﻿CONSTANTINOPLE 
  TODAY 
  

  

  673 
  

  

  partly 
  obliterated 
  cherubim, 
  bold 
  arches, 
  

   and 
  princely 
  porticoes. 
  

  

  A 
  guide 
  whispers 
  to 
  them 
  of 
  the 
  dra- 
  

   matic 
  events 
  that 
  passed 
  in 
  barbaric 
  pag- 
  

   eant 
  before 
  the 
  jeweled 
  altar 
  of 
  the 
  

   Byzantines, 
  now 
  shrunk 
  to 
  a 
  mean 
  black 
  

   stone 
  that 
  points 
  the 
  Mussulman 
  to 
  Mecca. 
  

   They 
  crane 
  their 
  shaven 
  necks 
  to 
  stare 
  at 
  

   the 
  stone 
  coffin 
  over 
  the 
  door 
  that 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  the 
  dust 
  of 
  great 
  Theodora; 
  at 
  the 
  

   mark 
  on 
  a 
  pillar 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   by 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  Mohammed; 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  

   place 
  where 
  the 
  Conqueror's 
  horse 
  planted 
  

   his 
  hoof. 
  

  

  NEGLECTED 
  BU 
  ? 
  STILL 
  BEAUTIFUL 
  

  

  Sancta 
  Sophia 
  is 
  getting 
  shabbier 
  every 
  

   day. 
  The 
  Turks 
  have 
  no 
  money 
  to 
  keep 
  

   up 
  their 
  public 
  buildings 
  and 
  mosques. 
  

   The 
  walls 
  are 
  sagging 
  again 
  in 
  many 
  

   places 
  and 
  need 
  the 
  attentions 
  of 
  an 
  archi- 
  

   tect. 
  The 
  gold 
  leaf 
  has 
  crumpled 
  and 
  

   fallen 
  from 
  the 
  dome. 
  Ugly 
  electric 
  light 
  

   bulbs 
  have 
  replaced 
  the 
  thousands 
  of 
  

   wicks 
  that 
  once 
  burned 
  softly 
  at 
  the 
  feast 
  

   of 
  Ramazan. 
  Yet, 
  neglected 
  as 
  Sancta 
  

   Sophia 
  is, 
  nothing 
  can 
  equal 
  its 
  beauty 
  

   or 
  destroy 
  its 
  grandeur. 
  

  

  In 
  olden 
  times 
  Byzantium 
  was 
  called 
  

   the 
  "dwelling 
  of 
  the 
  gods," 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  temples 
  and 
  shrines 
  in 
  the 
  

   city. 
  These 
  were 
  converted 
  into 
  churches 
  

   by 
  Constantine, 
  and 
  into 
  mosques 
  by 
  the 
  

   Turks, 
  who 
  built 
  many 
  new 
  ones, 
  all 
  imi- 
  

   tating 
  the 
  basilica 
  of 
  Justinian. 
  

  

  The 
  steps 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  mosques 
  are 
  

   the 
  only 
  homes 
  many 
  refugees 
  know, 
  

   especially 
  the 
  broad 
  entrance 
  of 
  Yeni 
  

   Valideh 
  Djami, 
  near 
  the 
  Galata 
  bridge, 
  

   where 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  hundred 
  hungry 
  men 
  live. 
  

   Between 
  services 
  they 
  may 
  go 
  inside 
  and 
  

   admire 
  the 
  rose 
  marble 
  column 
  which 
  

   cost 
  the 
  conqueror 
  of 
  Candia 
  his 
  life, 
  but 
  

   when 
  the 
  muezzin 
  calls 
  out 
  the 
  hour 
  for 
  

   prayer 
  all 
  unbelievers 
  are 
  hurried 
  out- 
  

   side. 
  

  

  THE 
  HIPPODROME, 
  CENTER 
  OF" 
  BYZANTINE 
  

   LIEE 
  

  

  Within 
  a 
  block 
  of 
  Sancta 
  Sophia 
  is 
  a 
  

   large 
  dusty 
  square, 
  the 
  Hippodrome, 
  the 
  

   center 
  of 
  Byzantine 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  

   Ages, 
  which 
  played 
  the 
  same 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  

   lives 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  as 
  the 
  Acropolis 
  at 
  

   Athens, 
  the 
  Forum 
  at 
  Rome, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Temple 
  at 
  Delphi. 
  Three 
  times 
  its 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  size, 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  the 
  largest 
  building 
  

  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Solita 
  Solano 
  

  

  women 
  now 
  sweep 
  Constantinople's 
  

  

  streets 
  as 
  a 
  sign 
  oe 
  their 
  

  

  emancipation 
  

  

  The 
  brooms 
  used 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  twigs. 
  When 
  

   the 
  conservative 
  religious 
  element 
  complained 
  

   at 
  the 
  city's 
  employment 
  of 
  women 
  in 
  this 
  

   capacity, 
  the 
  reply 
  was, 
  ''They 
  are 
  not 
  women 
  

   while 
  they 
  wear 
  trousers, 
  but 
  men." 
  So 
  they 
  

   kept 
  their 
  jobs. 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  empire, 
  and 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  chariot 
  

   races, 
  gladiatorial 
  contests, 
  triumphal 
  pro- 
  

   cessions, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  place 
  of 
  execution. 
  

  

  What 
  a 
  spectacle 
  that 
  crowd 
  must 
  have 
  

   been 
  when, 
  adorned 
  with 
  jewels, 
  it 
  moved 
  

   through 
  the 
  porticoes 
  of 
  the 
  Hippodrome 
  

   to 
  cheer 
  the 
  Blues 
  or 
  the 
  Greens, 
  those 
  

   rival 
  charioteers 
  whose 
  politics 
  upset 
  the 
  

   entire 
  empire 
  ! 
  Hither 
  came 
  the 
  spoils 
  of 
  

   war, 
  including 
  thousands 
  of 
  statues 
  from 
  

   Greece 
  and 
  Rome, 
  the 
  bronze 
  horses 
  that 
  

  

  