I was here some time ago, so I specifically looked at the map to see which of the many Istanbul cisterns I was in. -) And it turned out to be the Binbirdireck Cistern (also known as the Philoxene). This cistern was the second largest reservoir in Istanbul after the Basilica Cistern. It was built in the 5th century A.D., and Senator Philoxenus supervised the construction process (hence the second name). Then, after the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, it fell into disrepair, then garbage was dumped here for decades (if not centuries), and only in the early 2000s did they finally take up the tank - they began to clean it, refine it, and take out the garbage. Of course, it is very impressive - the columns, the soft warm light, the inscriptions carved on the walls... It's just amazing. A true masterpiece of engineering. This is the only Istanbul cistern I've been to, so I can't compare the Binbirdirek Cistern with others. But I can say for sure that this one is very impressive. Yes, the name Binbirdirek means "1001 columns", although there are significantly fewer of them here, "only" 224 -)

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Михей Андреев

Level 30 Local Expert

A beautiful architectural monument that was preserved by the Turks. The people who lived before us were great aesthetes and excellent engineers. There are such wonders of the world in two cities of the world - Istanbul and St. Petersburg. There are a lot of fragments left in the world, and there are a lot of them in these two cities! The Turks also added lighting and all kinds of interactive content - it's just a great sight. Of course, everything has become expensive, but what can we do? Highly recommend it!

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Dmitry Vakhotin

Level 5 Local Expert

The Filoxene tank I visited these cisterns on April 16, 2026. The entrance ticket cost 600 lire. A ticket to the Basilica Cistern cost 1950 lire. I cannot recommend visiting the Filoxene cistern. The columns and the vault remained original, and the floor is already modern. There are some sort of tents around the perimeter of the cisterns for trade or official needs. It looks like the room is used for entertainment events.

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Binbirdirek Cistern

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