Zeyrek Sarnıcı

The Zeyrek Sarnıcı sits beneath a modern wooden platform in the Cibali neighborhood, identifiable by the brick-and-stone vaulted ceiling visible through the open spaces of the structure above. This Byzantine cistern held water for the nearby Pantokrator Monastery complex, supplying monks and pilgrims for centuries. During the nineteenth century, a local family built a modest house directly on top of the ancient arches. The floor of that home eventually collapsed, revealing the immense, cavernous water chamber hidden underneath for generations.