“Today in Istanbul, Sultan Ahmet Mosque [also known as the Blue Mosque] and Hagia Sophia are surrounded by busy streets and streams of visitors,” writes Traveler Photo Contest entrant Michael O’Brien. “Yet it is still possible to glimpse a timeless and ancient view.” O’Brien captured this perspective from an upper window in the Hagia Sophia, now a museum.

This photo was submitted to the 2015 Traveler Photo Contest. Find your best travel photos and join the competition.