2 min walk · Fatih
Ibrahim Pasha Palace
- Must see
- Historic site
Museum · Fatih, Istanbul
Cistern of Philoxenos
Binbirdirek Sarnıcı
- Today
- Open today, 09:00 – 18:00
- Visit duration
- 30 min Editorial visit time estimate
- Accessibility
- Partly step-free
- Price
- Not recorded
- Standing
- High
- Rank
- Rank 294 of 8,221
Plan your visit.
Opening hours
| Monday | 09:00 – 18:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:00 – 18:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 – 18:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 – 18:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 – 18:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 – 18:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00 – 18:00 |
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Admission
Not recorded
Access and facilities
- Accessible toilets · Limited
- Pushchair access · Limited
- Step-free access · Limited
- Toilets · Available
Source · Checked 2026-08-31
About Cistern of Philoxenos
Turks call it Binbirdirek, "a thousand and one columns", which is a way of saying "a great many" rather than a count. The real figure is 224. Its Greek name, Κινστέρνα Φιλοξένου, gives it to a man called Philoxenos, and it is the second largest of the covered cisterns beneath the old city. It is a single underground hall — one floor, one enormous hypostyle room carried on vaults, covering 3,640 square metres and once holding some 40,000 cubic metres of water. Justinian I restored it in the sixth century.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
What's inside
One room, and its whole effect comes from repetition. The 224 marble columns stand in a grid, cut from stone quarried on Marmara Island, and each is 14 to 15 metres tall. They are not single shafts. Each column is two columns stacked, joined at the meeting point by a marble ring — a Byzantine solution to needing more height than the available marble could give in one piece.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
How long to spend
Thirty minutes is enough, and that is a deliberate correction of the ninety minutes a museum-shaped guess would suggest. This is not a museum. There are no galleries, no upper level, no exhibition route and nothing to queue for inside. The visit is a slow walk of the perimeter, a diagonal across the middle to see the grid line up, and a stop at the excavated pond to look at what the full column height actually is. Twenty minutes does it comfortably; thirty allows for standing still, which is what the space is really for.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Season and crowds
Binbirdirek Cistern is open daily 09:00-18:00; exhibitions, private functions and maintenance can alter public access. Dated event, worship, restoration, weather or security notices from the responsible operator take priority over the ordinary schedule. Arrive with enough time to complete the public route before the final admission period.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Tickets
The cistern uses its current on-site/online adult tariff; separately programmed exhibitions and events can have their own price. The base amount and currency follow the operator tariff; premium products and separate institutions remain excluded unless named.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Getting there
T1 Çemberlitaş is about five minutes away; enter from İmran Öktem Caddesi south of At Meydanı. Use the named stop and entrance because steep streets, controlled compounds and separate exits can change the practical route. Allow extra time for the final walk and security where applicable.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
What to watch out for
A lift or assisted entrance reaches the main event floor, but historic stairs, dim lighting and uneven surfaces restrict some areas. Historic surfaces, crowds and security remain relevant.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Photography
A grid of 224 identical columns is a gift to anyone who likes lines. Stand at a corner and shoot along a diagonal, so the rows converge in three directions at once — that is the shot that only this building gives you. The light is low and artificial, so bring a fast lens or accept high ISO; a small tripod is worth having if the venue permits one, and worth asking about at the door rather than assuming.
Checked 2026-08-31 · Source
Place details and sources
- Type of place
- Museum OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
- Architectural style
- Byzantine architecture Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia article
- Cistern of Philoxenos Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09
Common questions
Is it open daily?
Yes, the cistern is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00, although exhibitions, private functions and maintenance can alter public access.
Can events alter entry?
Yes, exhibitions, private functions and maintenance can alter public access, and separately programmed exhibitions and events can have their own price.
Is every area step-free?
No, a lift or assisted entrance reaches the main event floor, but historic stairs, dim lighting and uneven surfaces restrict some areas.
Is the interior damp?
Yes; underground conditions are cool and humid.
Is it the Basilica Cistern?
No. Binbirdirek is a separate cistern southwest of Sultanahmet Square.
Which tram stop is closest?
The closest stop is Çemberlitaş on the T1 tram line, about five minutes away.
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Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·