About Me

I ramble about a number of things - but travel experiences, movies and music feature prominently. See my label cloud for a better idea. All comnments and opinions on this blog are my own, and do not in any way reflect the opinions/position of my employer (past/current/future).

21 March 2014

Basilica Cistern

I first learnt about Emperor Justinian (of the Eastern Roman Empire) during my PhD work - specifically on his legal statutes that became the basis for codified Roman law. He was also responsible for many of the Byzantinian structures that have survived in Istanbul - the two most prominent examples being the Aya (Hagia) Sophia and the Basilica Cistern.

The cistern is a massive water storage tank, that supplied drinkin water to this part of Istanbul for many years, until the Ottomans built their own running water system. 

The soft lighting, the fishes am te two Medusa heads, apparently transported from elsewhere, makes this into an interesting historical attraction.



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