Justinian I, the same emperor responsible for Hagia Sophia, recycled 336 columns from the temples which were useless in a Christian empire. The Temple of Diana was one of the main contributors. Justinian used these columns to create a huge, underground cistern to store water for Constantinople.

This cistern was forgotten during most of the Ottoman period, but rediscovered in the 19th century. Now it is a very unusual museum.

The unusual spaces offered by the Basilica Cistern have been used to display unusual art. This is an example.

In 1459 six years after Sultan Muhammad II conquered Constantinople, he started construction of the Topkapi Palace. It served as the seat of government until 1853, when the Sultan Abd al-Madjid moved to the Summer Palace. The Harem remained in service until 1909.

Needless to say, this is a huge complex, with different parts built at different times. The tower in this picture, over the principal reception hall, looks curiously like Christopher Wren's work.

After the Turkish Republic was established, the Topkapi Palace was turned into a museum. You can see a sign of elegance in this lavatory.

This window is in the quarters occupied by the sultan's oldest sons.