Editing Basilica Cistern (section)

==History==
This subterranean cistern was called Basilica because it was located under a large public square, the Stoa Basilica, on the [[Seven hills of Istanbul|First Hill of Constantinople]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/istanbul/sights/other/basilica-cistern |title=Basilica Cistern - Lonely Planet |first=Lonely |last=Planet}}</ref> Prior to its construction, a great [[basilica]] stood on the spot. It had been built during the Early Roman Age between the 3rd and 4th centuries as a commercial, legal and artistic centre.<ref name=yerebatan /> The basilica was reconstructed by [[Illus]] after a fire in 476.

Ancient texts indicated that the [https://www.basilica-cistern.com/ basilica cistern] contained gardens surrounded by a colonnade that faced the [[Hagia Sophia]].<ref name=yerebatan /> According to ancient historians, Emperor [[Constantine I|Constantine]] built a structure that was later reconstructed and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the [[Nika riots]] of 532, which devastated the city.

Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.<ref name=yerebatan />

The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the [[Great Palace of Constantinople]] and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the [[Topkapı Palace]] after the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Fall of Constantinople|conquest]] in 1453 and into modern times.

The existence of the cistern was eventually forgotten by all but the locals who still drew water from it until, in 1565, the French traveller [[Petrus Gyllius]] left a record of it. Gyllius recorded being rowed in between the columns and seeing fish swimming in the water beneath the boat.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yale 1 Tonguç 2 |first=Pat 1 Saffet Emre 2 |title=Istanbul The Ultimate Guide |publisher=Boyut |year=2010 |isbn=9789752307346 |edition=1st |location=Istanbul |pages=54–56 |language=English}}</ref>