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...

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

Someone to impress? Something to celebrate? Ulus 29 fits the bill. Thanks to yet another spectacular hillside setting (just above the Sunset Grill & Bar),...

Despite being eclipsed by newer, trendier joints, Vogue has managed to retain its stylish clientele and high standards. Though curiously situated on the top...

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

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...

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...

The obligatory tour takes you down long, dark, musty corridors leading to 60 rooms furnished with ornate furniture. The Grand Salon, a massive court...

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...

Built in the 12th century for the wife of Emperor John II Comnenus (1118-43), the Byzantine Church of the Pantocrator became the imperial residence during...