BASILICA CISTERN

The Basilica Cistern is undoubtedly one of the most mysterious stops in Sultanahmet Square. The cistern was designed to bring water from Belgrade to meet the water needs of the people during the Byzantine period. When you are in Istanbul, we recommend you not to leave without feeling the coolness of the Basilica Cistern. Among the columns of the Basilica Cistern, the most curious ones are undoubtedly the three columns with the Medusa Head underneath. The Medusa Heads are located in the northwest corner of the cistern, below the scaffolding down the stairs. The image of the heads upside down under the columns may give you the feeling that the columns were not tall enough and they were added underneath, but it is not known exactly where and how these heads, which are thought to have been carved from a Roman building in the IVth century, were brought from. As such, the mysterious air of the columns has been preserved, and when mythology is involved, the columns have become even more famous.

 

As you may remember from mythology, Medusa is a snake-headed woman. The most famous of the myths about Medusa is that she was the victim of jealousy. According to the legend, Medusa was a beautiful woman with black eyes and long hair and she was in love with the demigod Perseus, the son of Zeus. Athena, who was in love with Perseus, took away Medusa's beauty out of jealousy and turned her hair into a snake. After this curse, any man who dared to look at Medusa was turned to stone. Perseus then cut off Medusa's head and defeated many enemies with her power. According to another legend, Medusa, one of the three sisters, had the power to turn those who looked at her into stone. Because of this protective power, Medusa's head has been used to protect important places since ancient Greece.

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