Basilica Cistern

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Inside view of the Yerebatan Cistern
Location of the Basilica Cistern
An upside-down Medusa head as a column base in the Yerebatan cistern

The Basilica Cistern ( Turkish : Yerebatan Sarnıcı , also Yerebatan Sarayı ), often also called the Sunken Palace , is a late antique cistern west of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul , the Byzantine Constantinople . The complex is one of the most impressive sights in the city.

architecture

Originally the cistern is said to have been commissioned by Emperor Constantine . The underground cistern , 138 meters long and 65 meters wide, owes its appearance and size to Emperor Justinian . He had the cistern built between 532 and around 542 as a water reservoir for the Great Palace . Above it was a large basilica, which is why the cistern is also called cisterna basilica . It has a capacity of approx. 80,000 cubic meters of water. Twelve rows of 28, a total of 336 columns, each eight meters high, with predominantly Corinthian spolia capitals, support the vault. The water, which came in the best quality from the Belgrade Forest in the highlands north of Istanbul via the Hadrian's aqueducts and the Valens aqueduct , was used to supply the imperial household. The facility can be visited. A number of fish, some of them very light to white, can often be observed in the water of the cistern. In the north-western part of the cistern, the reliefs of inverted Medusa heads can be seen. These are faulty and originally come from the Prokonesos quarries. The Yerebatan Cistern is now a popular sight. Games of light are staged, classical music comes over loudspeakers.

The cistern in film and literature

  • The system became better known through the James Bond film from Moscow with Love , in which a scene takes place in the cistern.
  • A scene from the Jackie Chan film Spy Reluctantly takes place there.
  • The plot of the novel Istanbul see and die by the German-Turkish presenter and writer Hülya Özkan and its filming Die Tote in der Zisterne are also located in the cistern.
  • The film The International by Tom Tykwer is partly set in Istanbul. The cistern is also the scene of action.
  • The location also plays an important role in Dan Brown's novel Inferno . The novel was made into a film with Tom Hanks. The film's showdown also takes place in the cistern.
  • The place became famous for children in 2009 through the Turkish children's series Selena by Bora Onur

literature

Web links

Commons : Basilica Cistern  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 41 ° 0 ′ 31 ″  N , 28 ° 58 ′ 42 ″  E