EDITOR FROM HONG KONG BECOMES 1,111,111TH VISITOR OF ISTANBUL'S ANCIENT CISTERN

ISTANBUL (A.A) - 23.09.2010 - An editor from Hong Kong has become the 1,111,111th visitor of Istanbul's famous Basilica Cistern this year.
Cin Kwok from Hong Kong has been the 1,111,111th person to visit the Basilica Cistern, one of the major historical and touristic attractions of Istanbul, in 2010, a statement from Istanbul Municipality said on Thursday.
Kwok has been presented with a certificate and a book introducing Istanbul to mark the visit, the municipality said.
Kwok told officials that the Basilica Cistern was the first stop of his visit to Istanbul and he was impressed by the ancient cistern's poetic beauty.
The Basilica Cistern, also known as the "Sunken Palace" or "Sunken Cistern", is the largest of numerous ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul.
The cistern, located near southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The cistern has the capacity to store nearly 100,000 tons of water, despite being virtually empty today with only a few feet of water lining the bottom.