Turkiye 2023: Arasta Bazaar & Theodosius Cistern

We came out of the museum with plenty of time before the two main mosques open. Earlier at the mausoleum, a carpet guy (one of the barkers calling us to look at carpets) told us about a local bazaar nearby - very small and very local. This turned out to be Arasta Bazaar, which did not come up on any of my research, if my memory is correct. The marketplace is small but eye-catching with colorful spices and fabrics, and best of all not many tourists. Since it was very small, we completed the cursory inspection fairly quickly.

Then, we saw same carpet guy just outside of the bazaar as we completed our visit of the market mentioned about another cistern, after learning that we have to visit Basilica Cistern. Well, he's all over the square trying to score a sale, but he's friendly and helpful, and more importantly not pushy when it comes to making a sale. We were asking him about Theodosius Cistern and luckily for us it is just a few blocks away - also within walking distance. I tell you, that here in Sultanahmet Square, you can tick off all the must sees in Istanbul just by walking, so accessible.

Let me first tell you that according to our research, the cisterns - particularly Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici), the largest of several hundreds of cisterns in Istanbul - are historical landmarks and definitely worth visiting. Thus, the Basilica Cistern was definitely on top of our must-sees in Istanbul. However, while doing the pre-trip research I found that there were many other cisterns all over the city, so my curiosity was raised. I wanted to see at least one other to compare and contrast. That is when I chose the Theodosius Cistern. Little did I know, both cisterns are within walking distance to each other. According to Google Maps, it's only a 10-minute walk. I'm sure we took more time than that, but we were distracted by everything, including the cats, and taking photos at every corner.

Here's what I found online about Theodosius Cistern: "Theodosius Cistern - built by Roman emperor Theodosius II between 428 and 443 to store water from Valens Aqueduct.

Architecture: The cistern area is about 20 by 40 m (66 by 131 ft), and the roof with 45 sail vaults is supported by 32 marble columns about 11 m (36 ft) high. All column capitals are of Corinthian order with stylized acanthus leaves bearing impost blocks above. The marble of the columns was brought from Marmara Island. The interior walls of the cistern are covered with waterproof plaster, and its corners are curved to withstand water pressure. The wall thickness is around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)."

The cistern and its signages were in Turkish name of Serefiye Sarnici, which at that time we did not know was one and the same cistern, Theodosius Cistern.

We found the cistern fairly easily and when we were coming up to get the tickets, we were told we were just in time for the light show, which was not what we were aiming for. However, we found out that going to the light show is the only way to see the cistern.

I can't remember how much we paid for the tickets, but Mr. Google says it's currently at 800 TL or about 24 USD. It's a very enjoyable show, but I've had my share of pretty good light shows, let's leave it at that.

After the light show, some of the visitors stayed behind to take photos.

After the light show:

She's the one that guards the back door of the cistern.