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A regional administrative court has suspended the execution of a decision to transfer Istanbul's Basilica Cistern from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality to the General Directorate of Foundations, pausing a high-profile ownership dispute over one of the city's most visited historic landmarks.
The Istanbul Regional Administrative Court's 8th Administrative Case Chamber ruled to halt the handover process after the cistern had been registered under the General Directorate of Foundations, which operates under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The Basilica Cistern was registered in the name of the General Directorate of Foundations on April 7, 2026, after being taken from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, known as IMM. The municipality then took the matter to court.
On May 8, the Istanbul 8th Administrative Court issued a stay of execution over the administrative action concerning the evacuation of the cistern. IMM later objected to the wider transfer of the historic structure to the General Directorate of Foundations.
The dispute centered on Article 30 of Law No. 5737 on Foundations. Lawyers for the General Directorate of Foundations argued that the article allows cultural properties with a foundation background to be transferred to their historic foundation ownership.
They said such a decision was not based on discretion, but on concrete records such as foundation deeds, land registry and cadastral documents, historical maps and archive materials.
The General Directorate of Foundations also argued that how the property had changed hands in the past was not relevant to the application of the law.
It stated that the Basilica Cistern was already registered as a protected cultural property and that the legal conditions for transfer had been met.
In an earlier decision, the court said that a stay of execution could be granted only if an administrative action was clearly unlawful and if its implementation could cause damage that would be difficult or impossible to reverse.
At that stage, the court found that these conditions had not been met and unanimously rejected IMM's request for a stay of execution. The decision remained open to appeal.
Following the ruling, a notice was sent for the Basilica Cistern to be evacuated as of 10 a.m. on June 2, 2026. In the notice, IMM was described as an "occupier," and it was stated that the evacuation would be carried out directly if the cistern was not vacated.
After the transfer attempt, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality lowered the entrance fee for Turkish citizens to 1 Turkish lira on April 18, 2026.
The latest stay of execution by the regional court has now stopped the implementation of the transfer decision, keeping the legal process over the landmark open.
The Basilica Cistern, located in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district, is a large underground water reservoir built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century.
Also known as the "Cistern of a Thousand Columns," the structure covers around 9,800 square meters and is supported by 336 marble columns, some of which were brought from older buildings and different periods.
The cistern was used during the Byzantine period to meet the city's water needs and supply water to palaces. Today, it is known for its atmospheric interior, where water reflections give the columns a striking visual effect.
One of its most visited features is the Medusa-head column base, which remains among the site's best-known attractions.
No official reopening date has been announced for the Basilica Cistern.
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