Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern' (Türkçe. 'Yerebatan Sarayı - "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnıcı - "Sunken Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located Шаблон:Convert southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

History

The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Ilius after a fire in 476.

Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.

Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.

The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.

Measurements and data

This cathedral-size cistern is an underground chamber approximately Шаблон:Convert by Шаблон:Convert - about Шаблон:Convert in area - capable of holding Шаблон:Convert of water. The ceiling is supported by a forest of 336 marble columns, each Шаблон:Convert high, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns each spaced Шаблон:Convert apart. The capitals of the columns are mainly Ionic and Corinthian styles, with the exception of a few Doric style with no engravings. One of the columns is engraved with raised pictures of a Hen's Eye, slanted braches, and tears. This column resembles the columns of the Triumphal Arch of Theodosius I from the 4th century (AD 379-395), erected in the 'Forum Tauri' Square. Ancient texts suggest that the tears on the column pay tribute to the hundreds of slaves who died during the construction of the Basilica Cistern. The majority of the columns in the cistern appear to have been recycled from the ruins of older buildings (a process called 'spoliation'), likely brought to Constantinople from various parts of the empire, together with those that were used in the construction of Hagia Sophia. They are carved and engraved out of various types of marble and granite.

Fifty-two stone steps descend into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of Шаблон:Convert and coated with a waterproofing mortar. The Basilica Cistern's water came from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest, which lie Шаблон:Convert north of the city. It traveled through the Шаблон:Convert-long Valens (Bozdoğan) Aqueduct, and the Шаблон:Convert-long Mağlova Aqueduct, which was built by the Emperor Justinian.

The cistern has the capacity to store 100,000 tons of water, despite being virtually empty today with only a few feet of water lining the bottom.

The weight of the cistern lies on the columns by means of the cross-shaped vaults and round arches of its roof.

The Basilica Cistern has undergone several restorations since its foundation. The first of the repairs were carried out twice during the Ottoman State in the 18th century during the reign of Ahmed III in 1723 by the architect Muhammad Agha of Kayseri. The second major repair was completed during the 19th century during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909). Cracks to masonry and damaged columns were repaired in 1968, with additional restoration in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Museum. During the 1985 restoration, 50,000 tons of mud were removed from the cisterns, and a platforms built throughout to replace the boats once used to tour the cistern. The cistern was opened to the public in its current condition on 9 September 1987. In May 1994, the cistern underwent additional cleaning.

Medusa column bases

Located in the northwest corner of the cistern, the bases of two columns reuse blocks carved with the visage of Medusa. The origin of the two heads is unknown, though it is thought that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from a building of the late Roman period. There is no written evidence that suggests they were used as column pedestals previously. Tradition has it that the blocks are oriented sideways and inverted in order to negate the power of the Gorgons' gaze,Шаблон:Citation needed however it is widely thought that one was placed sideways only to be the proper size to support the column. The upside down Medusa was placed that way specifically because she would be the same height right side up.Шаблон:Citation needed

In media

The cistern was used as a location for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. In the film, it is referred to as being constructed by the Emperor Constantine, with no reference to Justinian. Its location is a considerable distance from the Soviet (now Russian) consulate, which is located in Beyoğlu, the "newer" European section of Istanbul, on the other side of the Golden Horn.

The finale of the 2009 film The International takes place in a fantasy amalgam of the Old City, depicting the Basilica Cistern as lying beneath the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, which, in the film, is directly adjacent to the Süleymaniye Mosque.

In the 2011 video game, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, the player controlled character, Ezio Auditore, is given the chance to explore a section of this cistern in a memory sequence entitled The Yerebatan Cistern. Шаблон:Clear

Gallery

See also

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Turkish Airlines
9 October 2013
Make sure you check out the upside-down Medusa head which forms the bottom of one of the cistern’s columns. The Byzantine builders used the Roman relic as building material!
Shaileshwori Sharma
22 July 2016
Great (spooky) atmosphere that makes for magnificent photos & a coolness (literally) to match. The preservation of history is done remarkably. Tip: watch your step as some parts can be extra slippery.
Rafael Marin
16 August 2015
It's one of the best places I visited in Istanbul. I reminded me of the last part of the Inferno novel. And don't leave without a Muslim costume picture!
Murat Purç
8 April 2018
A worthwhile tourist attraction to visit in Istanbul is the ancient Basilica Cistern, the Sunken Palace with the snake-haired mysterious Medusa heads within.
James
31 May 2014
A tremendous attraction not on every guide book. An amazing feet of engineering, atmospheric and right next to Ayasofya and the Blue Mosque. Easy to fit it in along with the other two.
Avi .
17 March 2014
Other than the much hyped about Medusa heads, don't forget to check out this spot near the cafe - it looks amazing + the columns are different here !! .. ohhh and don't forget to feed the fishes !!
Load more comments
foursquare.com

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Tugra Hotel

starting $39

Hotel Yesilpark

starting $47

Best Nobel Hotel 2

starting $46

Star City Hotel

starting $70

Babel Park Hotel

starting $70

Tugra Hotel

starting $0

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Firuz Ağa Mosque

The Firuz Ağa Mosque (Turkish: Firuz Ağa Camii) is an old Ottoman m

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
German Fountain

The German Fountain (Turkish: Alman Çeşmesi) is a gazebo styled f

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia (Шаблон:IPAc-en; from the Ελληνικά. Ἁγία Σοφία, '

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Zeynep Sultan Mosque

The Zeynep Sultan Mosque (in Turkish Zeynep Sultan Camii) is a mosque

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Soğukçeşme Sokağı

Soğukçeşme Sokağı (literally: Street of the Cold Fountain) is a smal

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Hippodrome of Constantinople

The Hippodrome of Constantinople (Turkish: Sultanahmet Meydanı, At

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Great Palace of Constantinople

The Byzantine Great Palace of Constantinople, (Ελληνικά. Μέγα Πα

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Sultanahmet Jail

Sultanahmet Jail (Türkçe. Sultanahmet Cezaevi), a former prison in I

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Pikchu, 'Old Peak', pronounced ]) is a

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis of Athens is the best known acropolis (Gr. akros, akron,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Old Town, Al-'Ula

The Old Town is an archaeological site near Al-'Ula, Medina Province,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Persepolis

Persepolis (Шаблон:Audio Old Persian: Pārsa, Modern Persian: تخت جم

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Temple of Poseidon, Sounion

The ancient Greek temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, built during

See all similar places