Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of hundreds of ancient cisterns beneath Istanbul, located 150 metres southwest of Hagia Sophia on the Sarayburnu peninsula. Built in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian I, this underground chamber measures roughly 138 by 65 metres and is supported by 336 marble columns. Today it is kept with little water for public access, with elevated wooden walkways allowing visitors to explore the space.

Don't miss

• 336 marble columns, each 9 metres high, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns spaced 5 metres apart
• Two column bases in the northwest corner carved with the face of Medusa, thought to be from a late Roman building
• One column carved with a Hen's Eye, slanted branches, and tears, resembling columns from the 4th-century Triumphal Arch of Theodosius I
• The 4-metre-thick firebrick wall coated with waterproofing mortar
• The original 6th-century Byzantine brick floor revealed during the 2020–2022 restoration
• The 52 stone steps that descend into the cistern

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Basilica Cistern

Cheapest way inHagia Sophia, Blue Mosque & Basilica Cistern tour4.8★ · 72 travelers2-3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$23 per personSee dates →Most bookedIstanbul: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia & opt. Cistern Tour4.9★ · 474 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$64 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleIstanbul Guided Tour: Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and More!5★ · 64 travelers5-7 hoursFree cancellationFrom$105 per personSee dates →

Know before you go

• The cistern originally held water from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Centre in the Belgrade Forest, 19 km north, via the Valens and Mağlova aqueducts.
• The majority of columns were recycled from older buildings (spoliation), carved from different types of marble and granite.
• The cistern was used as a location for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love.
• The cistern appears in the 2011 video game Assassin's Creed: Revelations and the 2013 Dan Brown novel Inferno.

A bit of history

The cistern was called Basilica because it sat beneath the Stoa Basilica, a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople. Ancient texts indicate the site originally held a great basilica built during the Early Roman Age between the 3rd and 4th centuries as a commercial, legal, and artistic centre. Historical texts claim 7,000 slaves were involved in its construction. Its existence was eventually forgotten by all but locals until the French traveller Petrus Gyllius recorded it in 1565, noting being rowed between columns and seeing fish swimming beneath the boat.