March 26: More Istanbul
Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern, also called the Yerebatan Sarayi or Yerebatan Sarnici, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that still lie beneath the city of Istanbul. This cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber of 143 by 65 metres, capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres of water. The large space is broken up by a forest of 336 marble columns each 9 metres high.

The cistern was built by the Greeks during the reign of emperor Justinianus in the 6th century, the age of glory of Eastern Rome, also called the Byzantine Empire. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 meters and coated with a special mortar for insulation against water. The cistern's water was provided from the Belgrade Woods—which lie 19km north of the city—via aqueducts built by the emperor Justinianus.

The cistern was used as a location for the James Bond film From Russia with Love. Today the cistern is also used as an event site for things like corporate parties.