The German Fountain

The German Fountain is located in the north end of the hippodrome in Sultanahmet. It was built in Germany in 1898, then shipped to and assembled in Istanbul. The fountain commemorates the 1898 visit made by German Kaiser Wilhelm II to then Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II. The Kaiser desired to build a railway between Berlin and Baghdad, which would run primarily through Ottoman territory. The German Fountain was one of many gifts to the Sultan to win his favor.

I enjoy the colors on the exterior of the fountain but the mosaics are obviously the most striking part of the fountain. These photos were taken in September of 2008, during the Bayram festivities that take place at the hippodrome every year at the closing of Ramadan. Every evening the Hippodrome begins to fill up with people waiting for the sun to set so that they can end their daily fast. There are all kinds of food vendors and merchants from all over Turkey selling food and other goods. It was definitely the best time of year to be at the hippodrome, after Bayram the area lacked the energy that the festival brought.