Above the shops, (whose rents pay for its upkeep), the mosque is invisible from the street. It's quite a city secret, although it's one of the most beautiful mosques built by...

It may have been built to commemorate Sultan Selim the Grim, nicknamed for his habit of executing senior officials on a whim, but this little-visited mosque is one of the most...

Originally an ancient sanctuary of Artemis, the first church was built over the 'life-giving spring' here in the early Byzantine era. Destroyed and rebuilt many times, the...

One of Sinan's later buildings (constructed between 1571-72), this mosque has been widely praised by architectural historians for its skilful handling of an uneven, sloping...

In addition to jet skiing, bungee jumping and trampolining during the day, Solar Beach hosts rave parties most summer weekends come nightfall. In past years shuttle buses have...

Completed in 1557 under Süleyman the Magnificent, this stunning mosque is arguably the crowning achievement of architect Mimar Sinan. Built on Istanbul's highest hill, it is...

Seductively curvaceous and enhanced by a lovingly attended park in front, Sultanahmet Mosque is Islamic architecture at its sexiest. Commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I (1603-17)...

This unrestored Byzantine reservoir is what the more famous Yerebatan Sarnıçı would have looked like before it was cleaned up for tourists.

Mahmut II (1808-39) was the sultan who crushed the Janissaries. He must have been a formidable force in the harem, too, for he produced 15 sons and 12 daughters, many of whom...

Directly behind Haghia Sophia are the walls shielding Topkapı Palace. Part command centre for a massive military empire, part archetypal Eastern pleasure dome, the palace was...

Impressively restored, this Byzantine 'castle of the seven towers' was remodelled by the Ottomans. Its western face incorporates the Golden Gate (now bricked up), a triumphal...

Often called the Underground Mosque because it's buried beneath a 19th-century wooden mansion, the low, vaulted interior is supported by 54 columns, built on the remains of the...

Built by the Emperor Justinian at the same time as the Haghia Sophia, it was forgotten for centuries and only rediscovered by a Frenchman, Peter Gyllius, in 1545 when he...

Most of the palace dates from the late 19th century when the paranoid Sultan Abül Hamit II ('Abdül the Damned') abandoned waterfront Dolmabahçe for fear of attack by foreign...