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

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

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

A sixth-century Byzantine cistern hidden below a modern carpet store.

Turkish adventurer antiques in the heart of the Grand Bazaar.

The only Roman honorific column in Istanbul.

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

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

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

Wash down heaping platters of meze with raki at one of the city's best taverns.

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

This family-owned canteen has been selling goat milk ice cream since 1933.

A tiny park in the middle of some big power politics.

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

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

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.

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

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

Over the centuries, this island paradise has done it all, from providing monks with ecclesiastical respite to sheltering an exiled Leon Trotsky.

One of the largest wooden constructions in Europe was meant to be a casino, but soon became an orphanage.

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

The Grand Mall in Varna hosts one of the biggest collections of Soviet-era paraphernalia in Bulgaria.

Mysterious standing stone formations looks like a petrified forest.