The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul is almost 1500 years old. I’m writing this in Atlanta, a city that’s barely 180 years old. Time will destroy you if you think about it too much. Istanbul is a ...

Atlas Obscura on Slate is a blog about the world’s hidden wonders. Like us on Facebook and Tumblr, or follow us on Twitter. A Frenchman visiting Constantinople in the 16 th century heard strange ...

Gingerly descending 52 steps, I enter a vast cavernous space, as magnificent as a cathedral. The space is cool, as though it were air-conditioned, and I can hear strains of soft music. Wooden ...

As May 2026 arrives, Istanbul is hitting its stride with comfortable weather and flight deals starting around $593 from the US, making it the perfect window for your first international leap. However, ...

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—While restoring the eighteenth-century Nuruosmaniye Mosque, located near Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, workers from Foundations Istanbul Provincial discovered an Ottoman-era cistern. “We ...

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The youngest brother of Britain’s King Charles on Tuesday visited the famed Basilica Cistern Museum in the heart of Istanbul’s historic Fatih district. Officials from the Istanbul city government and ...

Efforts to protect the city’s landmarks may not be enough when the next big earthquake strikes. Pressure continues to build along the North Anatolian Fault, putting ...

The winding streets of old Istanbul are an overlapping cacophony of seagulls, ship horns and vendors of colorful fresh fruit. Shady fig trees cluster near crumbling Byzantine walls and sweeping ...