Basilica Cistern

cistern, Istanbul, Turkey

Also known as: Yerebatan Palace

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Last updated

July 21, 2026

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The Basilica Cistern, known in Turkish as Yerebatan Saray or Yerebatan Sarnıcı, is a mysterious and beautiful structure in Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of over 80 closed cisterns remaining in the city, and its 336 columns rise from dark water to a vaulted roof. This ancient Roman design served as a water storage system, with some cisterns still functioning as market gardens. The Basilica Cistern is located near Hagia Sophia and is a significant example of Byzantine engineering and architecture.1

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Western architecture
The early Byzantine period (330–726)
In some, like the great Basilica Cistern near Hagia Sophia called by the Turks the Yerebatan (Underground) Palace, old material was reused; in others, like the even more impressive Binbirdirek (Thousand and One Columns) cistern, new columns of unusually tall and slender proportions and new capitals of cubic form were…
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In some, like the great Basilica Cistern near Hagia Sophia called by the Turks the Yerebatan (Underground) Palace, old material was reused; in others, like the even more impressive Binbirdirek (Thousand and One Columns) cistern, new columns of unusually tall and slender proportions and new capitals of cubic form were…
Read More