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The mystical aquatic underworld of past empires will be reopened in Istanbul – Health and Lifestyle News – Report by AFR

Justinian the Great would have been proud.

The Basilica Cistern he built for the capital of his Eastern Roman Empire in what is now Istanbul has reopened after a five-year renovation that has transformed the water reservoir into a refreshingly cool oasis of subterranean sound and light.

Built in AD 542 near the Hagia Sophia mosque – then a cathedral – the basilica was once part of a network of more than 100 cisterns begun by the Romans and completed by the Byzantines and Ottomans to surround the city and to supply their palaces with running water.

Known in Turkey as Yerebatan Sarnici (“the cistern buried beneath the earth”), its water-flooded rows of columns rose to screen fame when they were featured in a scene from the 1963 James Bond film From Russia With Love .

But the city was forced to partially close the site for the restoration in 2017 over fears that the basilica could collapse if the slightest tremor of an earthquake struck Istanbul.

It’s been completely closed since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, allowing workers to strengthen and clean the 138-by-65-meter water palace, said Aysen Kaya, deputy head of the municipality’s cultural heritage department.

Steel rods were stretched across the cornices of the 336 columns that supported the subterranean ceiling, arranged in 12 rows of 28.

Even the pink brick walls have been stripped of traces of past, less elegant renovation efforts.

“By scraping away the added layers of cement, we updated the bricks,” Kaya said. She pointed to two pipes uncovered by the latest work: one that brought water to Hagia Sophia and another to a palace that stood before the sultans built the Topkapi harem next door.

The Basilica Cistern could hold nearly 80,000 liters (21,000 gallons) of water that tumbled down aqueducts 12 miles north of Bergen.

The feat helped protect the Byzantines from summer droughts.

– Upside Down Medusa –

The renovation also includes a lower footbridge over the water, bringing tourists within half a meter of its surface. And with improved lighting, the ground is now visible for the first time.

Aside from the structural changes, the basilica has been given a mystical, almost spiritual feel with colored lights changing people’s perspectives and revealing new details.

A famous Medusa head adorning two of the cornerstones – according to legend turned upside down so as not to turn those who stare into it to stone – now looks even more vivid and terrifying.

At the heart of the 1,500-year-old structure, a triumph of the art and techniques of its day, modern works have been inserted for added impact, such as: B. a grasping hand emerging from the water.

A translucent jellyfish artwork almost seems to dance between the pillars, illuminated by the rainbow of colors that illuminate the darkened hall with a soft glow.

“We wanted a light installation that didn’t take away from the mystical atmosphere of the place,” Kaya said.

The line of tourists snaking their way to the entrance of the cistern under the hot Istanbul sun is a testament to the success of the restoration.

“Absolutely unbelievable. Absolutely unique, I mean,” said 40-year-old British visitor Nick Alatti, struggling to put his astonishment into words.

“I’ve never seen a place like this before. And he will be with me for a very long time.”

#mystical #aquatic #underworld #empires #reopened #Istanbul

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