Organized by İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi (IBB), as part of İBB Kültür AŞ, The Basilica Cistern opens its doors to a night of mystical visuals and sounds in one the most ancient sites in the city! The beautifully renovated cistern will host sound-healing facilitator Suzin Maçoro on select days until April for the event series “Night Shift: Darkness of Basilica”. The event starts at 20:00 and tickets are available via Passo.
From the organizers:
Get ready for a therapy where light, smell and sense of space will be experienced together in the mystical ambiance of the 1500-year-old Basilica Cistern: The Darkness of the Basilica is calling you!
We will listen to the voice and rhythm from the depths of history with the sound healing event, which will be held with Suzin Maçoro.
Note:
The event will last for 1 hour. First, experiencing the space with candles in the dark; Afterwards, voice therapy will take place.
THE BASILICA CISTERN – In search of water
Ordered by Justinianus I (527-565), Byzantine Emperor, the cistern is called among Turkish people as “Yerebatan Cistern” (the Subterranean Cistern) owing to the marble columns that rise up from the water and seem to be countless. The cistern is also called “the Basilica Cistern” as it is located on a place formerly known as “the Stoa Basilica.”
Built on a 140-meter long and 70-meter wide rectangular space, the spacious cistern covers 9.800 sqm area, in total. The cistern is 9 meter high and has 336 columns with a capacity to store 100 thousand tonnes of water. The cistern is also home to a “tear column” with tear-like decorations and two “Medusa heads” which are considered to be among the masterpieces of the Roman sculpture.
Operated by İBB Kültür AŞ of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the Basilica Cistern serves as a museum as well as hosting many national and international events.
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Images courtesy of the organizers. More information available via the official event page.
Alemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul
