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DreamSand — The Basilica Cistern
Published: 2008-11-28 00:39:11 +0000 UTC; Views: 1879; Favourites: 66; Downloads: 39
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Description
Istanbul.The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: 'Yerebatan Sarayı' or 'Yerebatan Sarnıcı'
, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that still lie beneath the city of Istanbul, former Constantinople, Turkey. The cistern, located in the historical peninsula of Istanbul next to the Hagia Sophia, was built during the reign of emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, the age of glory of Eastern Rome, also called the Byzantine Empire.This underground structure was known as the “Basilica Cistern” as its was built underneath the Stoa Basilica, a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine had already constructed a structure, which was rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532. It provided water 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 James Bond film From Russia with Love.
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Comments: 29
tell me your about ur camera?
ur shots amaze me again and again .
^^
well.. like i sometimes wirte comments, and sometimes i just enjoy your work.
its kinda spirited..
i appreciate the sight of istanbul u show us.
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This is one of my most favorite places ever. Such a beautiful shot.
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Thank you! It is a wonderful place!
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Great shot!
Love the colours and the reflex on the floor!
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Istanbul is turkish since of 1453
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yeah...
but almost everything that matters in constantinople and turkey is GREEK or ROMAN, right...?
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actually no, Greek or Rome have limited contributions on Turkish culture. There are no traces of them in living culture. Besides Turkey has protected the historical works, places and values of Greek and Roman culture. They are seen as historical heritage by Turks. And also Turkish cultural geography, not only consisting of İstanbul, is wide and very rich in culture. Turks are the representatives of a 10.000 year-dynamic culture. There are almost no place that Turks did not leave their traces from Pekin to Vienna and Turks are in Anatolia for 1ooo years. You should come and see İstanbul as soon as possible.
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i'm kidding man. don't take it all so seriously.
i've been to turkey once, antalya and denizli, and sure there is a lot of turkish there. haha. although i kind of noticed more done by selcuk than osmanli, or am i wrong?
by the way, since the difference in religion, naturally greco-roman art did not influence the turks; more of it was acqured from the arabs and their islami art. it's understandable. but i still can't really say i noticed extensively developed turkish culture in this static sense, as for architecture and urbanism; since the turks really were nomads for like all the time. except for istanbul, 'fcourse (by the way, istanbul is derived from greek- is tin polin- means INTO THE CITY, haha).
btw, what turkish monuments do you know in europe, outside turkey? there's a lot of cool bridges in herzegovina and bosnia, since they have great deep rivers. it's cool.
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you know in some regions selchuk's monuments buildings kept still but in some places and especially in northwest of Turkey, İstanbul, Edirne, Bursa,... etc. Osmanli 
Nomadic life took Turks from constructing but after being Muslim, Turks started to settle and and Ottoman time was the richest from the point of giving new artistic, architectural works.
I know that bridges and I can say that 15.000 buildings constructed in five centuries under Ottoman rule in Balkans but %90 of them collapsed or destroyed from that time to now. There are lots of others in other countries in Europe. You may surf on the net to find the names but I can give one Estergon Castle in Hungary <[link]
you may check it.
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yeah, that's too bad... i like some of the mosks that i saw n stuff... (btw, in croatian- edirne=drinopolje, istanbul=carigrad, lmao, the old names).
you're an architect? you seem to know a great deal about the turkish architecture. I know only the bridge in mostar and the bridge over drina that was ruined, i guess... and of course the buildings in turkey, yevli minaret or how is it spelled, topkapi palace, the blue mosk and the other...
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No, I am not an architect but just love to search our ancestors life and works
That is Yivli Minare 
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there's a lot of territory you'll have to search, haha.
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sigh...wonderfull shot!
but i have to say here:"Πάλι με χρόνια με καιρούς,πάλι δικία μας θα 'ναι!"
plus..."Istanbul" is a greek word...means "εις την Πόλη"(is tin poli/translation:in the City)
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Istanbul's old names are(chronological ); "Byzantion", "Deutra-Roma", "Roma Nea", "Constantinopolis", "Bulin", "Astanbulin or Eisten-Polis". Previously Turks muslims sayed "Kostantiniyye" and "İslâmbol". İstanbul is deformed pronunciation of "Astanbulin or Eisten-Polis" words.
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Yes breifly one weekend in the end of november, it was wonderful, even if I had a cold.
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it was suprised for me,this basilica is in my city
and one of my fav place here,
i am glad to see it here mon ami
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