Between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia was the location of the Roman Hippodrome. As the center of the Roman colony, this area had lots of Roman buildings. Materials from the buildings were re-purposed over the centuries. One of the structures that benefited was an underground cistern, built during the Byzantine era. The cistern uses a variety of recycled Roman columns and even two Medusa heads to support the roof. This structure was forgotten for centuries and then re-discovered. The people living above it enjoyed an endless supply of water from their wells, but didn't know it was coming from the cistern. We saw lots of carp in the water. There used to be tours using boats, but now there's a walkway, which is very dark and eerie inside. Martha said it was like the Paris sewers only roomier and not smelly. It is definitely a unique structure.
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