Istanbul: Did you mean...?

More info about travel to Istanbul: http://www.ricksteves.com/europe/turkey/istanbul Hagia Sophia has served over the centuries as one of the greatest houses of worship in both the Christian and Muslim worlds. Hagia...

A panoramic view of the Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul. It was commissioend by Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1520-1566 CE) and completed in 1557 CE.

The interior of the central dome of the Blue Mosque/Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul. The mosque was completed in 1616 CE during the reign of Ahmed I, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1603-1617 CE).

A diagram of one of the finest surviving Byzantine basilicas, the Church of Saint Irene in Istanbul (mid-6th century CE and remodelled in the 8th century CE).

An upside-down Medusa head used as a column base in the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, photograph by Sena Bolek, 2025. The stone structure is surrounded by dim lighting and shallow water.

Located across the Hagia Sophia Museum, Yerebatan Sarayi is also known as the Basilica Cistern because of a basilica that was once located nearby as a cultural centre. It is the largest surviving underground cistern...

The obelisk of Thutmose III (1479-1425 BCE), which originally stood at the temple of Karnak, Egypt, but was removed to Constantinople by Theodosius the Great in the 4th century CE.

Hagia Sophia was built as a church by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles who were chosen as architects by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Hagia Sophia (meaning "holy wisdom") was completed in 537 BCE and was transformed...

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, 532-37 (architects: Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles) A conversation with Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris

The Roman Emperor Constantine founded Constantinople on Byzantium, a strategic site for controlling the Bosphorus by the Greeks and as recently as Septimius Severus. This city was Constantine's "New...