It is with excitement that we walked the streets of Fatih in Istanbul for our Photogaphy trek with Cenk. Cenk is an inspirational man with a knowledge, not only of brilliant photography but also of the streets of Istanbul. People come out of their shops and houses to greet him and he respectfully say hello to everybody, young and old.
Fatih district is devided into smaller areas like Zeyrek and Haydar. These areas are Heritage sites and alot of money are being spend to restore the old wooden houses and Mosques in this area.
Cenk, our mentor and tour guide.
Two men in the Zeyrek area busy restoring an old wooden house.
The tailor (Terzi) in Çirçir. His shop was so colourful and after taking a few photographs of him, people stood outside his shop to come and look at the local 'celebrity'.
The favorite past time in Istanbul is to catch some heat from the sun and drink Çay.
Streets of Haydar – We were taking photos of the children playing in the street, while the mothers were watching them.
Love the character in this man's face. He is a Copper Polisher ( Kalay) and polish all the Copper from the Topkapi Palace.
Not sure if this lady was selling or buying, but lots of white g-string underwear changed hands.
And of course there is always the Simit man! 1TL will buy you this tasty circular bread topped with sesame seeds.
After the taking lots of photographs, it was time for a bite to eat. I stopped for Lahmacun, a thin crisp base, topped with spicy ground meat. They make it fresh in front of you.
And these two handsome men served me. A meal with a view!
And so I discover more of the backstreets of Istanbul. I fall in love more and more every day with this city. Slowly but surely I am peeling away the layers of this city with its multiple personalities.
I hope you enjoy the journey with me!