Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Top Sights
Basilica Cistern
Commissioned by Emperor Justinian, this subterranean
structure was built in 532 beneath the Stoa Basilica, a great
square that occupied Byzantium's First Hill. The largest
surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it features a forest
of 336 marble and granite columns, many of which were
salvaged from ruined classical temples and have fine
carved capitals. The cistern's symmetry and sheer grandeur
of conception are quite breathtaking, making it a favourite
location for big-budget films (remember
From Russia with
Love
?).
Yerebatan Sarnıçı
OFFLINE MAP
Yerebatan Caddesi 13
admission 10
9am-6.30pm
Sultanahmet
Don't Miss
Columns
The cistern's columns are all 9m high; most have Ionic and Corinthian capitals. Arranged
in 12 rows, they include one engraved with shapes that are often described as peacock's
eyes, or tears. Some historians assert that these tears were carved to pay tribute to the hun-
dreds of slaves who died during the construction of the cistern.
