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The towering columns, most much older Byzantine Emperor Justinian I built the cis-
than the cistern, make this place fascinating. tern 532 AD to provide water for the Great
The Byzantines brought them in from ruins Palace of Constantinople and other important
throughout the Roman Empire. Made of differ- buildings. The water flows through a system of
ent marbles and in different styles, some are underground channels from the Belgrade For-
finds from the famous Forum of Theodosius, est, about 12 miles away. After the Ottoman
which was destroyed in the Nika riots. Others conquest in 1453, the cistern fell into disuse.
are from nearby Ephesus. Two intriguing col- For over two hundred years, it was forgotten
umns perch atop giant carved Medusa heads. until French traveler Pierre Gilles rediscov-
ered it in the 16th century.
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