Constantinople : and the scenery of the seven churches of Asia Minor . ing in long rows, like slender square castles orwatch-towers. The water ascends one side of each, is received into a small square reser-voir on the summit, and from thence descends the other. It climbs the next in a similarmanner; and by this contrivance, for which the Turks are indebted to the Arabs, thevast expense of aqueducts is saved, and the water conveyed by many channels overvarious hills and valleys, in continued and never-ceasing streams, to its magnificentreservoirs in the city. When the water arrived here, it ha
Constantinople : and the scenery of the seven churches of Asia Minor . ing in long rows, like slender square castles orwatch-towers. The water ascends one side of each, is received into a small square reser-voir on the summit, and from thence descends the other. It climbs the next in a similarmanner; and by this contrivance, for which the Turks are indebted to the Arabs, thevast expense of aqueducts is saved, and the water conveyed by many channels overvarious hills and valleys, in continued and never-ceasing streams, to its magnificentreservoirs in the city. When the water arrived here, it had the same irregularity of surface to oppose, itsseven hills to surmount, and seven valleys between them to cross. This was effected bya second series of aqueducts, which are described by the Byzantine historians with allthe inflated language of astonishment. They are represented as subterranean riversconducted through the air over the city, while the people gaze in wonder from these, but one remains to attest what they were. This is the aqueduct of Valens,. CONSTANTINOPLE AND ITS ENVIRONS. 15 stretching from hill to hill, and seen in almost every direction. Its erection was thecompletion of a singular prophecy : On the ramparts of Chalcedon was found a stonewith an occult incription, implying that the walls of the city should bring water to Con-stantinople. To extend these walls across the sea, seemed altogether an impossibility,and the oracular announcement was despised. But Chalcedon having incurred the resent-ment of the emperor, its walls were pulled down, the stones conveyed to Constantinoplefor building, and, among other erections formed of them, was the aqueduct of Valens,thereby accomplishing the oracle. By means of this aqueduct, the waters were deposited in various,cisterns; some open,and some covered, so that the whole city was excavated into exposed or subterraneanreservoirs. One great inconvenience attended those that were exposed. The city andvicinity of
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Keywords: ., bookauthorallomtho, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1830, bookyear1839
