Great Palace Mosaic Museum

The Mosaic Museum of the Great Palace lies next to the Arasta Bazaar just south of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. It preserves 6th-century floor mosaics that once belonged to the lost Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors - one of the largest palace complexes of its day. British archaeologists uncovered the mosaics between 1935 and 1951; the museum opened in 1953 in a protective shelter over the site. Across roughly 250 square metres of surviving floor, hunting scenes, animals and everyday life unfold like a cinematic frieze, with no religious programme at all. The quality of the tesserae is exceptional. The museum is small and easily missed in the shadow of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, which is precisely why it rewards a visit. Late morning is the quietest time.