Basilica Cistern
The largest of the hundreds of ancient cisterns beneath Istanbul, built in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian I a short walk from Hagia Sophia. Walkways run between rows of columns above shallow water, and two carved Medusa heads sit at the base of columns in one corner.
- Where
- Istanbul, Istanbul, Türkiye
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 41.0084, 28.9779
Get the Basilica Cistern stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Basilica Cistern. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Istanbul volume with your photos and a note.
Near Basilica Cistern
Hagia Sophia 0.2 km
Completed in AD 537 for the Eastern Roman Empire, its great pendentive dome made it the largest interior space in the world. It was the cathedral of Constantinople until 1453, then a mosque with added minarets, a museum from 1935, and a mosque again since 2020.
Hippodrome of Constantinople 0.3 km
The chariot-racing circus that was the sporting and social centre of Byzantine Constantinople, now an open square beside the Blue Mosque. Along its old line stand an Egyptian obelisk and the bronze Serpent Column.
Hagia Irene 0.3 km
The oldest known church building in Istanbul, standing in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace. It was never turned into a mosque because the Ottomans used it as an arsenal, and it now serves as a museum and concert hall.
Blue Mosque 0.3 km
Built between 1609 and 1617 for Sultan Ahmed I, it faces Hagia Sophia across the old Hippodrome. Its popular name comes from the blue İznik tiles lining the interior, and it rises in cascading domes to six minarets.
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum 0.4 km
Housed since 1983 in the 1524 palace of Pargalı İbrahim Pasha, grand vizier to Suleiman the Magnificent, on the edge of Sultanahmet Square. The collection is strong in calligraphy, tiles and rugs, with recreated rooms showing how nomad families lived.
Istanbul Archaeology Museums 0.5 km
Three museums beside Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace, together holding over a million objects from almost every period of history. Among them is the Alexander Sarcophagus, carved with scenes of battle and the hunt.
Topkapı Palace 0.7 km
From the 1460s until 1853 this was the seat of the Ottoman Empire and home of its sultans, a spread of courtyards, pavilions and the harem on the tip of the old city. It is now a museum, holding imperial treasures and holy relics.
Little Hagia Sophia 0.8 km
Built in the 520s or 530s as the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, it was converted into a mosque under the Ottomans. Its compact domed hall sits in a quiet corner of the old city, downhill from Sultanahmet.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Istanbul
Questions
Where is Basilica Cistern?
Basilica Cistern is in Istanbul, Istanbul, Türkiye. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Hagia Sophia (0.2 km), Hippodrome of Constantinople (0.3 km), Hagia Irene (0.3 km).
How do I get the Basilica Cistern stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Basilica Cistern and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Istanbul volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Basilica Cistern before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Istanbul volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
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