Basilica Cistern
The Basilica Cistern [1] is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns under the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, is close to the Hagia Sophia.
History
changeEmperor Justinian I commissioned his city prefect Longinus to build it.[2] It was completed in 532, after the Nika riots.[2] As many as 7,000 slaves worked to build the cistern.[3]
The large cistern provided a water source for the emperor's palace.[4] Sometime before the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 the cistern was closed.[4] It was discovered in 1545 by Petrus Gyllius. After that Ottoman city officials used it for dumping waste including corpses.[5] It has been restored at least three times.[5] In 1985 it was closed for cleaning again.[4] In 1987 it was opened to the public as a tourist attraction.[4] 2 million tourists visited the Cistern in 2013.
Size
changeThe cistern is a huge underground room that measures about 138 metres (453 ft) by 64.6 metres (212 ft)[6] It is about 10,000 square metres (2.5 acres) in area.[7] The cistern can hold 80,000 cubic metres (21,000,000 US gal) of water.[7] The ceiling is supported by 336 marble columns.[8] Each one is 40.75 metres (133.7 ft) high.[8]
Modern Culture
changeThe cistern was used for a James Bond movie From Russia with Love.[9] Also the 2009 movie The International was shot here.[9] The 2011 video game, Assassin's Creed: Revelations includes scenes from the Basilica Cistern.[9]
References
change- ↑ Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayı – "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnıcı – "Sunken Cistern"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian, ed. Michael Maas (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 68
- ↑ Aigerim Korzhumbayeva (20 July 2012). "Istanbul's (Constantinople) 6th Century Basilica Cistern". ELECTRUM MAGAZINE. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Basilica Cistern". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Verity Campbell, Turkey (Footscray (VIC); Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 2007), p. 108
- ↑ "The Basilica Cistern". ibb.gov.tr. Archived from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Basilica Cistern, Istanbul". Travel Info Exchange, Inc. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Pierre Gilles; Kimberly May Byrd, Pierre Gilles' Constantinople: A Modern English Translation with Commentary (New York, NY: Italica Press, 2008), p. 101
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "walking in a 6th century cistern underneath the City of Istanbul, Turkey". Kos Media, LLC. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
Other websites
change- Basilica Cistern by Gizemli Kişi
- The Basilica Cistern, the Coolest Spot in Town
- Kerim Bey's Escape Route (Basilica Cistern) Archived 2015-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
