View of the Ottoman Neo-Baroque style Mosque on the Bosphorus, as seen from the Ortaköy pier square. Ortaköy has had an important place in the daily life of the city during both the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent encouraged the Turks to move to Ortaköy and live there, which marked the beginning of the Turkish presence in the neighbourhood. One of the oldest buildings in Ortaköy is the Turkish Bath built by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan in 1556. Ortaköy, Turkey, 2009
Only in Istanbul would the construction of the "New" Mosque have been finished in 1663 (it was inaugurated in 1665). The mosque is visible from the Galata Bridge were this couple is standing, and is only dwarfed by the Süleymaniye Mosque on the horizon. Istanbul, 2009.
A hookah, also known as a waterpipe is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) instrument for smoking in which the smoke is cooled and filtered by passing through water. The tobacco smoked is referred to as narghile or sheesha in the United States and Canada. Originally from India,hookah has gained popularity, especially in the Middle East and is gaining popularity in North America, South America, Europe and Australia. Here men can be seen smoking in a cafe in the popular area of Tophane, Istanbul, 2009
