Turkiye 2023: Basilica Cistern
After completing our visit to Theodosius Cistern, we all decided to walk back to Sultanahmet to check out Basilica Cistern which we found out is within the vicinity as well.
Along the main road, we watched the ice cream man do his "thing" with a customer.
One video was from me and the other one was taken by my husband.
The cistern is near the Hagia Sophia (seen here) which was still not open to public by this time.
I wished I tried this one.
By this time the sun was at its peak and visiting the Basilica Cistern was a great thing to do before the two main mosques open. However, when we got there the line was kilometric and we'd be queueing under the sun. An idea to do something else like go to Galata Tower came up. We were about to leave the area when we changed our mind and chose to gamble with the line here. The decision was unanimous in staying in line since we're already here, and besides it appeared that whatever time you come here there would always be a line. In addition we were hoping that we'd get lucky and that the line would move quickly. There is another line for those that bought their tickets online and that had no line at all. We were trying to get a ticket online, but the effort was foiled by weak internet service. In the end, the line did move and our stay under the sun was not that bad.
Istanbul has many cisterns, because the location lacked sufficient fresh water supply so they built them to collect water from rain, aqueducts, etc. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of the many cisterns in the city measuring nearly 10,000 sq meters and holding about 80,000 cubic meters of water.
I did not expect what I saw of the Basilica Cistrn despite the photos I saw online. It is much bigger than I expected. And a lot prettier too. In fact I don't know what I expect when it comes to cisterns. But I was truly happy with this one.
Medusa's head upside down.
Medusa's head on the side.
They built boardwalks for people to walk on and just follow the path from entrance to exit. There were plenty of artwork there to enjoy as well. On our visit, there were a lot of people, I don't know if they do crowd control. It was a September (2023) visit and inside the cistern it was very hot and very humid. But the place is worth all the queueing under the scorching sun and heat and humidity inside. It's really different and so beautiful. I truly enjoyed our visit here.
One video was from me and the other one was taken by my husband.
The cistern is near the Hagia Sophia (seen here) which was still not open to public by this time.
I wished I tried this one.
By this time the sun was at its peak and visiting the Basilica Cistern was a great thing to do before the two main mosques open. However, when we got there the line was kilometric and we'd be queueing under the sun. An idea to do something else like go to Galata Tower came up. We were about to leave the area when we changed our mind and chose to gamble with the line here. The decision was unanimous in staying in line since we're already here, and besides it appeared that whatever time you come here there would always be a line. In addition we were hoping that we'd get lucky and that the line would move quickly. There is another line for those that bought their tickets online and that had no line at all. We were trying to get a ticket online, but the effort was foiled by weak internet service. In the end, the line did move and our stay under the sun was not that bad.
Istanbul has many cisterns, because the location lacked sufficient fresh water supply so they built them to collect water from rain, aqueducts, etc. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of the many cisterns in the city measuring nearly 10,000 sq meters and holding about 80,000 cubic meters of water.
I did not expect what I saw of the Basilica Cistrn despite the photos I saw online. It is much bigger than I expected. And a lot prettier too. In fact I don't know what I expect when it comes to cisterns. But I was truly happy with this one.
Medusa's head upside down.
Medusa's head on the side.
They built boardwalks for people to walk on and just follow the path from entrance to exit. There were plenty of artwork there to enjoy as well. On our visit, there were a lot of people, I don't know if they do crowd control. It was a September (2023) visit and inside the cistern it was very hot and very humid. But the place is worth all the queueing under the scorching sun and heat and humidity inside. It's really different and so beautiful. I truly enjoyed our visit here.
Beautiful pictures and I had no idea about these Cisterns -- I'm so glad you explained and pictured them -- otherwise I definitely would have wondered why a cistern was on your tour agenda. Fascinating information.
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