Binbirdirek Cistern
BİNBİRDİREK SARNICI is one of the hidden underground treasures of Istanbul, one of the most important cities of every era. After the division of Rome into two, when Constantine established the Byzantine capital in Istanbul, 12 people came with him. Some members of the senate were also forced to emigrate. One of these 12, PhiIoxenos, had his own palace built near the site of the old Roman walls and crowned it with a large cistern. In order for his palace to be higher than the hippodrome, the emperor's palace and overlooking the sea, the altitude of the cistern was kept quite high.
Although there is more than one research on the date of its construction, C. Diehl was of the opinion that the cistern was built during the reign of Iustinian (518-527). Because he stated that the stamped bricks found in the interior belong to this time. As E. Maumbory suggests, it is highly probable that the cistern was built by Philoxenos during the reign of Constantine and was repaired and expanded during the reign of Iustinian. If this point is accepted, it would be very appropriate to date the Philoxenos cistern between the years 306 - 337.The cistern is in the form of a 64 X 56 meter plan and has an area of more than 3000 square meters. There were 224 marble columns in 16 rows inside. However, 212 of them have survived to the present day. Only in this building in Istanbul do we find carriers consisting of two superimposed bodies.
