The fact that elements of the tangible and intangible heritage of Byzantine Constantinople were preserved as the city’s urban layout was gradually transformed during the decades after the Ottoman conquest of 1453, is well known to international scholarship. Yet, the nature of this transformation and the degree to which the Byzantine background affected 16th-century realities is possible through the thorough study of an array of texts, careful examination of the material remains still visible in modern Istanbul, and a close focus on the diverse institutions active in the Ottoman capital.