I would not bother waisting your time or money. The floor was filled in, it was dirty and musty smelling!

This picture to the left is of Yerebatan Cistern NOT Bindirdirek. Bindirdirek Cistern is largely filled in and not interesting by comparison to Yerebatan. It is not worth paying the fee or wasting valuable time to enter Bindirdirek. It's like walking around in an underground parking lot. There are no features to see. Yerebatan by contrast is worth every lira... More

A waste of time, and of money. This cistern was used as a shopping center, but now is almost abandoned. Terrible stink due to humidity. A false floor raised over its original level reduces its height almost to half, thus not allowing to appreciate the real size of the cistern. The columns are simple, no ornaments. A small pond has... More

This was described as a museum but there is no information provided at all. The cistern itself is impressive and the included tea or coffee is pleasant but this really needs more interpretation. The entry fee (TL10) is the same as the vastly more impressive Archealogical Museum.

The Binbirdirek Cistern (or 1,001 Column Cistern) is not as well known as the Basilica Cistern. The two cisterns are only 4 blocks away from one another, yet all of the tourists and tour groups go to the latter instead of the former. Look for a red awning on the street opposite the Justice Palace (located between Sultanahmet and the... More