Palace of Blachernae

In the shadow of the Theodosian Walls stands an intriguing building: Tekfur Sarayı, also known as the Palace of Blachernae — the only surviving example of Byzantine secular architecture to have survived to the present day. Just imagine: a building that remembers the footsteps of emperors, having served as an imperial residence, a sultan`s menagerie, a tile workshop, and even a brothel. Today, it is a carefully restored museum.