Forum of Constantine Plaza

Address: At Meydanı / Sultanahmet (Old City), Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey

Hours: Open 24 hours (outdoor public area)

Admission: Free (outdoor archaeological site)

The Forum of Constantine was a principal public square laid out by Emperor Constantine I when he established Constantinople in the early 4th century. It formed a ceremonial and administrative focus of the new capital.

The forum originally featured a monumental central column and surrounding porticoes and served imperial, civic and commercial functions. The Column of Constantine that once stood at the centre survives in the modern city and marks the forum’s location.

Over subsequent centuries the forum’s buildings and open spaces were altered, repurposed or replaced as the city evolved under Byzantine and later Ottoman rule. Today the forum area is part of Istanbul’s historic peninsula and lies amid other major Byzantine monuments.

The site sits within the old city of Istanbul, in the area around the Column of Constantine and Çemberlitaş, and is accessible from the nearby historic thoroughfares and public squares.

• Founding era: The forum was created during the foundation of Constantinople by Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century and served as a civic and ceremonial centre.
• Survival today: Remnants of the forum survive in the historic peninsula of Istanbul, integrated into the modern urban fabric near the Çemberlitaş area.

What to See#

• Column of Constantine: The Column of Constantine, a surviving monumental column that marks the site and remains visible in the modern cityscape.
• Forum area: The original open public square and porticoes around the column that defined the forum’s layout in late Roman Constantinople.

Forum of Constantine sits in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet area beside the old Hippodrome. Take the T1 tram (Bağcılar-Kabataş line) to the Sultanahmet stop and walk 2-5 minutes along Divan Yolu/Atmeydanı toward the Hippodrome to reach the forum remains.

If you’re driving from central Istanbul (Taksim), it’s roughly 5-6 km southeast; follow the Kennedy Caddesi/Atatürk Bulvarı south and turn onto Divan Yolu to reach Sultanahmet (street parking and paid lots near the Old City).

• Go early in the morning (shortly after opening) or late afternoon to avoid the mid-day tourist and coach-bus surge around Sultanahmet and to get better photo light on the Column of Constantine.
• Approach the site from the T1 tram line-get off at Çemberlitaş and walk along Divan Yolu; the column and forum remains are immediately visible from the square, so this is the most direct access route.
• Don't just glance at the column: pause to study the surviving pavement levels and nearby ruins scattered along the street-these small in-situ fragments are often missed by passersby rushing between major nearby attractions.