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Arriving at Saint Sophia (Aya Sofya), and entering square from the right, we see to the left to the asphalt avenue, the Subterranean Palace (Yerebatan Sarayi), also as the Cistern Basilica. The cistern is illuminated and viewed from a wooden platform, appears quiet without life, but the air is fresh and the whole place imbued with mysterious atmosphere. It is solidly built, in the classical tradition, and its regular formal beauty is very satisfying.

There are 12 colonnaded ranks with 28 columns to each rank, making a total of 336, extending in a long and apparently infinite perspective. The columns are 8 metres height. The breadth of the cistern is 70 metres and its length 140 metres. The capitals of the columns are of Corinthian type.

According to ancient historians, there used to be on this site a basilica and also a smaller cistern, built by Constantine. The Emperor Justinian needing more water, had the cistern enlarged with the result that the basilica, which we are looking at now, was encircled and thus became incorporate in the new cistern.

This enormous reservoir supplied water to the city and the immediate suburbs as well as the neighbouring forests, just as the Valens aqueduct did for the eastern shores of the Sea of Marmara, and the Belgrade aqueduct for the forested region round Belgrade. During the Ottoman period this reservoir played an important role in supplying the palace gardens with water from May to October. In the course of the last 50 years the waifs of the cistern have had to be strengthened and reinforced by further construction, visible in the immediate vicinity.

Gilles, who visited Istanbul between the years 1544-1550, relates that at that time there were fishes living in the ancient cistern.

Basilica Cistern Yerebatan Caddesi, Sultanahmet Telephone: 90-212-5221259 Open daily except Mondays , 09:00-18:00 ( October to March : 09:00-17:00 )