A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

The only Roman honorific column in Istanbul.

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.

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

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

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

This museum was invented in a novel before being made real by the author.

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

The eclectic home of a leading Turkish architect is a gorgeous piece of eye candy.

The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.

A meow-velous tribute to a beloved street cat, made famous on the internet.

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

This airport also offers travelers the chance to view thousands of years of Turkish history.