Palaces on the Bosporus, known in Turkish as “Yalis” were the fabled waterside summer houses of the Ottoman sultans. They are like works of art. There is no way to calculate their true worth until a buyer and a seller come together and set a price.

Famous for their opulent lifestyle and exquisite taste, the Ottoman sultans first built their summer palaces 300 years ago along the shores of the Bosporus, the glittering 20-mile stretch of water that runs from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean, splitting the city of Istanbul and dividing the continents of Europe and Asia.

They are seldom put on the market to sell due to their limited and unique nature. I covered this story for The NY Times real estate section.