What it is
Built under Justinian in the sixth century to supply the Great Palace, it holds 336 columns in twelve rows, many of them recycled from older buildings. Two of them rest on carved Medusa heads, one sideways and one upside down, for reasons nobody has settled.
The lighting and the walkways were reworked recently and the space is now closer to an installation than a ruin. Some visitors find it theatrical; most find it the most atmospheric half hour in the old city.
Arriving by car
The entrance is a small building across the road from Hagia Sophia — easy to walk past. It sits inside the same pedestrian zone, so the drop-off is identical to the other Sultanahmet sites.
It works well as the middle stop of a morning: Hagia Sophia, then the cistern to cool down, then the Blue Mosque.
Worth knowing
- The floor is damp and uneven in places — sensible shoes
- Timed entry is common in season; going first thing avoids the wait
- It is one of the few sites that is genuinely better in bad weather
Close by
Hagia Sophia · Blue Mosque · The Hippodrome · Grand Bazaar