Day I- yerabatan spook

The Blue Mosque and the Ayasofya- both of them have drained words out of me. You’d think they would do the same to one’s travel senses, but post-lunch there is renewed vigour. Sultanahmet is full of tourist sights, which is great because you can walk from one to other even if you are unfit louts like us. The two imperious monuments call out to each other, and further north, behind the church/mosque/museum is Topkapi Palace which we shall visit tomorrow. Right now we make our way towards the top of Divan Yolu, where right round the corner is the entrance to the Yerabatan Saray Sernici.

Going down the steps we know what to expect in this underground place. Called also the Sunken Palace Cistern, it is literally that- a cistern that is seriously huge. Why would a water storage tank underground be of any sight-seeing worth is anyone’s guess. Well, for those who have not been there, at any rate. What will we see besides space enough to hold 80,000cubic metres of water? (80,000!)
There is a warm glow about the place as we reach the last flight of stairs; nothing in particular yet everything as a whole captures us. We see walkways disappearing into the relative darkness, brightened only by atmospheric lighting. People are milling around but the noise is minimal- being underground in this sort of a place seems to make hushed whispers obviously normal.

On either side of the walkways that take you deep into the 2.4 acre area (!), are 336 marble columns rising out of the pools of water they are meant to house. For something as mundane as water storage, it is strange that there is so much attention to detail, but who are we to complain? The columns themselves are imposing and beautifully carved, but the feel they create is what this place is all about. We keep telling each other what a great ‘location’ this would make- as in, a location for filming- and sure enough it has been used in From Russia With Love.

A few minutes into the walk and we hear spooky music. Well, in all fairness the music was probably not spooky by itself, but listening to it there was another thing altogether; also, we couldn’t quite figure out where it was coming from. At one end of the Cistern, past a few places with little fish and innumerable pennies for wishes (what is this thing of throwing money into water for you wishes coming true- I’ve seen it in so many bloody places but I haven’t the faintest what’s the thinking behind it)…we come to the two Medusa heads that are placed here for no apparent reason; and for definitely no reason that has occurred to anyone, one head is upside down, one is lying on its side (and both look moderately ugly in their greenish sliminess).

On our way back we realise the music is live music, and is being played at the café just by the exit. It is a lovely place to sit awhile (especially cause there aren’t benches around for you to sit elsewhere) with a cuppa, music and the seemingly endless glowing pillars; except at nearly 2Euros a cup of tea, it isn’t something we’re going to be doing. It must be about 5pm by now, and we are going to make our way to Eminonu, the port at the famous Golden Horn, by the Galata Bridge.

cistern photos