A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in the city of Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family.

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

Housed in an old British jail, this spot serves up Georgian, Russian, and Ukrainian specialities with a side of Turkish history.

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

A beautiful 19th-century Armenian mansion is preserved above an unassuming cafe.

Natural rock formation, or biblical artifact that saved Earth's wildlife two by two?

This beautiful train graveyard is one of the largest collections of steam locomotives in the Mediterranean and Europe.

The home-turned-museum of Barış Manço, the mustachioed Turkish Elvis for children.

This hidden gem is bathed in beautiful natural light.

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

This shuttered power plant is now Turkey's first industrial archaeology museum.

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

The ancient latrines of the Greeks, in all their public glory.

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

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

A mysterious ancient cemetery with Roman sarcophagi and Lycian inscriptions.

This Turkish cave boasts some rather bizarre associations with the King of Mount Olympus.

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

A sacred lake with thousands of sacred carp and a biblical history.

The best-preserved ancient theater in the world.

The ancient abodes are a testament to human ingenuity amid harsh climates.

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

Large miniature theme park with 100-plus models.

Step back in time and witness the fall of Constantinople.