Yerebatan Sarayi (Basilica Cistern)
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Must-Do Experience,
Romantic,
Ruin - Ancient
_d585-111.JPG)
Atmospheric music, rosy flood lighting and the lilting sound of water lapping on marble – entering the Underground Cistern known in Turkish as Yerebatan Sarayi - or Basilica Cistern, is an experience that charms all the senses.
Built to store water, this has to be the fanciest and most enormous well you’ll ever see. The cistern dates back to Byzantine days when the city was called Constantinople.
Built by Emperor Justinian in the mid-500s, the cavernous underground water-storage area has a vaulted brick ceiling supported by a forest of Corinthian-carved marble columns.
If this eerie, magical place looks a little familiar, you may recognize it from a scene in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love.
On your walk around the Basilica Cistern, seek out the two pillars that have the face of Medusa carved onto their base.
Latest Reviews
Review by Fauzi Adnan, May 2013
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
Our guide was fantastic. He can be considered a walking historian. The best thing is we skip the line when we visited the underground cistern ( or else we had to wait at least 1 hour due to the queque). Enough time to venture at all places and most importantly, they were punctual when they pick us up at the hotel.
Review by Vincent H, United Kingdom, April 2013
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
Very good tour, which was booked at the last minute. The pace was just right and the content was informative without being overbearing. The guide spoke excellent English and she tweaked the agenda to suit the group. We all agreed to skip the grand bizaar in order to spend some time at the cistern basilica. Lunch was also very good. Much better than the normal expectation for a tour so all in I would and have recommended bith the guide and the tour to collegues travelling to Istanbul.
Review by edhadley, April 2013
Doing what: Imperial Istanbul Half-day Tour: Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar
I would recommend the full day tour, but we only had a half day available. Good tour guide and interesting tour. Suggest you copy what is on tour (its not on the voucher), as our tour guide would have left out the Roman Cisterns (which was a highlight), if I had not reminded her.
Practical Info
The Basilica Cistern is in Sultanahmet. The entrance is opposite Hagia Sophia on Yerebatan Caddesi.
