Over the centuries, this island paradise has done it all, from providing monks with ecclesiastical respite to sheltering an exiled Leon Trotsky.

A charming beach town in Turkey captures all the colors of the rainbow.

The alleged house of the Virgin Mary is tucked away in a park and nature preserve on Mt. Koressos in Turkey and is holy to both Catholics and Muslims alike.

This crumbling medieval basilica once attracted pilgrims by the thousands to collect a miraculous dust that formed above the saint's tomb.

Seven early Christians were sealed into a cave where legend has it they slept unharmed for centuries.

Carvings in Turkey's Marble Road may have directed ancient Romans to a hidden brothel.

The only Roman honorific column in Istanbul.

Feast on the freshest of fish by the Bosphorus.

Byzantine emperors ruled, lived, and died in this 13th-century palace-turned-museum.

It's believed that this small church was connected to the Hagia Sophia via a secret tunnel.

One of the newest mosques in a city filled with thousands.

Taking the subway here means doing so over a bridge located in the middle of an estuary.

A section of the long chain that blocked enemy ships from entering Constantinople.

This historic hotel preserves many treasures from its heyday hosting passengers on the Orient Express.

Climb a set of vertiginous stone steps to the top of this impressive ancient edifice.

Have tea in a cemetery with a dazzling view of Istanbul.

Quite possibly the oldest love poem known to humankind.

This column celebrates Rome's victory over the Goths, and may be the oldest Roman monument in Istanbul.

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.

No one is sure if the world's fourth-largest diamond had been found in a rubbish heap or was pawned by Napoleon's mom.

One of the largest wooden constructions in Europe was meant to be a casino, but soon became an orphanage.

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

This half-forgotten fortress was constructed by the Ottoman conqueror of Constantinople.

Climb a steep hill in 90 seconds on the second-oldest urban subway in the world.