Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

into a dark space below their basement floors. Some were even catching fish this way. Intrigued, Gyllius explored and accessed the cistern through one of the basements. After the discovery, the Ottomans used it as a dumping ground for all sorts of junk, including corpses. Now cleaned and renovated, it still has bucketloads of atmosphere. Walking along the raised wooden platforms, you’ll feel water dripping from the vaulted ceiling and see schools of ghostly carp patrolling the water.

DON’T MISS

A Upside-down head of Medusa used as a column base A Teardrop column

PRACTICALITIES

A Yerebatan Sarnıçı A MAP , E1 A % 0212-512 1570 A www.yerebatan.com A Yerebatan Caddesi A admission ₺ 20 A h 9am-6.30pm mid-Apr–Sep, to 5.30pm Nov–mid-Apr A j Sultanahmet