Ä°pek Bodrum Cistern
KurtaÄŸa Park, site of Ä°pek Bodrum Cistern
Ä°pek Bodrum (Turkish “Silk Cellar”) is a cistern situated in the northwestern part of Constantinople, a short distance from the Cistern of Aetius. Ä°pek Bodrum was likely part of a monastery that also included the nearby Kasım AÄŸa Mosque and Odalar Mosque.
Its construction date is uncertain, but perhaps dates to the 12th century. It was used by Armenian spinners in the 19th century, and referred as Ipek Bodrum. It was damaged in a fire in 1919, and later was almost completely filled with rubbish and debris. It is currently buried under KurtaÄŸa Park.
It had a rectangular plan measuring 17 x 29 m and had dome-shaped vaults. It had 4 colonnades, each consisting of seven columns, many of which were richly decorated. It is unclear if it was originally connected to the nearby open cistern of Aetius.
Plan by Forchheimer & Strzygowski
Plan by Muller-Wiener
Sources
Ä°stanbul'da Bizans Dönemi Sarnıçlarının Mimari Özellikleri ve Kentin Tarihsel Topografyasındaki Dağılımı by Kerim AltuÄŸ
Die Byzantinischen Wasserbehalter von Konstantinopel by Forchheimer & Strzygowski
Bildlexikon zur Topographie Istanbuls: Byzantion, Konstantinupolis, Istanbul by Müller-Wiener
Architecture and Ritual in the Churches of Constantinople Ninth to Fifteenth Centuries by V. Marinis
Resources
Water Supply (Nicholas V. Artamonoff Collection)
Byzantine Cisterns of Constantinople Photo Album (Byzantine Legacy Flickr)