Ottoman-Era Cistern Discovered in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—While restoring the eighteenth-century Nuruosmaniye Mosque, located near Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, workers from Foundations Istanbul Provincial discovered an Ottoman-era cistern. “We removed 420 trucks’ worth of slime from the cistern. Then the magnificent gallery, cistern, and water gauge became visible. …There is also a well under this cistern. After cleaning the mud, we saw that the system was still working,” said Director İbrahim Özekinci. When the cleaning and conservation are finished in another year, he plans to turn the cistern into a museum and open it to visitors.