Hippodrome Hippodrome The hippodrome () was an ancient Grecian stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos" (ἵππος; "horse") and "dromos" (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used in the modern French language and some others, with the meaning of "horse racecourse". Hence, some present-day horse racing tracks also include the word "hippodrome" in their names, such as the Hippodrome de Vincennes and the Central Moscow Hippodrome. The Greek hippodrome was similar to the Roman Circus. The hippodrome was not a Roman amphitheatre which was used for spectator sports, games and displays, or a
Hippodrome of Constantinople end) became more visible in the 1980s with the clearing of houses in the area. In 1993 an area in front of the nearby Sultanahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque) was bulldozed in order to install a public building, uncovering several rows of seats and some columns from the Hippodrome. Investigation did not continue further, but the seats and columns were removed and can now be seen in Istanbul's museums. It is possible that much more of the Hippodrome's remains still lie beneath the parkland of Sultanahmet. The Hippodrome was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 500 lira banknotes of