There are a handful of interesting monuments and ruins at Sultanahmet Square and Park that are worth a quick look-see while sightseeing in the area. One is the Milion Stone, which is located at just south of the Basilica Cistern just next to an excavation site. There is an information panel just beside the monument. Otherwise, it is fairly easy to miss if you don't know what to look for.
Historically, the Milion Stone is a 4th-century pillar used to measure distance during the Byzantine period. It was erected by Emperor Constantine the Greet and was known as the zero-point from which roads led out of the city of Constantinople. These days, you can only see a fragment of the original pole but it remains as a symbol of the city's Byzantine past...
Read moreThe Milion (Greek: Μίλιον or Μίλλιον, Míllion; Turkish: Milyon taşı) was a monument erected in the early 4th century AD in Constantinople(modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). It was the Byzantine zero-mile marker, the starting-place for the measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the Byzantine Empire. It thus served the same function as the Golden Milestone (Milliarium Aureum) in Rome's forum. The domed building of the Milion rested on four large arches, and it was expanded and decorated with several statues and paintings. It survived the Ottomanconquest of Constantinople in 1453 but had disappeared by the start of the 16th century. During excavations in the 1960s, some partial fragments of it were discovered under houses...
Read moreThe Stone of Milion was a monument erected in the early 4th century AD in Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey. It was the Byzantine zero-mile marker, the starting-place for the measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the Byzantine Empire. It thus served the same function as the Golden Milestone (Milliarium Aureum) in Rome's forum. The domed building of the Milion rested on four large arches, and it was expanded and decorated with several statues and paintings. It survived the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 but had disappeared by the start of the 16th century. During excavations in the 1960s, some partial fragments of it were discovered under houses...
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