The Binbirdirek Cistern

Look at the ground beneath your feet. Under this quiet street lies a vast hall held up by more than two hundred marble columns. This is the Binbirdirek Cistern, one of the largest in Constantinople, and for centuries nobody knew it was there.

1A thousand and one columns that number 224

Its Turkish name means "a thousand and one columns", but don't take that literally: in Turkish, "binbir", a thousand and one, is a way of saying "countless", as in "The Thousand and One Nights". In fact there are 224. Each is made of two shafts stacked one on top of the other and joined by a marble ring, reaching around fifteen metres. Many bear carved Greek letters, probably the stonemasons' marks.

2A name with a legend

It was built in the 5th or 6th century beneath the palace of a Byzantine noble family. Chroniclers called it the Cistern of Philoxenus.

According to tradition, Philoxenus was a Roman senator who came with Constantine and paid for the work; no contemporary document confirms it.

3A forgotten hall

After the Ottoman conquest it fell out of use. Houses grew up on top and the cistern sank into oblivion. It was rediscovered in the 17th century, when the palace of Fazıl Pasha was being built. It's said that its dry aisles later served as a workshop; until the late 20th century it was full of rubble. Restored today, it hosts exhibitions and events.

4What to look for

• The entrance, so discreet that it barely hints at the size of the hall.
• The street level: the whole neighbourhood literally sits on top of the vaults.
• If you go down, the marble rings joining each pair of shafts.