Palace Cistern (Yerebatan Saray), Istanbul

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Basilica cistern is the one place, not so visible from outside, as all is underground. Cistern was built in 532 by Emperor Justinian. The water to this cistern was supplied by aqueduct by 20 kilometers from the North, a place near Black sea. Water was used for Constantinople functions. Inside there is about 336 columns with 12 rows as well as some columns with a head of medusas as a base.

Cistern was found accidentally, when someone told, that it is possible to catch a fish from a strange hole.

The place is mysterious and colder than outside. Watch your camera, as water sometimes drops down.

Entrance fee was 10 liras.

Very interesting underground cistern with beautiful lighting, and water with fish swimming there. Kids will love finding the fish. At the end, you will see two inverted medusa heads. It is very damp and dark, so once you finish , it is better to leave.

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The Basilica Cistern is one of the most impressive constructions in Istanbul that lies beneath the Hipodrome!

Although we have read about it we were surprised when we went downstairs and although there are no boats to carry you around (like when it first opened to the public) it’s still a great site to see. We loved the softly litted canals. There is music playing at the background (!) and if you have kids with you you may want to try find the biggest fish in the water.

The cistern that could hold 80,000 cubic meters of water was founded by emperor Justinian I. It was formerly a Basilica, probably built in the 3rd century, during the late roman period. The water sources were mainly in the forests of Belgrade (that were supplying other cisterns in the city too) and it was used to fed Constantinople’s Great Palace and much later Topkapi palace.

It covers an area of about 2 acres, there are 336 marble columns (9m high, many Ionic and Corinthians and some Doric ones) that support the huge water storage tank, most of them obviously taken from other constructions like temples etc. Don’t miss the weird medusa heads, probably the bases of columns, although its funny one of them is upside down and the other sideways (pic 2)

It is open daily 9.00-17.30 and the entrance fee is 10TL (there’s also an audio guide but we didn’t use it)

We saw people at the café but we preferred some fresh air outside.

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The massive Basilica Cistern stretches 453 feet by 212 feet, covering over 2 acres and able to hold as much as 2,800,000 cubic feet of water. The underground water storage tank is supported by 336 marble columns, most of which were likely previously used in other construction projects.

The cistern's water supply was carried via canals and aqueducts, including the existing Valens Aqueduct in Istanbul, from the Belgrade forest to the cistern. The water from the cistern fed the
former Great Palace of Constantinople as well as Topkapi Palace in more modern times.

When the cistern was first open to modern tourists, boats carried visitors around the columns. Since 1987 people have been able to explore on the raised walkway that runs all the way to the back wall of the cistern.

The most visited feature of the cistern are the two Medusa's heads that form the bases of two columns. One head is upside down and the other is on its side.

Entry is 10 Turkish Lira for adults. Once inside you can get a headset for an audio tour for another 5 Lira.

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During the Byzantine era there were not enough sources of water inside the city walls. Water from sources in the forests of Belgrade was directed into some sixty cisterns built in Istanbul. The Yerebatan Cistern is the biggest of these, holding about 80 megalitres of water which was delivered through the Valens Aquaduct.

It was used until the 16th century and restored in the mid 19th century. The restoration work was completed in 1987 and the cistern was opened to the public. At the back of the cistern there are two Medusa heads used as bases to columns. One is upside down, the other sideways.

Scenes from the James Bond movie 'From Russia with Love' were filmed here.

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The Yerbetan (or Basilica) Cistern is a fantastic adventure into the depths of the earth just below your feet while you are in Istanbul. The entrance to this fantastic construction is a small unpretentious building with a small red sign. After paying your entrance fee, you walk down a flight of steps and enter a different world. Water for the ancient city of Istanbul was moved here by an aqueduct, and the sheer SIZE of this Cistern is amazing, 100,000 cubic meters of water. But what is even more fantastic is the columns jutting from the water and the fish swimming among them. They have done an excellent job with projected and subdued lighting that highlights them very well.
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/Sultanahmet/Yerebatan.html
There are also two "Medusa Heads" at the bottom of two columns to be found here.

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When flicking through any Lonley Planet, I always find the best section is "Things to do when travelling with children". The Basilica Cistern was featured in this chapter of the Istanbul guide and did not disappoint.

The eerie reservoir apparently lay forgotten for many years until locals reported hauling fresh drinking water from holes in the floors of their houses. An investigation was launched and the Cistern rediscovered.

The best things to do in the Basilica Cistern are:

1) See who can spot the biggest fish - there are loads of bloated carp swimming in the artificially glowing water
2) Scare each other telling ghost stories in the dark - perfect in the atmospheric lighting and to the soft background opera music, but only if you manage to miss the big tour groups.
3) Speculate about the origins of the medusa heads and the reason they are inverted - since the Cistern lay forgotten nobody knows for sure how they got there - spooky!
4) Make a wish - in the Cistern's very own version of the Hagia Sofia's Weeping Column
5) Pretend you're James Bond - part of From Russia With Love was filmed here
6) Have a nice glass of Cay - in the strangest cafe in Istanbul!

And another good thing is that you can spend as little or as much time as you like here – so if you only have half an hour, it’s still worth a visit.

This place was a real good way of keeping cool in the sometimes hot and stuffy weather of Istanbul.

The cool underground waterway is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul.

It was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

Whilst walking along the walkways you should come across the bases of two columns blocks carved with the face of Medusa. Tradition has it that the blocks are oriented sideways and inverted in order to negate the power of the Gorgons' gaze.