Basilica Cistern promises its visitors a mysterious journey back to ancient times. The 1500-year-old cistern is located underground and is dated to the Byzantine period.
Basilica Cistern is adjacent to Istanbul’s most visited historical sites, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. In this way, it is visited by an average of 3 million people a year.
You can read about the history of the Basilica Cistern in this article. The Basilica Cistern entrance fee and opening hours are also noted. In addition, you can buy skip-the-line tickets for Basilica Cistern from the links at the end of the article.
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History of the Basilica Cistern
The history of Basilica Cistern dates back to the 6th century. Built by Justinian, the most famous ruler of the Byzantine Empire, the cistern was one of Constantinople’s most important water resources.
The Historical Peninsula on which Constantinople was founded was a place known for its scarcity of water resources. Lack of water became a major problem as the city’s population grew.
A Roman Aqueduct was built in late antiquity to bring water to Constantinople from the mountains of Thrace. A part of these aqueducts built by Emperor Valens can still be seen in Istanbul.
Many cisterns were built in the city to store the water coming from this aqueduct. The largest of these was the Basilica Cistern, and it carried water to monumental structures such as Hagia Sophia and the Great Palace.
The Basilica Cistern takes its name from the Stoa Basilica, the public square under which it was built. The ceiling of the cistern is supported by 336 reused columns from the ancient Greek period. Cistern measuring 138 meters long and 65 meters wide. It covers nearly 1000 square meters.
1. Byzantine Cisterns in Istanbul
Most of the Byzantine cisterns in Istanbul are found in and around Sultanahmet. Theodosius Cistern and Basilica Cistern can be visited as museums. In addition, there is the Sarnic Restaurant and Nakilbent Cistern located under a carpet shop.
There are many articles on this website for those who want to trace the Byzantine sites in Istanbul. One of these is the article on Byzantine cisterns in Istanbul. In this article, you can find detailed information about some of the cisterns that are open to touristic visits in Istanbul.
2. Rediscovery of the Cistern
It is hard to believe that such a distinctive structure could be forgotten for a long time. However, after the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453, the cistern was lost for a long time.
The Ottomans repaired the Valens Aqueduct and continued to bring water to the city through the Roman system. However, they did not use the cisterns. They connected the water pipes to the public fountains they built on the streets and provided water in this way.
For this reason, most of the Byzantine cisterns underground were forgotten. Byzantine historian Petrus Gyllius, who came to Ottoman Istanbul in the 16th century, made the rediscovery of the cistern.
3. Famous Movies Filmed in the Cistern
Unforgettable scenes of many famous movies were filmed in Basilica Cistern. The first production to film the Cistern was In 1963, From Russia With Love starring Sean Connery.
The final scene of the movie Inferno, based on Dan Brown’s novel, was also shot at Basilica Cistern. The famous actor Tom Hanks played the leading role of this movie, which was shot in 2016.
4. Medusa Heads in the Cistern
The Medusa Heads hidden in the farthest corner of the cistern will be the most interesting part of your visit. Since most of the columns in the cistern are taken from other structures, their lengths are different. For this reason, you will see stone blocks of various sizes under each.
The largest of these stone blocks are placed under the two short columns at the end of the cistern. The face of Medusa, a mythological creature, is engraved on these giant blocks, which cannot be noticed at first sight.
You will see that one of these Medusa Heads is placed sideways and the other is placed upside down. Many historians consider this to be due to the superstitions of Byzantine society.
Medusa has been a powerful figure since ancient times because it is a monster that turns people into stone. They didn’t want to face her, even if she was going to be submerged in a cistern.
Basilica Cistern Entrance Fee 2022
Basilica Cistern entrance fee is 30 Turkish Lira per person as of 2022. Museum Pass Istanbul is not valid in the museum. Credit cards are not accepted at the box office of the cistern. Ticket price has to be paid in cash.
The Istanbul Museum Pass, a product of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is not valid in museums run by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The other museums in this category are the Miniaturk Museum the Panorama 1453 Museum and the Tekfur Palace Museum respectively.
Basilica Cistern Opening Hours 2022
Basilica Cistern opening hours are between 09:00 in the morning and 18:30 in the evening. The cistern closes an hour early in the winter months. The cistern is open to visitors every day of the week.
The Basilica Cistern was closed throughout 2021 for restoration. However, it is expected to open in 2022. I’ll update the information here when it opens.
Basilica Cistern Skip-The-Line Tickets
In the high season (spring, summer and autumn) there are long lines at the entrance to the Basilica Cistern. Therefore, it is recommended to buy a skip the line ticket.
Online tickets sold by GetYourGuide are slightly more expensive than standard Basilica Cistern tickets. However, it provides guided tour service without waiting you in the queue for a long time.
Those with skip-the-line tickets meet with their guide at the entrance and enter the museum as a group. Thus, you will listen to the history of the cistern from the professional tour guide. You can buy Basilica Cistern skip-the-line tickets from this link here.
How to Get to The Cistern?
Basilica Cistern is located in the heart of Sultanahmet, Istanbul’s most touristic district. For this reason, it is very easy to reach the museum. You can walk from distinctive structures such as Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque to the cistern.
In order to get to the Cistern from Taksim Square, you must first go to Kabatas with Funicular F1. If you take Tram T1 from Kabatas Tram Station, you can reach Sultanahmet Tram Station in 15 minutes.
It will take only a few minutes to walk from Sultanahmet Tram Station to the cistern. The Theodosius Cistern, another Byzantine cistern serving as a museum, is also located very close. You can get there on foot from the same tram stop.
Written by Serhat Engul
Hi! Thank you for your awesome post and amazing pictures. Although I’m not a fan of dark, damp, underground places I’ll try to visit the underground Basilica Cistern when i visit Istanbul soon – for the first time ever!
Hi Zana, thank you for the great review. Let me know if you need any help when you visit Istanbul. Have a good day!