Basilica Cistern

Ancient Waters

The Basilica Cistern, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul ,Turkey.

One of the magnificent historical monuments of İstanbul, The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city. The cistern is located near South West of the Hagia Sophia. It was founded in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The cistern began to be called by the public ‘the Sinking Palace’.

Formerly, this subterranean structure's name derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica. The Basilica Cistern provided water for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times. This cistern that was laid on an area of total 9.800 m2 has the capacity to store 100.000 tons of water.

Having been restored in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Museum, the cistern is also famous for many of its columns and The Visage of Medusa carved over two columns.

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