The Basilica Cistern, view from the stairs

The History of the Cistern

Escape the heat and hustle of the city and delve down 52 stone steps into an underground cavern, just next to the Hagia Sophia in the historic center of Istanbul. The cistern is both spectacularly beautiful as well as somewhat eerie, with dim lighting reflecting off the shallow waters within, while the sound of dripping water from the vaulted ceiling above fills the air. Though still containing water, it can be explored via walkways to view the spectacular pillars up close.

The Basilica Cistern, or Yerebatan Sarayı in Turkish, meaning 'Subterranean Palace', was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 532 in what was then called Constantinople.

The cistern was used to store and supply fresh water for the area and was connected to an aqueduct running from the Belgrade Forest located 19 kilometers north of the city. It has a capacity of 80,000 cubic meters of water and was used by the locals for hundreds of years following its construction. The cistern had been mostly forgotten about by all but the local people following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. There are stories of locals drawing water from their cellars and even catching fish before its re-discovery by a French explorer in 1545.

Since its rediscovery, the Basilica Cistern has been used to supply water to the Topkapi Palace gardens and went through multiple restorations before being opened to the public in 1987 as a museum. Today, the cistern remains one of the highlights of a visit to Istanbul and holds modern art exhibitions as well as musical performances by candlelight.

The Column of Tears

The roof of the Cistern is held up by 336 marble columns, each approximately 9 meters tall. One of the columns, called the Column of Tears, appears to be perpetually wet, as if it were weeping. The Column of Tears was made to represent the many slaves that perished in the construction of the Cistern. Historical texts document that up to 7,000 slaves worked on the structure though the number who died as a result remains unknown but estimated in the hundreds.

The Legend of Medusa

There are two unusual columns within the Cistern which feature a stone Medusa head. The first is positioned upside-down and the second is rotated sideways at the bottom of the columns. It is unknown where they came from or why, but they are thought to have been brought to Constantinople as plunder of war. Legends say that the two Medusa heads have been laid purposely in these positions to divert the full power of the Gorgons’ gaze so that those looking at the statue would not be turned to stone. The reflection of the heads into the surrounding waters has also been said to have turned the Medusas into stone themselves.

In Greek mythology, Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters. Once a beautiful woman, she was transformed into a monster by Athena for not worshiping at her temple, as she was instead evading the advances of the god Poseidon, who pursued her. As her punishment, she was turned into a creature with snakes for hair that would turn all who looked upon her into stone. The hero Perseus was later sent to kill Medusa, which he did by severing her head while using his shield as a mirror to reflect her gaze. The blood that flowed from her neck gave rise to Pegasus, her child with Poseidon, on which Perseus flew away.

The Legend of Medusa’s Sarcophagus

The story of Medusa's Sarcophagus comes from the year 1456, when a delegation from Venice arrived in Constantinople. Upon meeting the Sultan, the delegation told of a treasure hidden deep within the Basilica Cistern and offered vast amounts of money to procure it. The Sultan refused, and instead, went in search of the treasure himself. What he found within the Basilica was not treasure, but instead a sarcophagus harboring a horrible creature within. It had the head of a human and the body of a snake. Those who witnessed it believed it to be the body of Medusa, but locals also claimed it belonged to Sahmeran, a mythical creature of Turkish legends. The fate of the body and the sarcophagus remains unknown; perhaps they still lie undiscovered within the Basilica.

Turkish folktales tell of a poor boy who falls into a pit while walking in the woods where he meets the Sahmeran, a two-headed snake woman, and spends many years with her in the underground. On emerging from the pit, he meets a sorcerer, and is forced to tell him of the Sahmeran. As the creature is rumored to heal all who eat her flesh, the sorcerer proceeds to draw her out of the pit and orders the boy to feast on her body, but only after he has the first bite. The Sahmeran's flesh causes the sorcerer to immediately die as the first to eat, while the boy who ate second, becomes a skillful healer.

The Plague of Justinian

During the time of the construction of the Basilica, the ancient world was struck by one of the earliest and most devastating plagues, named after the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, who ruled at the time of the outbreak. Merchant ships traveling the trade routes from the East were infested with rats carrying fleas, which were themselves infected with Yersinia pestis, the plague-causing bacterium. The epidemic reached the City of Constantinople in the Spring of 542, bringing with it widespread death and disease. The crowded city, with poor sanitation and limited knowledge of germs, was rife for the spread.

The illness would first present as a typical febrile illness, followed by the formation of ‘buboes’ - swollen, painful lymph nodes all over the body, lending to the name - the Bubonic Plague. The buboes would often rupture, oozing pus. With no effective treatments at the time, the patient would frequently become septic and soon succumb to the disease.

The devastation caused by the plague was immense for the Byzantine Empire, with an estimated 25-50 million deaths. There was especially high mortality among the young and working age which further decimated the empire and its economy. The Emperor Justinian himself became infected, but managed to survive the plague, thus remaining sympathetic to his people. His government ensured free food and wine for its citizens and assisted in getting rid of the numerous bodies filling the streets with mass graves, and disposal at the sea. Bodies were piled onto ships and set alight once away from shore.

By the end of the epidemic in the year 590, it was estimated that the city of Constantinople had lost half of its population.

Top Tips

We paid at the door with Turkish Lira and had no problems getting in. It looks like tickets can be purchased in advance as well via their webpage below.

In total, it took us about 30 to 45 minutes to walk around the site.

The Cistern is located just next to the Hagia Sophia, so easily combined.

https://yerebatan.com/en/

Address

Yerebatan Cad. Alemdar Mah. 1/3 34410 Sultanahmet-Fatih/İSTANBUL

Opening Times

Visiting Hours Every Day of the Week; 09:00 - 23:50

Prices

Credit cards and Turkish Lira are valid. Foreign currency is not accepted.

The Basilica Cistern is free of charge for Turkish Republic citizens aged 65 and over, as well as for all visitors under the age of 7.

09.00-18.30 | Ticket: 1.300 TL

19.30-22.00 | Ticket: 2.000 TL

Basilica Cistern, Istanbul