sophia and to the Patriachal
Palace, while outside it's southern corner stood the
Challce or Brazen House, the monumental vestibulet
the Great Palace.
The Hippodrome was just to the southwest
of the Augustaeum and to the south the Baths of Zeuxippus,
the largest & famous public bath in the city.
Thus the Augustaeum and it's immediate
neighborhood were at the very hub of life in the ancient
city.
Today the square is no longer a civil
center, but it's still a central point for visiting
the antiquities on the First Hill.
One
of the Sultanahmet's extraordinary hotels, renovated from
a century-old neoclassic Turkish house, with it's fine sense
of style and wonderfull service. From the best selling "A
Brief Guide to the City".
telephone
with a direct line