Basilica Cistern Review

Comprehensive review of Istanbul Basilica Cistern ‌History and architectural features‌ ‌Scale and function‌: The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) is a giant underground reservoir built in the Byzantine period (6th century). It is 140 meters long and 70 meters wide, with an area equivalent to a standard football field. It has a water storage capacity of 80,000-100,000 tons. It once supplied water to the palace and surrounding areas and had military defense functions‌12. 336 9-meter-high stone columns support the vault. Most of the columns were transported from temples in Anatolia. The capitals are carved in different styles (such as Corinthian and Doric), showing the wisdom of ancient architecture‌23. ‌Mysterious elements‌: ‌Tear column‌: A stone column engraved with teardrop patterns, which is said to commemorate the slaves who died during the construction‌23. ‌Medusa head‌: The head of the Gorgon inverted and sideways at the bottom of the pool, the origin of which is a mystery, may be a symbol of warding off evil or deterring the enemy‌23. ‌Cultural influence‌: Many movies (such as "Skyfall", "The Spy Who Came to the City", and "The Dante Code") were filmed here, adding to its mysterious color‌12. ‌Visiting experience‌ ‌Highlights‌: The underground space is magnificent and shocking, and the lights and water reflections create a dreamy atmosphere, suitable for photography and history enthusiasts‌23. It is adjacent to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and can be visited in series‌12. ‌Controversial points‌: ‌Ticket price‌: The ticket price for foreign tourists is about 130 yuan, which is much higher than that for local residents (about 1/5 of the price), and the cost-effectiveness is questioned‌4. ‌Visiting time‌: The whole journey takes about 15 minutes. Some tourists think that the content is thin and only supported by lighting effects and a small number of relics‌4. ‌Hidden entrance‌: The entrance sign is not obvious, and you need to be patient to find it‌24. ‌Suggestions‌ ‌Recommended crowd‌: Tourists who are interested in history, architecture or movie locations; if there is plenty of time and the budget allows, you can plan it in combination with surrounding attractions‌12. ‌Tips for avoiding pitfalls‌: Check the ticket price policy in advance to lower your psychological expectations; choose non-peak hours to avoid crowds‌4. ‌Summary‌: The Basilica Cistern is Istanbul's unique "underground miracle". Its historical value and mystery are worth exploring, but you need to weigh the ticket cost against your personal interests‌12.

Amazing! Less than 3' walk from Hagia Sophia and yet very great underground complex since Byzantine era. Highly recommend. Its little shop sell good stuff too.

The attractions are very general, only in a long queue, entering the small entrance, standing on the steps and looking down, that moment, it was still a bit shocking. The water palace is not big, the entrance is not obvious, but seeing the door face is not big, and there are people queuing, that must be it. We are a group tour, the black-hearted tour guide separated the water palace, became a self-funded project, lied to everyone that the tickets are very expensive, we from the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral to the Grand Bazaar, passed the water palace, did not say anything, I took care to observe it, Then while the vast number of members in the Grand Bazaar crazy do not know what to purchase, we secretly went to the water palace. Tickets are small and expensive, it is not worth it, but compared to spending 20 lira, it is still worth 130 dollars more than the tour guide's day trip (including the water palace, the new palace, the cruise ship, and a shopping mall in the afternoon, it is amazing, shopping mall shopping can also be counted as a day trip, and our majority of members have warmly signed up, I feel particularly value-for-money, I almost doubt my three views). Generally, the attractions, you can stroll around when you have time, and it is not a pity to miss it if you don't have time!

In Istanbul, there are many underground palaces, but the Yelebatan underground palace is the largest of them. The entire water palace is 140 meters long and 70 meters wide, and 336 large Corinthian columns of 9 meters high support the huge brick vaults, which are said to have been carried from the shrine in the Antalya region. It took about 30 minutes to enter. This scene has also appeared in Dante Code recently. It is estimated that there will be more tourists here in the future. The color adjustment body in the underground water palace is darker, and it is more mysterious to walk to the snake-haired demon Meidusha stone pillar. Go deeper into darkness.

Happy travel, the right time. Fast tour, everything is the best arrangement. Come here, choose him, no problem. The time is just right, the world is just right. Good mountains, good water, good scenery, sometimes riding the wind and waves.

The underground palace is located next to the Cathedral of Santa Sophia. According to its history, it dates back to the sixth century AD and the entire water palace is quite large. The 336 large Corinthian pillars, which are 9 meters high, support the huge brick vault, and are engraved with exquisite reliefs. Visitors enter the water palace as if they are entering another world in Istanbul. A row of street lights stands on the side of the road, creating a quiet, distant, mysterious and hazy atmosphere. The tear-drop-shaped pillars in the center of the palace attract many visitors to stop, and the pillars supported by two inverted Medusa avatars on the northwest side of the palace reservoir are the most amazing part of the underground palace. At the 2010 Shanghai Expo, we knew this underground palace through the Turkish pavilion, and now it is in its mirror, which is really shocking.