Surely no other cistern is as impressive or mysterious as the Basilica Cistern: 25 meters under ground level, reached via stone stairs with 52 steps, 145 meters long, 65 meters wide, with an area of approximately 9.800 m2, on a ground filled with water, 336 marble columns with a width of over 1 meter and a height of 9 meters. These columns, built in 12 rows, each including 28 columns, create an endless forest of columns rising from the water which resembles Alhambra. Thus, you can understand why the residents of Istanbul refer to this cistern as the Sunken Cistern or the Sunken Palace.
During the Byzantine Era, Emperor I. Iustinianus (527-565) built the cistern on the area where the Hippodrome used to be in order to supply the Great Palace with water. Today, this area is very close to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. After the Turks conquered Istanbul, for approximately a century the presence of the cistern went unknown, until in 1550s Petrus Gyllius (Pierre Gilles), an explorer who was in Istanbul, made an investigation and found the cistern which had not been used for centuries, upon hearing that there were people who collected water in their basements and hanged down baskets from the holes to catch fish.
The Cistern has gone through two serious restorations in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1940s, the houses at the entrance of the cistern were confiscated to build an entrance building to the cistern. In addition, various platforms were added during the restorations in order to make the cistern more accessible.
During the restorations done in the 1980’s, when more than 1 meter of mud was removed from the base of the cistern, the most fascinating parts of the cistern were found: laid as supports for two of the columns, one upside down and one leaning, two gigantic marble Medusa heads!
The myths based on the mythology about Medusa and those magnificent sculptures made in the 4th century in Rome increases the mystery of the cistern. It is believed that the Medusa heads might have been put in the cistern with the aim of protecting the architecture from the evil, or that because of their position, they may symbolize the transition from Paganism to Christianity.
This mysterious place, a must of any Istanbul trip program, has been used in many music videos and movies such as From Russia with Love, a James Bond film. And now it is being used as a stage for various national and international cultural activities such as theatre, dance and poetry performances and concerts. Can you imagine the delight of sitting at the elegant cafeteria of the cistern and watching a concert in this mystical atmosphere?
Visiting Days and Hours: The cistern is open to visiting every day of the week between 09.00 and 18.30.
Address: Yerebatan Cad. No: 13 34410 Sultanahmet-İstanbul
www.yerebatan.com
