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

This historic hotel preserves many treasures from its heyday hosting passengers on the Orient Express.

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

The eclectic home of a leading Turkish architect is a gorgeous piece of eye candy.

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

The legendary luxury train passage is commemorated with a charming museum inside its former eastern terminus.

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

No one is sure if the world's fourth-largest diamond had been found in a rubbish heap or was pawned by Napoleon's mom.

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

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

Fantastic lake on the heart of a fault line.

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

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

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

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

An ancient church on a tiny island covered in stone bible stories has controversially been turned into a museum.

Standing proud atop a Turkish bluff, this Ottoman palace has retained its grandeur despite being abandoned for centuries.

The best-preserved ancient theater in the world.

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

Step back in time and witness the fall of Constantinople.

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

Ottoman-era houses lovingly preserved.

Flames have been burning within this mountain for more than 2,500 years.

This eatery re-creates dishes from the Ottoman Empire so you can dine like a sultan.