Basilica Cistern

Istanbul City · Istanbul · Turkey

The Basilica Cistern is a chamber built in the 6th century, under Emperor Justinian I, to hold 80,000 cubic meters of water. It lies beneath the streets of Istanbul, held up by arches and 336 marble columns. This architectural masterpiece is probably the most famous of the hundreds of cisterns built in Istanbul. This cathedral-sized cistern now holds only a fraction of the water it once carried throughout its history, and has been reopened to the public after careful restoration work. The roof is supported by an impressive 336 marble columns, each 9 meters tall, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns each. Interestingly, most of the cistern's columns appear to have been recycled from the ruins of older buildings. One of the most famous of these "recycled" pieces is likely the "Medusa head" that rises from the water basin.