Abstract:

The historical peninsula where the city Byzantium-Constantinople was founded, is a land lack of water sources. The sources of water for the city included long distance water supplying lines, wells and cisterns. The water supplying system based on Roman aqueducts established already from the 2nd, 4th and 5thcenturies. After 7th century, water supply infrastructure gradually collapsed and the cisterns became the major water supply in the city. Surviving remains of the cisterns and substructures served as cisterns provide not only the great significance for understanding of water storage and circulation in the city but also standardization of architecture in Byzantine Constantinople.This study is an attempt to analyse Byzantine cisterns and converted substructures at historical topography of Istanbul within the context of planning, construction techniques and materials used.The process of investigation focused on the historical peninsula, with addition of published material, detailed research at the archives has been conducted to collect data on unpublished cisterns appeared during the excavations for modern constructions. At the same time, current conditions of these structures systematically recorded with the survey was carried out. This survey has also resulted in some of new discoveries of Byzantine structures

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