There are places that are so surreal that you even doubt their existance. One of such places is the Yerebatan Sarayi, in English the 'Sunken Palace'. Located about 150 m from Ayasofya in the historical peninsula of Sultanahmet, this is the largest of hundreds of cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) in Turkey.
The Basilica Cistern, how it is also called, and all the other cisterns, played a key role in providing the city with fresh water, which came from the Eğrikapı water distribution center in the Belgrade Forest (approx. 19 km north of Istanbul) and travelled through the aqueducts of Valens and Mağlov, that still stand to our days.
Built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, some texts claim that 7,000 slaves worked in the cistern's construction. And this is not hard to believe; just to say something about the proportions, the massive interior is capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres of water. The weight of the cistern lies on the 336 marble columns by means of cross-shaped vaults and round arches.
Before the restauration works, the only way to tour the cistern was by boat. In the meantime platforms have been built to walk through the impressive complex.
Even if it's always crowded down there, you somehow find the state of mind of being alone. From the sound of waterdrops to the reflections of the vaulted ceiling in the water, you do get this feeling of solitude even when there are hundreds of people at the same moment visiting the Basilica Cistern. Not even the most fantastic scene inside the Moria mines in the Lord of the Rings could top the sight of the forest of columns and the still waters of Istanbul's Sunken Palace.
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| Basilica Cistern. |
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| Blurry portrait. |
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| Sunken Palace. |
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| The origins of the bases of the the two columns that have a Medusa head are unknown. Legend has it that they are inverted to negate the power of its gaze. |
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| Medusa head and columns. |
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| Reflections. |
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| Basilica Cistern. |
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| So like a scene from the Lord of the Rings! |
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| Artsy shot inside the Basilica Cistern. |
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By
Unknown
6:21 p.m.
America
A couple of weeks ago I went for a walk in Casco Antiguo. I only had my camera with me and a lot of time to walk around. One of the first stops was San Francisco de Asís church, located on Plaza Bolívar across the National Theatre. Currently undergoing restoration, this is one of the most ornate churches in the entire city, and like many other buildings in the historic district, it was ravaged by fire back in 1737 and a second time in 1756.
I was actually not authorised to enter, but the restoration workers kindly let me in to take a look at the progress. Inside the church, I realised how important it is to take care of our heritage sites. This thought hasn't left my mind since I saw the images of the damaged temples in Kathmandu after the recent earthquake in Nepal.
My love and admiration for architecture draws my attention to this specific topic over and over again. Sometimes it seems that we are so obsessed in creating the new, instead of taking care of what has been left for us as a legacy of our ancestors.
As the Casco Antiguo for example. Perhaps one of my favourite places in Panama City, I can't say I'm completely happy with what's going on there architecturally speaking. Some buildings are being renovated, whilst others are slowly becoming ruins. If there's a project to restore the entire area, it should affect the neighbourhood in its totality, not just a couple of structures that will be turned into hotels or nice restaurants. It's just my opinion, since I'm concerned about what happens in the city.
We have to react before it's too late. We might never be prepared for a natural disaster, but we must not let our heritage sites be part of a forgotten world that is neglected by those who make decisions. When it clearly is what brings us together, making us be who we are and creating strong sense of identity and appreciation for art.
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| Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís. |
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| Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís. |
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| Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís. |
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| Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís. |
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| Restoration works in San Francisco de Asís. |
Have a great start of the week,
Astrid
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I believe that every city has a language that can be learned through its structures, people and daily life scenes. These images generate in our minds ideas and concepts that are subjected to constant change. Every step we take in a foreign environment reveals something new and powerful about life.
Whenever you go somewhere new, you really have to learn from scratch, because nothing that you read beforehand prepares you to what you'll encounter. It's truly a spiritual excercise to put oneself in the shoes of a local and walk the path they usually take to work or home, to eat their food, to get lost in the same place where they've found themselves.
My time wandering around Istanbul has left me with some of the most incredible images that I've ever seen. In an attempt to describe what cannot be described, I've put together the following photos that articulate one of the images I have in my head of this wonderful and mysterious city. I dare to say that it's the image that is closest to my heart because all the pictures were taken in the place where I stayed in Istanbul, Beyo
ğlu.
There's just so much to see, learn and experience and so little time to take it all in, but as in nice stories there's always a promise. And this one I've made to myself. I'll be back very soon, that's for sure.
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| Çukurcuma |
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| Çukurcuma |
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| Çukurcuma |
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| Galata |
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| Galata |
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| Galata |
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| Cihangir |
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| Cihangir |
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| Maiden's Tower |
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| Cihangir |
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| Cihangir |
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| Galata |
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| Galata |
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| Galata |
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| Istanbul |
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| Galata |
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| Galata |
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| Galata |
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| Synagogue, Galata |
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| Portrait. |
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I can't believe I'm writing the 100th post of SpiegelEye. Which makes me ask myself the following question:
Why do I like to travel?
To answer this I like to look back at a moment during my last long trip. Sitting in a train to Frankfurt airport on my way to Egypt, I thought about the reason of my visit to this country. Lost in my thoughts and looking at the marvelous Franconian landscape outside the window, I began listening to one of my fave bands, the great Two Door Cinema Club, and suddenly everything seemed much more clear to me...
"The beacon is calling me
the light that never dies
Reliving this is something new
And something finally"
Travelling is not just about going somewhere. It's about coming closer to the heart of the world, which therefore brings you closer to yourself.
"In between the lines is the only place you'll find
What you're missing but you didn't know was there"
So, wherever you feel you need to go, just go. Don't ask yourself why or how, just go. In the end and if we're lucky enough, travelling will bring us closer to ourselves and who we want to be. But only if we allow this to happen...
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| One of my favourite shots of my grandma Lela, who was also very fond of travelling. She told stories about Russia, Kenia and many more places around the world. |
This post is dedicated to her, a woman whose life continues to inspire me to this day.
Xx,
Astrid
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During one of the conversations I had with Serkan, the receptionist of Levanten hostel (where I lived in Istanbul), I asked him what made Beyoğlu special. Since Levanten hostel is located in Cihangir, one of the neighbourhoods that composes this district on the European side of the turkish city, I thought it would be nice to know what a local thinks about the area.
When you google Beyoğlu, the first articles you read state that it is a centre for the nightlife and art scene in Istanbul and that the entire Istiklal avenue is a tourist magnet. This is actually true because almost everywhere in Beyoğlu you'll find small boutiques, antique shops and nice cafes and restaurants. Even Altuğ, the hostel owner, told me that there are people who come to Istanbul only to go to the clubs on Istiklal. So I started to wonder if that was the only aspect that made this area so attractive.
Serkan, who was born and raised in Galata, another neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, told me a beautiful phrase which I will never forget. It goes like this: "In Beyoğlu the world comes together. You see so many people from Europe, the United States and elsewhere living and working here, because Beyoğlu offers them something that their hometowns doesn't. Call it what you want, people come here, love it and stay. And by staying, Beyoğlu assimilates a part of them and a part of Beyoğlu stays in them. This constant exchange is exactly what makes this place so special and different from the rest of Istanbul".
Every single one of my strolls around Beyoğlu was accompanied by the feeling of being at the right place and at the right time. There is more than just clubs and cool bars here. It's hard to explain. You have to see and experience it for yourself. From walking down the hill in Cihangir to the shores of the Bosphorus to strolling around the narrow and winding streets of Çukurcuma and sitting down at a cafe in Galata; you will always find sights here that stay with you forever.
In my case, I've taken a part of Beyoğlu with me and a part of me stayed in Cihangir and the rest of the corners of this part of Istanbul that I so loved.
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| Morning walk. |
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| Loved the architecture in this part of town. |
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| Beyoğlu balconies. |
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| Çukurcuma. |
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| Çukurcuma. |
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| Galata diversity. |
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| Galata. |
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| Galata. |
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| Gotta love cats in Istanbul. They are part of the landscape wherever you go. |
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| Galata views. |
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| Dinner for one. |
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| Cihangir. |
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| Cihangir. |
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| Cihangir. |
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| Bosphorus views from Cihangir. |
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| Enjoying a private concert in Cihangir. |
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| Rainbow steps in Findikli. They were painted during the 2013 Gezi Park protests. |
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| Walks along the Bosphorus... |
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| Dinner time in Findikli |
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| Decorated streets in Cihangir. |
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