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 [ change | change source ]

Emperor 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 [ change | change source ]

The 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 [ change | change source ]

The 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 | change source ]

↑ 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 | change source ]

[1] Turkish : Yerebatan Sarayı ? "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnıcı ? "Sunken Cistern"

[Maas68-2] 2.0 ^2.1 The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian , ed. Michael Maas (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 68

[3] 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 .

[LP-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 "Basilica Cistern" . Lonely Planet . Retrieved 23 July 2015 .

[Campbell108-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Verity Campbell, Turkey (Footscray (VIC); Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 2007), p. 108

[6] "The Basilica Cistern" . ibb.gov.tr . Archived from the original on 8 December 2010 . Retrieved 23 July 2015 .

[TIE-7] 7.0 ^7.1 "Basilica Cistern, Istanbul" . Travel Info Exchange, Inc . Retrieved 23 July 2015 .

[Gilles101-8] 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

[Kos-9] 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 .

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