Basilica Cistern, Turkey

The Basilica Cistern, also known as the "Sunken Palace" or "Yerebatan sarayi" in turkish,, was constructed by Justinian in 532 to supply water to the Byzantine Palace primarily. Basilica cistern or better known as Yerebatan sarayi is a very authentic place and a must see in Istanbul. The cistern is located at the Sultanahmet square, when you are about to reach the Sultanahmet Square on the right bank you will see the basilica cistern. There is a small building next to the tram line, there leads the stairs down to the Basilica cistern. Basilica is open every day from 09:00 hrs to 18:30 and the entrance fee is 10 TL (~7 USD) for foreign visitors.

Underground waterway was used as a reservoir for water storage for the Great Palace and other buildings. It is 132 m length, by 65m wide. There are 336 columns in the cistern. Most of the column capitals are either in Corinthian or Doric Style.