Istanbul’s Basilica Cistern: Explore the Ancient Underground

Visiting the Basilica Cistern: Tours & Tickets

You can buy tickets the day of your visit, but a warning: the line can be long.  I’d arrive early in the morning to avoid the big crowds.

Cistern Tour

You don’t need a tour, but the information available inside is somewhat lacking. If you’re looking for a guide, I’d suggest this one, which also includes a stop at the nearby Topkapi Palace.

➡️ Click to Book: Basilica Cistern Private Tour

Cost to Enter

Turkish citizens pay only a nominal fee to visit the Cistern.  Prices are higher for foreigners:

• 1,300 TRY per adult (about $35)

Also, I found the entrance to be confusing.  The exit is easily seen from the main pedestrian street.  The entrance is down around the corner, in this grey building:

What You’ll Find Underground

I was really impressed with the way they’ve designed the tourist experience.  You’ll be walking on metal pathways just above the water in the cistern. 

They’ve created an almost mystical space.  The water, block walls, and arches are all beautifully lit, and you can hear water continue to drop from above into the pool. It’s clear, so you’ll be able to see through to the block base and the coins people have tossed in.

With the way the walkways are set up, you’ll always have photo opportunities without a big crowd in the background.

Again, arriving early will get you in before the bigger crowds gather. 

A restoration project completed at the end of the pandemic made even more parts of the Cistern accessible to the public.

Spot the Medusas in the Water

The Medusa heads in the Basilica Cistern are some of its most intriguing features. There are two prominently displayed Medusa heads, and recently, a third was added as part of an art installation.

The Original Medusa Heads

The two original Medusa heads are believed to have been repurposed from a Roman-era structure, possibly a temple or monument from the 4th or 5th century AD. They were likely brought to the cistern when it was being constructed in 532 AD.

Placement of the Heads

One Medusa head is placed sideways, and the other is completely upside down.  Historians have different theories:

• Practicality – They were simply used as building material and placed in a way that best supported the columns.
• Symbolism – Some believe it was a way to neutralize Medusa’s gaze, as her eyes were said to turn people to stone in Greek mythology. 

The Third Medusa Head

In 2022, after a major restoration, a third Medusa head was introduced as an art installation.

History of the Basilica Cistern

The Cistern was built in 532 AD, around the same time as the Hagia Sophia.  Here’s a brief history, along with some factoids:

• It covers 9,800 square meters and can hold up to 80,000 cubic meters of water.
• The complex is supported by 336 marble columns, many repurposed from earlier Roman temples.
• The Cistern was supplied water from the Belgrad Forest via the Valens and Hadrian Aqueducts.
• The reservoir was used throughout the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, but later abandoned.
• It was rediscovered in 1545 by a scholar named Petrus Gyllius.

Photos of the Basilica Cistern

It’s a photographer’s dream underground (minus the crowd)!