The Coliseum was the largest building in Metru Nui, serving as its primary sporting arena, power station, and seat of government. It sat in the center of the city at the meeting point of the six Metru. It was home to Turaga Dume during his administration.1
Notes
The Coliseum was the tallest building in all of Metru Nui. It dominated the skyline and was home to Turaga Dume. For as long as anyone could remember, the sight of the Coliseum brought a felling of safety and security to Matoran.2
The Coliseum was located in the center of Metru Nui, where all six metru met.3, 4 In the Coliseum were located the Coliseum Storage Room3, 4, the Main Power Source3, and Turaga Dume's Chamber/Throne Room3 (Turaga Dume's Throne Room4).
Turaga Dume's chamber in the Coliseum contained technology that could slow the high-speed speech of Vahki enough to be understood, translating the Vahki's ultrasonic signals into speech.5, 6
The Coliseum was the tallest structure in Metru Nui, higher even than the Great Furnace, which towered well over a thousand feet in the air.7
The Coliseum was the largest, most imposing structure in Metru Nui. It was the center of power in the city in more ways than one. It sat at the meeting point of the six metru boundaries. It was believed to have been the very first building constructed in Metru Nui. It could be seen from any point in the city and had always been a symbol to Matoran of stability and security.8
The Coliseum served many roles: sports arena, main power source, storage, Turaga Dume's seat of government.8
The Coliseum contained a sports arena and hosted the citywide Akilini tournaments, which were held four times a year. To make the game more challenging, the players surfed on disks over a constantly undulating floor and flew through retractable chutes positioned overhead. It was extremely fast-paced and dangerous. The winning team's disks were sent to Ta-Metru to be made into Kanohi masks. The arena was also used for Vahki training exercises.8
The Coliseum also housed the city's one power plant. Energy was generated by the flow of liquid protodermis through the plant on its way to other parts of the city. The plant provided power for things like protodermis vat conveyors and chute controls. It did not provide heat to the city; this was done using pipes filled with molten protodermis that ran underground and warmed the buildings above.8
Prior to the construction of the Great Temple, the Coliseum storage room was used to hold Kanohi Masks of Power. Since then, it continued to be used to hold items of critical importance to the city. Rotating squads of Vahki Rorzakh from Onu-Metru and Vahki Zadakh from Po-Metru provided security.8
Turaga Dume's box was a special section in the Coliseum reserved for the Turaga and commanded a view of the entire arena. From here, Dume could control the massive telescreens mounted all over the city as well as in the Coliseum. The box was equipped with levitation and increase weight Kanoka disks that allowed it to be raised and lowered at the Turaga's will.8
Turaga Dume's throne room was a chamber connected to Dume's box in the arena. Before story year 2004, it had been used for private meetings with the Turaga on issues of importance to the city. In recent months, Dume was far too busy for such appointments, and no one was allowed to visit his private chamber other than Vahki guards.8
Events were held at the Coliseum. Tournament matches for akilini were played on the constantly shifting and undulating field of the Coliseum, with hoops mounted along the top of the arena. A special set of chutes was lowered over the top of the Coliseum, which players were allowed to use in maneuvers.9
On Naming Days, ceremonies were held in the Coliseum to honor the achievements of select Matoran.9
Tours of the Coliseum were scheduled once a week. As of mid-story year 2004, the storage areas and Turaga Dume's chambers were no longer included on the tour. Also, the akilini field was to be closed temporarily while workers repaired damage done by the Toa Metru.9
Visitors could reach the Coliseum with a short chute ride. The Coliseum was the site of the great akilini tournament, presided over by Turaga Dume himself.9
Turaga Dume had a chamber atop the Coliseum.10
The entrance to the Coliseum was a massive door. The Coliseum towered over the city of Metru Nui. It stood at the junction of all six metru, so tall it looked as if it touched the sky. The Coliseum was large enough to accommodate every Matoran in Metru Nui and served as both an athletic arena and the power station for the entire city. Turaga Dume's chambers were also found in this imposing building. One side of the arena was dominated by a massive statue of Toa Lhikan, the other by Dume's box. The arena floor undulated during Matoran Kanoka disk [akilini] games. When not moving, the floor settled into a natural bowl shape. Matoran could control the Coliseum floor from the Coliseum's control box, where they operated levers and switches. A giant screen overlooked the field which could show Dume's face. The floor could shift and undulate, forming waves of solid protodermis. It could also cause silver columns to erupt randomly from the floor. The center of the field could become a metallic whirlpool that could suck people in.11
Turaga Dume's private chamber was a vast chamber with numerous lightstone lanterns. There was a great throne resting on its polished floor. When Makuta impersonated Dume, there was a hidden room which could be accessed through a secret door in the rear wall. No one but him had ever been back here. Sunlight poured into the room from either side to strike a pair of huge sundials. The instruments were made of great circular plates inscribed with a language that was ancient when Metru Nui was new, and posts of a dark stone that cast eerie shadows. The plates rotated with a rhythmic clicking, bringing the shadows from the sundial posts closer and closer with each second. In the darkest corner of the room was a mirror obscured by the shadows that reflected Makuta's true face, particularly his red eyes, when he impersonated Turaga Dume. There was a perch for Nivawk in the sundial chamber. A Kanohi Mask of Power symbolizing the Great Spirit Mata Nui hung on the wall. When the shadows of the twin suns began to partially overlap on the sundial, this indicated the approach of the cataclysm.11
Turaga Dume could broadcast his face and voice on the huge screen in the Coliseum, which looked down on the Matoran audience. The Coliseum had energy pylons. The Matoran spheres were put in a storage hold far beneath the Coliseum. Using controls, one could cause Dume's box to ascend.11
During the Visorak invasion of Metru Nui, Kahgarak guarded the Coliseum.12
The Visorak turned the Metru Nui Coliseum into a fortress. Beneath it, hundreds of Matoran lay trapped waiting to be rescued. In addition to many traps, the Toa Hordika also had to face the giant Visorak guardian of the gate.13
The central arena of the Coliseum was used for citywide Akilini tournaments and Vahki training exercises. Beneath it were storage areas. Farther down was a power station which used the flow of liquid protodermis to generate energy for the city.1
There was a place in the Coliseum that no one had ever seen from which one could fake the signal that would launch the Toa Mata's canisters.14
Turaga Vakama stayed in a chamber in the Coliseum during Destiny War. Past his chamber was a flight of stairs that led to a secure room. Here were kept weapons, memorials to the Toa Mangai, and the Kanohi Vahi. It was one of the safest spots in the city. It was guarded by a half dozen heavily armed Ta-Matoran.15
The Coliseum was the tallest building in Metru Nui. It was the site of the city's government chambers, a sports arena, and a large power station. Lower levels of the Coliseum were used for storage and as cells for captured Dark Hunters and other lawbreakers. The Coliseum sat at the point where all six metru met. It was said that it belonged to everyone in the city.16