Yerebatan Sarnıçı

Yerebatan Sarayı - Yerebatan Cistern - Cistern Basilica - Basilica Cistern

Useful Information

photography — Cistern Basilica, Turkey. Public Domain.

Location:	Alemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul. At Sultanahmet Square, opposite to the entrance of Aya Sofya. Entrance is a small inconspicuous building of white and red bricks. (41.008359, 28.977841)
Open:	All year daily 9-22. [2025]
Fee:	Day: Adults TRL 1500. Evening: Adults TRL 2400. [2025]
Classification:	Cistern
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=140 m, W=70 m, H=8 m. V=80,000 m³ [2018].
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Yerebatan Sarayı, Yerebatan Cad. Alemdar Mah. 1/3, 34410 Sultanahmet-Fatih, Istanbul, Tel: +90-212-5121570, Tel: +90-212-222-28-82. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

532	built under emperor Justinian.
1966	used as a location in the James Bond movie From Russia With Love.
1987	opened to the public.
2022	reopened after massive renovation.

Description

The Yerebatan Sarnıçı (lit: Basilica Cistern) is a large underground water reservoir. It was built around 532, to supply Byzanz with fresh water, especially the palace of emperor Justinian nearby. The huge hall is 140 m long and 70 m wide, with 336 pillars with corinthian capitals supporting the 8 m high ceiling. The floor is completely covered by water, the cistern contains up to 80,000 m³ of water. It was connected with a 250 km long system of canals, tunnels and aqueducts. The water originated from the Belgrade forest, the highland west of Marmara, and was transported via the Aqueduct of Valens.

Yerebatan Sarnıçı means Basilica Cistern, but it is also called Yerebatan Sarayı, which means Basilica Palace. A very common name is also Cistern Basilica, mainly used in foreign guidebooks. All those names imply the overwhelming architecture of this functional building. Fine stonework, garnishments, ornaments and even huge heads cover the whole cistern. There are Ionic, Corinthian, and a couple Doric pillars, with no two alike. The head of Medusa, which is upside down, supports one of the pillars. Some say it was placed here to guard against the palaces’ water supply being poisoned. More like the stone was just recycled.

With its enormous size and the fascinating water surface, it is probably the most impressing sight in Istanbul. The uniqueness of this place was recognized by the location scouts of James Bond. This place was used in the movie From Russia With Love. James Bond and his Istanbul contact person Selim Bey go through the cistern to the russian embassy, to use a submarine periscope to have a look into the embassy. And of course there is an exchange of gunfire underground.

When visiting the Cistern Basilika we recommend a Turkish coffee in the underground cafe by candlelight. Definitely a good place for a secret romantic liaison.

In the last five years there was a basic change in the whole site. First it was renovated during the Corona years and reopened in 2022. They call it the most extensive restoration of its history. The main difference we could see is an exhibition of waterproof contemporary art in the cistern. The open hours were massively extended, first until 19, then until 22. However, the prices were also updated. In 2019 the entrance fee was 20 Lira, the price now is 1500 Lira, which is 75 times as much. And if you visit in the evening you pay 2400 Lira. For better comparison, that’s currently 50 € or $ 57. It is now called the Basilica Cistern Museum, but we were not able to find any difference. As all other sites in Istanbul have increased their prices in a normal way, the only logical conclusion is that this is a rip-off.