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©TIE
2004-2008
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Beneath Istanbul lie
hundreds of gloomy Byzantine cisterns.
They're left from the days when Istanbul
was Constantinople.
The
grandest of all is Yerebatan Saray
Sarniçi, called the Basilica
(or Sunken Palace) Cistern because
of its size (70 x 140 meters, or
2.4 acres), its capacity (80,000
cubic meters—over 21 million
US gallons) and its 336 marble
columns.
Remember
the scene in the old James
Bond movie From Russia
With Love when Bond is rowing
in a small boat through a forest
of marble columns? That scene was filmed
in Yerebatan.
Walkways and atmospheric
lighting were installed during
the 1990s so you can see all its
curious corners. There's even a
little cafe for drinks and
snacks.
Yerebatan is
in Sultanahmet
Square, at the northeastern end
of the Hippodrome,
just off Divan
Yolu, and across the street from Ayasofya (Hagia
Sophia). The entrance (see the photo
to the right) is on Yerebatan Caddesi;
the exit is opposite Ayasofya on
Alemdar Caddesi.
A
visit can take anywhere from 30 minutes
to an hour. There's a few dollars'
admission fee.
Byzantine
Hippodrome
Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia)
Sultanahmet
Istanbul
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336
marble columns give
subterranean Yerebatan
Saray Sarniçi its
nickname:"Sunken
Palace Cistern"
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