Never short change the power of an encounter with a stranger...I was
having a lovely, impromptu dinner at a cafe in Istanbul, enjoying
conversation with the host, a very knowledgeable young man with
mutual interests in history and archaeology. He somehow knew I was
looking for the vegetarian dishes and that I had a sense of
adventure...upon eye contact :) After dinner, he pointed me to the
back of the restaurant where he stumbled upon this gem of an
find...an underground ancient palace dating to 324 BC. The remains
of the palace discovered ~ 2 years ago during the expansion of the
eatery. Amazing find...

Unfortunately the plaque's photo is blurry, as I had a hard time
adjusting to the light with my digital camera...however, I think the
words are legible enough to tell the tale of the underground palace!