Community-sponsored play area

Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque. Selim I was the father of Suleiman the Magnificent.

Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque. This mosque is on one of the 5 hills of Istanbul and is easy to see from the Galata bridge

A sample of the buildings near the mosque

From the garden of the mosque you can see many of the other major landmarks of the city.

We walked down into what was once the Greek quarter. You can see the other side of Istanbul from here

You can see the Galata Tower and some modern skyscrapers. We are on the European side and the buildings in the background are on the Asian side.

Long-distance shot of Galata Tower from Sultan Selim Mosque.

The Süleymaniye Mosque from the garden of the Sultan Selim Mosque

I am [reasonably] sure that that is the Aya Sofya in the background

There is a good bit of restoration needed in this area, and some of it has started.

We did not go inside the Sultan Selim Mosque but instead used its grounds as a vantage point.

We stopped at a bakery that produces nothing but the ubiquitous simit bread that is sold everywhere for a fixed price.

the bread is usually covered with seseme seeds.

Vendors come by and pick up a batch of simit then carry it to where they will sell it. Why you buy it it is generally pretty fresh

Ours was very very fresh

We are walking down one of the 5 hills in Istanbul

As I said, work needs to be done. Some of the people in this area were "encouraged" to leave in the 1950s