The Basilica Cistern / Istanbul

This cistern is the grandest ans most impressive one of its kind. It's 140 m long and 70 m wide. Its 336 colums, which support the brick dome, are arranged in 12 rows of 28 each and are topped by Byzantine Corinthian capitals.

 

Hagia Sophia - part II / Istanbul

Hagia Sophia means "Divine Wisdom". According to a legend: In the year 325, Constantine erected the first basilica which was devastated by a fire in the year 404. In 415, Theodosius II reconstructed the church, but it was burned down during the Nika Revolt in 532.

The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the previous two having both been destroyed by rioters. It was designed by the Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician.

Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture

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Matochina

Matochina has existed since at least 1664, when Ottoman sultan Mehmed IV was reported to have hunted near the abandoned fortress and the village located below it. During that time, Matochina was known as Fikla or Fikel. The village was passed to Bulgaria in 1912. It was renamed to Matochina in 1934 due to the abundance of the Mediterranean herb lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) in the surrounding area. (more here)