Istanbul: Day 2 Basilica Cistern

After touring the Blue Mosque (previous post) we made a short stop at the Basilica Cistern before pushing onward with lunch and a visit to the Grand Bazaar! Thursday would definitely our "big day" with naps getting pushed to well into the afternoon.

The Basilica Cistern was built in the 6th century by an estimated 7,000 slaves. The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times. The cistern was used as a location for the 1963 Jame Bond film From Russia with Love.

You can click on the picture below for more details about the Cistern.





Here are a few pictures from inside the Cistern:

Inside the cistern.

One shot of the cistern. It's pretty dark so pics are hard to get. Good job Dan and Ryan.

Located in the northwest corner of the cistern, the bases of two columns reuse blocks carved with the visage of Medusa. The origin of the two heads is unknown, though it is thought that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from a building of the late Roman period. There is no written evidence that suggests they were used as column pedestals previously. Tradition has it that the blocks are oriented sideways and inverted in order to negate the power of the Gorgons' gaze. However it is widely thought that they were placed sideways and upside down only to be the proper size to support their columns.