Inside the Cisterna Basilica

Ther Cisterna Basilica is one of the major monuments in the city. I know I said major, but I never heard of this place until now. Fortunately, it is near the ones that I actually know about so this was a good detour on the way to the more famous ones. Besides, I would have wanted a bit of shade since it was so hot outside. Visitors will have to wait inside the glass structure while waiting for the scheduled event to start. The staff here speaks English and they will lead people inside the Cisterna Basilica when it is ready. We got the signal and we went down a long flight of stairs. Going down the stairs, I was surprised to see that there was a large hollow area under all of this.

While I was at the waiting area above, I saw a circular structure which I thought was a well that just got filled up. I thought that it was the cistern this place was referring. I didn’t know how wrong I was until I went down. Apparently, this whole underground cavern is the cistern. I was surprised to see that such a big cavern be under the city. Apparently, this is the largest of several under the city of Istanbul. This one was built in the fourth century during the time of Justinian I. This was actually part of the plan to fortify the city of Constantinople and ensure its water supply. Since there were several built, there would have enough for the people.

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