Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan)

A flight of steps beneath an unremarkable brick building on Yerebatan Street leads down to a hall as large as a big church, glowing orange and mirrored in shallow water. Built in 532, the Basilica Cistern supplied water to the Byzantine emperors' Great Palace. It is now the most visited Istanbul sight that takes less than an hour to see.

Key facts

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality runs the cistern, rather than the Ministry of Culture, so national museum cards are not accepted. At the ticket office, people usually pay by card.

History in brief

Justinian's engineers built the cistern where an older basilica had stood, hence the name. Aqueducts carried water to it from the Belgrade Forest, north of the city. The reservoir is roughly 138 by 65 metres, and its 336 columns are arranged in 12 rows. Many were taken from older buildings, so the shafts and capitals do not match. After the Ottoman conquest it slipped half out of memory; in the 16th century a French traveller found residents dropping buckets through holes in their cellars. Lengthy restoration kept it closed from 2017 to 2022, and it reopened with new lighting, raised walkways and contemporary artworks among the columns.

Inside

• The Medusa heads, in the far north-west corner. Two blocks carved with Medusa's face act as column bases, one lying sideways and one upside down. The reason is uncertain; most likely the builders just reused them as spare stone.
• The Weeping Column, decorated with teardrop and peacock-eye patterns and usually damp. People push a thumb into its hole for luck.
• The forest of columns. Stand mid-walkway and look down a row; the reflections make it seem twice as long.
• Art installations placed among the columns, changing every so often.

Day or evening session?

The evening visit is pricier and shorter, but it is less crowded and fits neatly after a day of sightseeing. The daytime session is cheaper and busiest from 10:30 to 15:00, when groups arrive from Hagia Sophia. The quietest moment of all is the first 30 minutes after 09:00.

In summer the outside queue can take 40 minutes. Buying online from authorised sellers helps. Our Private Topkapi Palace & Basilica Cistern Tour finishes here with fast-track entry, after four to five hours at the palace.

Tips

• Some walkways are wet, so wear shoes that grip.
• Light is low; phone pictures work if you keep still. Flash and tripods are discouraged.
• Even in August it is cooler underground than outside, which makes the cistern a good escape at midday.
• You use steps to enter and leave, and the exit opens onto a different street. Fix a meeting point if your group splits up.
• Pushchairs are hard to manage on the stairs; a baby carrier is simpler.
• If the line is too long, try the smaller Serefiye Cistern, ten minutes away on foot, quieter and cheaper.

Our Istanbul destination page has more to see near Sultanahmet.

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