This is the closest we came to a Halloween atmosphere in Istanbul. It was October 31st, and we heard not screams of trick-or-treat. Candied apples, popcorn balls, and hay bales set ablaze were in absence too. No rotten eggs, tossed rolls of toilet paper, nor roving gangs of children. It’s not surprising really, as all of those traditional memories of my childhood Halloweens in Canada don’t really exist in this modern age back home either, so it would be unfair to expect them in a country like Turkey where Halloween is more or less unheard of in its entirety.
But there was the Basilica Cistern. It was constructed in the 6th Century AD to collect water transferred from the Belgrade forest 19km away. The Cistern covers an area of 9,800 m2 and is supported by 336 9-meter high marble columns. It’s dark, dank, gloomy, and especially suited to a Halloween visit. Of course there was a fee that needed to be paid. In this case 10 lira per person ($6 CAD).
Wow..that is some impressive construction! I have a question? Are you finding this area to be more expensive. Perhaps you will cover it in a future post? Thank you for sharing your travels with us!