What is Basilica Cistern?

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of the several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul. It sits a short walk from Hagia Sophia in Sultanahmet, under a modest entrance building that gives no hint of the hall below: a forest of 336 marble columns holding up a brick vault, standing in shallow water, lit so that the reflections double the height of the space. Turkish calls it Yerebatan Sarnici, the sunken cistern, and English guidebooks have long called it the underground palace, which is the impression it gives.

The cistern lies within the Sultanahmet Archaeological Park, one of the four zones of the Historic Areas of Istanbul, on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1985.

It was a working piece of infrastructure rather than a monument. Constantinople had very little fresh water of its own, and a city under siege needed reserves it could not be cut off from. The cistern held that reserve, fed by aqueduct from the forests north-west of the city, and it kept the Great Palace and the surrounding quarter supplied.

How do you get to the Basilica Cistern?

The entrance is on Yerebatan Caddesi in Sultanahmet, directly across the square from Hagia Sophia and a few minutes on foot from the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome. The T1 tram stops at Sultanahmet, a two-minute walk away, and the same tram connects Eminonu, the Grand Bazaar and Kabatas. Coming from Taksim, take the funicular to Kabatas and change to the tram.

Because it is one of the most visited sights in the city, queues build through the middle of the day. Arriving early, or late in the afternoon, makes a considerable difference to how the place feels.

What is the history of the Basilica Cistern?

The cistern was built under the emperor Justinian I and completed in 532, in the reconstruction that followed the Nika riots. It takes its name from the Stoa Basilica, the public square and law court that once stood above it.

Its columns were not carved for it. They were gathered from older buildings around the empire, which is why they differ in stone, style and height, with Ionic and Corinthian capitals standing side by side and shorter shafts raised on plinths to match their neighbours. Reuse on this scale was normal in sixth-century construction and is one of the things that makes the hall so visually restless.

After the Ottoman conquest the cistern slipped out of official use and partly out of memory. The French scholar Petrus Gyllius, searching for the antiquities of Byzantium in the 1540s, found houses in the quarter whose residents drew water and even caught fish through openings in their basement floors. He had himself lowered in by boat, and his account brought the place back into the record.

It has been cleaned and restored several times since, most recently in a long programme that reopened the cistern with new walkways, lighting and contemporary art installations.

What is the Basilica Cistern famous for?

It is the largest surviving Byzantine cistern in Istanbul, roughly 140 metres long and 70 metres wide, with its columns set in twelve rows of twenty-eight. Estimates of its capacity run to tens of thousands of cubic metres of water.

It is also the best known of them internationally, partly through film: the hall appears in the James Bond film From Russia with Love, and it features in Dan Brown’s novel Inferno and its screen adaptation.

What can you see at the Basilica Cistern?

The two Medusa heads. In the north-west corner, two large carved Medusa heads serve as column bases, one laid on its side and one upside down. Nobody knows why. The practical explanation is that they were simply the right size to pack under a column; the folkloric one is that inverting the gaze neutralised its power. Both are worth holding in mind as you look at them.

The column of tears. One shaft is carved with a pattern of teardrops or peacock eyes, and tradition links it to the labourers who died building the cistern. It resembles a column in the Theodosian complex elsewhere in the city.

The water and the fish. A shallow layer of water is kept in the base, with carp moving through it. The reflections are the reason the space photographs the way it does.

The brickwork above. It is easy to spend the whole visit looking down. The cross vaults overhead, carried on the columns without a single wall, are the real engineering achievement.

Who are the most famous people in the history of the Basilica Cistern

Justinian I. The emperor under whom the cistern was built, and whose reconstruction of Constantinople after the Nika riots also produced Hagia Sophia in its present form.

Petrus Gyllius. The sixteenth-century French humanist whose search for the remains of Byzantium led him down into the cistern and whose written account returned it to European scholarship.

Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus. The engineers associated with Justinian’s building programme in the city, whose approach to vaulting is visible overhead.

What are the best things to do in the Basilica Cistern?

Walk the full circuit of raised walkways rather than turning back at the halfway point, since the Medusa heads are at the far end. Give your eyes a few minutes to adjust when you come down the stairs; the contrast with the street is severe. Expect the air to be cool and damp whatever the season, and the walkways to be slippery in places, which matters if you are carrying a child or using a stick.

Pair the visit with the smaller cisterns nearby for contrast. The Serefiye Cistern and the Cistern of Theodosius are both within walking distance, both far quieter, and both make it easier to understand how the city’s water system actually worked.

Other places to visit in the Marmara Region

  • Sabiha Gokcen Airport — Sabiha Gokcen Airport, officially known as Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW), is one of the main airports serving Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Sile — Sile is a small coastal town located on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, approximately 70 kilometers east of Istanbul.
  • Mount Uludag — Mount Uludağ, also known as Keşiş Mountain, is located in the Bursa Province of northwestern Turkey.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions about Basilica Cistern

What is the Basilica Cistern?

It is the largest of the ancient underground water reservoirs beneath Istanbul, built under the emperor Justinian I and completed in 532. A brick vault is carried on 336 marble columns standing in shallow water, and the hall is lit so that the reflections make it feel far larger than it is.

Where is the Basilica Cistern and how do you get there?

The entrance is on Yerebatan Caddesi in Sultanahmet, directly across the square from Hagia Sophia. The T1 tram stops at Sultanahmet a couple of minutes away, and the Blue Mosque and Hippodrome are within a short walk.

Why are there Medusa heads in the Basilica Cistern?

Two large carved Medusa heads sit at the base of columns in the north-west corner, one on its side and one upside down. They were taken from an earlier Roman building, and the most likely explanation is simply that they were the right size to pack under a column. The tradition that turning the face away neutralised its power is a later story.

How long does it take to visit the Basilica Cistern?

Most visitors spend around forty five minutes to an hour, walking the full circuit of raised walkways. Allow longer if it is busy, since the queue to enter can be substantial in the middle of the day.

Is the Basilica Cistern suitable for children or people with limited mobility?

Children usually find it memorable, but the air is cool and damp, the light is low and the walkways can be slippery. Access is by stairs from street level, so anyone with mobility difficulties should check the current arrangements before visiting.

Are there other cisterns to visit in Istanbul?

Yes. The Serefiye Cistern and the Cistern of Theodosius are both within walking distance in the same part of the old city. They are much smaller and far quieter, and seeing one of them alongside the Basilica Cistern gives a clearer picture of how the water system worked.