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How the Basilica Cistern protected Constantinople from drought

How the Basilica Cistern protected Constantinople from drought

Learn about the Basilica Cistern that was built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian in 532 ce to store fresh water for Constantinople (now Istanbul).
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    Alicja Zelazko wants you to enjoy art, not struggle with it.
    Media Editor: Lee Goldstein
    Our Art Editor's Favorite Sculptor
    Britannica editor Alicja Zelazko smiles at the camera, with a blue speech bubble above her reading "ask a Britannica editor" against a textured background.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    Completed in 1931, the “melting clocks” in Salvador Dalí's The Persistence of Memory quickly became a worldwide sensation.
    What Do Salvador Dalí's Melting Clocks Mean?
    Detail from Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory showing two melting clocks draped over a ledge and an abstract form, illustrating surrealism and the distortion of time.
  • Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
    Listen to researchers discuss the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci.
    The Life and Works of Leonardo da Vinci
    The Life and Works of Leonardo da Vinci
  • Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Westend61/Getty Images
    Learn about Speyer Cathedral in Germany.
    Speyer Cathedral: A monument to imperial power
    Speyer Cathedral: A monument to imperial power
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    An overview of Renaissance architecture.
    Who Shaped Renaissance Architecture?
    Who Shaped Renaissance Architecture?
  • © Chicago Architecture Foundation (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
    Learn how cutting-edge construction methods and amenities helped make Chicago's Monadnock Building (first half, 1891; second half, 1893) a prototype for the modern office high-rise.
    Discover how with modern building methods and amenities Monadnock Building paved the way for contemporary high-rise office
    Discover how with modern building methods and amenities Monadnock Building paved the way for contemporary high-rise office
  • © Chicago Architecture Foundation (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
    Learn about the role of photography in architectural preservation.
    Examine the role of photography in architectural preservation
    Examine the role of photography in architectural preservation
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