Tag: Basilica Cistern

I don’t know why it took me four trips to Istanbul before I went to the Basilica Cistern. Once I know I passed because the line looked too long. Another time I had to leave town a few hours earlier than originally planned. Whatever the excuses I’ve had, I decided on my most recent trip that, even if only in town for a day, I would get to the Basilica Cistern and finally see it. And now that I’ve been inside I’m even more disappointed with myself for taking so long to get there.

The Cistern is around 1500 years old, built in the 6th century to help supply the city’s freshwater needs. And, based on what was built, the city was incredible even then. The entrance is an unassuming building, incredibly small compared to the vast room below. Come down the stairs, however, and you are met with the enormous interior, lit to great effect.

The Cistern is huge. It measures 9,800 square meters (~70×140), with waterproofed walls 4 meters thick and columns 9 meters tall holding up the ceiling. There are 336 columns evenly spaced through the cistern.

A few of the columns still show the ornate patterns of their original construction.

And several more of them have detailed caps still in place.

Perhaps the most bizarre thing about the columns is the base of two of them at the back of the site. Rather than the simple blocks that the rest of the columns sit on, these two sit on massive carvings of Medusa, the mythical woman whose hair was turned to snakes which caused men to turn to stone. No one really knows why the Medusa statues are there. No one really knows where they came from (though it is believed they were imported from another building at one point). Despite that uncertainty, however, the two heads are rather neat to see. The detail in the carvings is incredible.

Other than the Medusa heads there isn’t a ton of detail in any of the pieces any more. Some of the column caps are nicely preserved and there is that one column but most of the details have been lost in the many centuries since the Cistern was built. Somehow that doesn’t make the overall experience any less incredible. In some ways it is even more spectacular because you can see how beautiful the space was when it was originally built and how well it has survived over the years.

And spending a bit of time underground in the cool space of the Cistern is a great way to get out of the summer heat or winter snow/drizzle.

The next chapter of my Trip Report covers our visit to the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

Here is the updated index to other posts as part of the overall Trip Report:

Lufthansa First Class Services from Chicago to Frankfurt

Lufthansa First Class Lounge in Frankfurt

Istanbul – Sultan Ahmed (Sultanahmet) Mosque.

Istanbul – The Basilica Cistern.

Istanbul – Spice Market and Grand Bazaar.

Istanbul – Park Hyatt Macka Palas.

Istanbul – Our Day with Ihsan (besttaxidriver.com).

Istanbul – Hagia Sophia.

Istanbul – Other Mosques and Churches.

Istanbul – I find out what Zultanite is….

Istanbul – The Food We Found.

Istanbul – Turkish Airlines’ International CIP Lounge.

London – Hyatt Andaz Liverpool Street.

London – Opening of Parliament – Great pictures of the Queen and procession to Parliament.

London – ‘The Sunshine Boys’ at the Savoy Theater (Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths)…..BRILLIANT, MUST SEE!

London – Spitalfield’s Antique Market – And the lesson I learned.

London – Churchill War Rooms and Churchill Museum.

London – Photos from around town.

London – Dinner at Petrus

London – St. James Park. Very friendly squirrels and ducks.

London – Covent Gardens.

London – All the other things that I can’t think of at the moment….

Pluckley – They said it was haunted……

ISTANBUL: THE BASILICA CISTERN

One of the more impressive sights that we took in during our trip to Istanbul actually was underground. Built in the 6th Century, it is one of the largest Cisterns in Istanbul (hundreds of other cisterns exist beneath the city). During it’s functional years it had supplied water to the First Hill area of Istanbul which includes Topkapi Palace and the Grand Palace of Constantinople. The Cistern had functionally provided water well into the days of the Ottoman Empire and beyond.

After paying a 10 Lira admission fee and descending 52 steps to reach the Cistern the initial challenge was adjusting to the extremely low light conditions but after a minute or two, our eyes adjusted and what we saw was impressive. This mammoth Cistern lays beneath the streets above and has withstood 1500 years of war, conquest, fires, riots and growth of the city and really speaks to the engineering and construction skills of the time. To give you an idea of the scope of the Cistern, here are a few key statistics (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Square Footage: 105,000 sq. ft. (9800 sq. meters)

Capacity: 2,800,000 cu. ft. of water (80,000 cubic meters)

Columns: 336 (marble) / each 9 feet high arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns

Today there is only a little bit of water left, perhaps only a foot or so in depth. What surprised me at first glance into the water is the sheer amount of fish that patrol the Cistern.

The fish were a surprise…..

The architecture of the columns and the dome ceilings demonstrate the efforts put into the construction. The columns are believed to have been recycled from other ruins from Istanbul and surrounding areas. You’ll notice in some of the photos that the columns are not all identical. It is thought that 7,000 slaves were used to build the Cistern.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Cistern are the two marble blocks with the carving of Medusa’s head that were converted into bases for the columns. As part of the superstition that exists with Medusa and her ability to turn gazers into stone, one blocks were was upside and the other was turned onto it’s side in an attempt to prevent direct eye contact:

Medusa “Pedestal” block supporting a column

Another Medusa base (turned upside down to prevent “gaze”)

Taking decent photographs in near-zero light conditions was a bit challenging. Don’t use a flash, and images can be a bit blurry, use a flash, and you risk washing out the photo. I’ve picked the ones that I think do the best job of illustrating the Cistern and its beauty. Pay close attention to the variety of column designs that were used.

One of the initial views

What hundreds of years of water does to Marble….

Water’s influence on a column

The following picture is of a column thought specifically to have been carved as a memorial to the slaves who built the Cistern. The teardrops are thought to represent the pain and suffering endured by the slaves.

The Basilica Cistern can get very busy and lines can become long especially when tourist groups visit the area. The entrance to the Cistern is only steps away from the Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed (Blue Mosque) and can easily be added to an itinerary that includes visiting these 2 sites. I would suggest planning to spend about an hour in the Cistern (not counting the time it may take to get inside) in order to fully appreciate it.

via Lufthansa Flyer – Istanbul, Turkey – The Basilica Cistern – USATODAY.com.

Basilica Cistern has 336 Marble Columns and Holds 80,000 Cubic Meters of Water

By James Martin, About.com Guide

A reader wrote that his favorite site in Istanbul was the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıç). I’d find it hard to argue with him. The Byzantine cistern is the largest in Istanbul, and was built by Justinian some time after 532 in Sultanahmet Square near the Topkapi Palace, which drew water from it.

The Cistern got dramatic lighting and walkways in the 1990s, and it’s quite an interesting place to stroll, especially in the off season when it’s not crammed with tourists.

It takes at least a half hour to see the Basilica Cistern. There is a cafe inside near the entrance.

Enjoy our Basilica Cistern pictures. Click each thumbnail picture to see the picture full size.

via Basilica Cistern Pictures | Istanbul Turkey.