I walked down 55 stone steps, sensing dampness from water as I reached the bottom and the Basilica cistern. Sitting in Istanbul’s touristic district near the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, it had been on my bucket list for months. The only sounds were whispers from tourists and odd drip of water. A vendor of souvenir stands in the far-left corner beckoned me over. I could dress up as an Ottoman princess for a small fee and go home with a photo souvenir. Disapproving looks on my face showed I felt this tacky trade unsuitable for a building and museum in Istanbul nearly 1500 years old.
About the Basilica Cistern of Istanbul
Also known as Yerebatan Sarayi or Byzantine Sunken Palace of Istanbul, man-made platforms took me from the entrance and further into the cistern. To my left and right were tall marble columns; lit with floodlights while fish, bigger than my hand, followed the path in shallow waters below. Perhaps they have learned to associate humans with food.
Istanbul Byzantine Basilica was built by Justinian I, the Roman Emperor, and stretches for 140 metres and is 70 metres wide. Istanbul historians say that in 527, seven thousand slaves built the Basilica cistern covering 9800 square meters, with 336 columns and the capacity to hold 100,000 tons of water that made its way to the palace and citizens of Constantinople (Former Istanbul.)
Impressive, but as I have learned with historical structures in Istanbul and the rest of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire had more interest in lathering themselves with riches. The city cistern fell into a bad state, used by locals who dipped buckets into wells to fetch water up with occasional fish.
Then In the 16th century, a Dutch traveller named P.Gyllius spread the word of the ancient Istanbul cistern with water still in it to the western world, which perhaps convinced the Ottoman Empire they had something worth saving. Restoration work over hundreds of years ensures it remains a historical marvel. But did you know Mark Twain, James Bond, and Medusa all connect to the Basilica Cistern and Istanbul?
Mark Twain in the Basilica Cistern
In his famous book about travel, “Innocents Abroad,” Mark Twain does not paint a pretty picture of his time in the large Constantinople city. Instead, he describes the Grand Bazaar as “a monstrous hive of little shops” and the Hagia Sophia as “the rustiest old barn in heathendom.” He was delighted with the underground Yerebatan cistern, though, calling it the Thousand and One Columns.
“You are forty feet underground and amid a perfect wilderness of tall, slender, granite columns of Byzantine architecture. Stand where you would, or change your position as often as you pleased, you were always a center from which radiated a dozen long archways and colonnades that lost themselves in the distance and sombre twilight of the place.”
The Heads of Medusa
Walk to the back of the Basilica cistern to find two columns held up by heads of Medusa. One lays upside down, and the other lies on its side. No one is sure of reasons for this but, a favoured suggestion is that anyone who looked would turn to stone. The two roman Medusa statues are supports under two columns at the cistern’s northwest corner.
Basilica Cistern and James Bond
Much before my time, but the 1963 film from Russia with Love shows James Bond sailing through the Basilica underground cistern columns to reach a secret door. There are no signs of amazement or appreciation that he was in a famous structure of Istanbul, but then again, he did have naughty and devious spies to catch.
Further Reading
The Basilica cistern is located in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet area, near the great Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, and is an attraction included in the Istanbul e-tourist pass. The ticket, which can be used for a day or more, gets savings and guided tours at many museums and attractions. Find out more here. Basilica cistern is closed for renovation, but check their official website for updates of when they will open to the public and visit times. You might also like to read this article guide to all the Byzantine and Ottoman attractions in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district, including Topkapi Palace, a favourite place for many tourists.
This is one of my favorite places to visit in Istanbul – I love the dark sort of mysterious feel to it all (without the dress up part). Can’t wait to take my oldest daughter there in December as she hasn’t seen it yet. Dan Brown’s book “Inferno” has some fairly extensive scenes that take place in the cistern. Reading it ahead of time added a certain dimension to the place, along with the more formal history.
Planning a trip to Istanbul in November – I’ll be looking forward to tracking down the head of Medusa!
My God, look at that Medusa! How did you dare to stand by it, knowing how much trouble Hercules had to defeat it? 🙂
One of my favorite Istanbul attractions.
We went in the late morning and it was already crowded. Entering in you go down flights of stairs while your eyes adjust to the soft orange glow of the Basilica lights illuminating cornith pillars.
The crowds make it hard to navigate the boardwalks around the Basilica, and it gets worse around the Medusa heads towards the back.
A neat surprise of this Basilica is the many Koi they float around and rise up to the water top as if to greet your arrival.
there are many notices throughout the Basilica regarding no photography, but no one paid any attention to the notices and camera’s, I-phones, tablets were out in force snapping of pics. There was also no one enforcing this rule.
Due to the darkness it’s hard to get a decent photo without flash, many people were standing below the lanterns for pics.
There is a café underground in the Basilica but we did not visit it.
I went there when I was in Istanbul, I had never heard of it but was pleasantly surprised! xx
http://hausofsarahrachel.com
Amazing pics, and those koi carp… unbelievable 🙂
Those look stunning, especially the Heads of Medusa – bookmarking them for our trip to Turkey later this year 🙂
I was completely blown away by this place – it was simply amazing. I never expected something of that size.
The Head of Medusa- I think this one scored for me hands down. I don’t know why but I was guided by a sense of eariness the moment I had stepped in to this part of the Cistern. Was it natural to feel so? Not really sure…
I had forgot that Bond had been here … and I never knew that fish lived in there … guess I gotta go here now!
There´s nothing on the surface to suggest the sheer size of the cistern. The entrance is this little building opposite Hagia Sofia..But once you start walking down the stairs you are immediately struck by the cathedral-size cavern below. And the columns are all different! As they were collected from all over the empire..I have to say for me the basilica cistern was even more powerful experience than Hagia Sofia itself. And it´s so COOL in the summer heat!
Wow, the Basilica Cistern looks amazing! Love to see it when we get to Turkey one of these days.
Love the fishies, it’s well worth a visit.
How interesting! I loved reading about the history as well as the celebrity scoop at this architectural wonder.
Looks well worth a visit! But I would definitely skip dressing up like a princess too.
Ali and I went this past April. It was a neat hour or so. Tons of school kids wandering around, but a nice break from the heat above ground. I did get a number of decent pictures of it actually.
There is some oddity about it though. The Ottoman princess dressup is part of it. And down near one end they had some museum exhibit with a large fanciful slug monster statue in the water with a soundtrack and a plaque.
The Medusa head area was less impressive than I had expected and crowded to boot. I still enjoyed going down into it.
We did get a chance to explore the Cistern, and were amazed with it. I especially loved that they let me take my tripod in and set up 🙂
. . it’s a great site and you’ve brought it to life again! Did you know that the fish are blind from living underground so long?
That Medusa column is pretty great — it reminds me of when I was a kid and we’d try to scare each other with Medusa stories. 🙂
I absolutely loved the Basilica Cistern, I also took many pictures despite the darkness!
i agree with you dressing up as a princess is a bit tacky but the Cistern itself looks well worth a visit
Who doesn’t like dressing like a princess? Maybe a bit unsuited for the venue though.
Andy and I really enjoyed the Cistern. I had no idea it was even there, so I’m glad he knew about it. I was surprised by the fish, but it made for some interesting pictures.
Loved the Cistern but wasnt blown away by it but that was probably because I had climbed Mount Nemrut, Went to Harran and spent a lot of time in Cappadocia just before my visit to the Cistern so I was already blown away by those places
I think I took about 100 photos last time I visited the cisterns, but I never saw the fish. I really have to go again, then.
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I’m impressed with people who do a little bit of research before visiting and then later on writing about the place.
They have more meaningful observations and they provide insightful comments.
“A traveller without knowledge is like a bird without wings.”
What a fascinating spot – what I love about the Cistern is, that it is so peaceful, such a refuge after the busy pace of Sultanahmet, such an escape. I once caught the Whirling Dervish dance with sufi music ( they usually do around Ramadan), it was so atmospheric. Thank you for taking me back there, look forward to visiting next time I am home.
Tacky Ottoman dress up photo didn’t get me either!
My spouse is Turkish so when I first to Turkey, Istanbul was our first stop before landing in her home town of Mersin. We went in July, 2009 and besides the fascinating aspect of the cistern, i do recall vividly the heads but also tremendously enjoyed the cool temperature down below given that the weather was in high 90’s and very humid during our visit to Istanbul. This is indeed a world class city and one we will visit again and again especially since my wife’s family is from Turkey.
I also was not too impressed when I toured Yerebatan. But I think if I had done research beforehand, as Natalie mentioned, I would have found it much more fascinating I think this holds true for a lot of historical attractions in general. Even for those sites that are beautiful on their own,knowing its historical context makes a visit much more worthwhile.
And I also found the dress like an Ottoman sultan photo op a little distasteful and unnecessary.
I’ve never been to – or even heard of – the Basilica cistern, but I remember it from the James Bond film. From Russia with Love is one of my faves, esp. the scary Russian lady with the switchblade shoes. Looks like a fabulous place to visit. I’m making a list of all the things I haven’t seen in Istanbul, all ready for next time 🙂
Really must go there again as I’m starting to feel like the only person in the world who wasn’t blown away with Yerebatan. Think maybe I missed something. Great pics again. 🙂
Julia
Wow, I wish I had known about this place when I was in Istanbul last year!