Obama-mania reached Istanbul, and we were forced to walk around most of the Seraglio Point to get away from the throngs of people, security guards armed with automatic weapons, and barricades.
While walking on a side street outside of Sultanahmet, I noticed a red awning labeled "BinBirdirek". Having studied Istanbul's layout and harkening back to the different sites, I remembered that "Binbirdirek" was the name of a cistern. We had stumbled upon the oldest cistern in Istanbul, dating to the 4th century.
Until recently, the cistern was nothing more than a trash heap. The city/whomever decided to clean the cistern and turn it into a shopping experience. We paid 10 Lira to enter the cistern and get out of the rain and away from the people.
As we decended into the cistern, we could hear drops of water collecting on the stone floor. The cistern was still functional as tarps were erected to trap the water and direct it away from people in the cafe or kiosks along the cistern's perimeter.
We ambled through the columns, looking up to the brick arches 40-some odd feet above our heads. We could still make out the initials of the Roman column makers.
After gawking at the sights, we sat down at the cafe and enjoyed a cup of tea amongst the forest of columns, piped-in ambient music, and splats of drops of rainwater from above.
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