Blachernae Palace

Blachernae Palace review

First constructed around AD 500, the palace was extended in the 11th and 12th centuries, by which time it had become the favoured imperial residence. It's now mostly in ruins. The best-preserved sections are the brick-and-marble three-storey façade, the Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, and five floors of tunnels and galleries below the Ahmet tea garden, which were cleared of rubble in 1999 for a film shoot and are rather awesome in their medieval splendour.