Ancient Hotel Cistern

Ancient Hotel Cistern
General information
Architectural style	Doğu Roma
Location	Fatih, İstanbul, Türkiye
Height	7 m

The Antique Hotel Cistern is one of many ancient cistern structures located in the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul, specifically in the Mimar Kemalettin Mah. district of the Fatih district. It is situated in the basement of the Antik Hotel at Sekbanbaşı Sokak No:6.

The remains of the ancient structure on the south slope of Theodosius Forum and Simkeşhane were unearthed in 1984 during the foundation excavation of a large office building. Construction was halted, and a 10-day rescue excavation was conducted in October 1984 under the supervision of the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. During this excavation, the northern wall of the building, the eastern wall, and the eastern part of the southern wall, which were located under the road, were discovered. The northern wall extends towards the neighboring parcel on the west.[1] The western wall on the adjacent parcel was discovered in a separate excavation conducted in 1987.[2] Currently, the western part of the cistern has been enclosed by a wall, coinciding with the western boundary of the parcel where the hotel is located. Therefore, the western wall of the cistern cannot be seen. Only the eastern corner of the southern wall, which was destroyed before the museum excavation, is visible.

Architectural Features

The structure measures 20 meters in the east-west direction and 15 meters in the north-south direction, with three rows of column-supported cisterns. Thirteen columns were identified, some in situ and some broken. It is believed that the stone-beam walls located to the east of the cistern, which define spaces separate from the main space in this section, belong to a later period. Between these stone-beamed walls, there are in situ columns without pedestals supporting a rough rectangular block of Prokonnesian marble (Marmara Island marble) that resembles a beam.[2] No information regarding the top cover could be obtained. The wall level was preserved up to 7 meters.[1]

The walls of the building, ranging from 1.5 meters to 1.75 meters in thickness, consist of regular brick rows combined with Khorasan mortar. The bricks used have dimensions ranging from 35x35 centimeters to 37x37 centimeters and a height of 5 centimeters.[1] The joint thickness varies between 6 to 10 centimeters.[2] The building's interior is covered with 5 to 7 centimeters of waterproof plaster,[1] and the corners are rounded to withstand water pressure. Remnants of terracotta pipes used for water supply to the building were found among the artifacts related to the structure.[2]

Dating the Building

The Çemberlitaş, Beyazıt, Laleli, and Süleymaniye areas, in line with archaeological findings from the 4th century BC to the Middle Ages, were known to have necropolis areas since the 3rd century BC. With the expansion of the city that began in 324 during the reign of Constantine I, these areas were included within the city borders through extensive development activities.[3] Therefore, it is believed that the Antique Hotel Cistern was built after the expansion of the city during the Constantine period.

To the west of this building, opposite the Mint Street, there is a cistern identified as Structure C, discovered by Ernest Mamboury in 1948-1949, as well as the remains of buildings 4-6. They are believed to date back to the 4th century, but due to the limited time available during the arrangement of Beyazıt Square and Ordu Street, the ruins could not be thoroughly documented.[3]

Asgari stated that the building was part of a common construction program with the important structures built on the Mese in the 4th and 5th centuries, which suggests that it can be dated to this range.[1] However, Altuğ dated the Antique Hotel Cistern to the 6th century, although the construction technique used is uncertain.[2]

Function of the Building

It has been suggested that this building was used as a cistern due to the use of plaster on the interior walls. Asgari suggests that the columns inside the building were installed at the same time as the plastering, and that there may have been another superstructure supported by these columns. The Antique Hotel Cistern, which extends to the west alongside the C Cistern identified by Mamboury, may be the infrastructure of a larger building. According to Asgari, this building may have been part of a joint construction program with other important structures from Late Antiquity, such as the Antiochos and Lausos palaces, and the Myrelaion Rotunda located south of the Mese[1], the city's main street. If the building dates back to the 4th century, the Ancient Hotel Cistern and C Cistern may have been built to support the area south of the Theodosian Forum. [4]

It is believed that the Constantinople transmission line passes under the walls of the Constantine period and reaches the Theodosius Forum in the south via the Bozdoğan Aqueduct, before reaching the Binbirdirek Cistern via the Mese route. The Ancient Hotel Cistern, along with structures such as the Binbirdirek (Philoxenos?) Cistern and the Şerefiye Cistern[2], is thought to have benefited from this line. During the 1984 excavation, remains from the Ottoman period were also found on the structure.[1]

The decision to preserve the ruins in situ and construct a building on top of them with access to the ruins was made by the Immovable Cultural and Natural Heritage, Istanbul Regional Board[1]. The building is currently privately owned and can be accessed from inside the Antique Hotel, which was built on top of it. The cistern is located on the third basement floor of the hotel and is guarded, while the second basement floor has been converted into a gallery and used as the hotel's restaurant and bar[5]. Since 2001, the cistern has been hosting exhibitions in various fields such as painting, photography, and ceramics.[6]

Refer also

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