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

A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in the city of Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family.

A surprising and unconventional mosque hidden in the subsoil of Istanbul.

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

Turkish adventurer antiques in the heart of the Grand Bazaar.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet, your wish will be granted.

An Art Nouveau gem hides beneath the layers of city grime obscuring this once-magnificent building.

Quite possibly the oldest love poem known to humankind.

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

Homesick Syrian refugees head to this restaurant for a taste of Damascus.

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

Come for the whole sides of slow-roasted lamb, stay for the regional Kurdish specialties.

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

The most metal church of all time was built in record time because of an international, pious pissing contest.

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

The only Roman honorific column in Istanbul.

The legendary luxury train passage is commemorated with a charming museum inside its former eastern terminus.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.

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

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.

This crucial gathering spot along the "hippie trail" still displays old notes between traveling beatniks and backpackers.