​Remains of an ancient fort and modern mosque dome in Mutrah.

​The less than salubrious backside of a building in Chinatown, San Francisco.

The no longer existing Sydney Monorail, photographed two years prior to its demise. Described by the ever droll and sadly no longer with us Australian writer Clive James as running "​.......from the middle of downtown Sydney, to the middle of downtown Sydney, after circumnavigating the middle of downtown Sydney."

​The roof over the inner court and the reading room of the British Museum, London.

Architectural detail from ​the Casa da Música, Porto, considered one of the most important concert halls built in the last century and the only auditorium in the world with glass walls.

​Office block in Sydney reflecting the clouds

​Sydney Tower, a less salubrious viewpoint than the tourist brochures depict.

​Ask any street photographer what their favourite city is and invariably one rolls off their tongue automatically. For many, that city is Istanbul. Ask why and they'll usually tell you it's the enticing mix of east and west, Europe and Asia. Alas, not for me. I really don't see the appeal. I just don't get it. To me it's too much like southern Europe with a mosque on every corner. Far better to have one or the other, rather than some hybrid. ​

​I did however, enjoy the inner city poverty stricken neighbouring suburbs of Balat and Fener. Balat was originally a middle class Jewish area while Fener was the corresponding Greek area. Both, following the loss of nearly all the Jewish and Greek inhabitants in the 1950s, have spiralled downward into a mix of cheap rent, run-down apartments often lying next to derelict mansions whose legal owners are probably unaware they even exist. The result is a congenial shabbiness of ruination, higgledy piggledy wooden buildings with balconies seemingly in danger of imminent collapse. It's somewhat reminiscent of a badly decayed San Francisco, or the backstreets of Naples after a special offer on the most colourful paints at the local hardware store. All of these modes of architecture share the love with a plethora of satellite dishes.
​
There's also an quiet ambience to this area that is hard to find in the rest of noisy, hectic Istanbul. For a start, no doubt because of the poverty, the streets are relatively car-free and so much the quieter for it. There's none of the annoying buzz-saw sounds of scooters and mopeds which characterise places like Marrakech or Sicilian old towns. Children are able to play all day in the middle of the road and photographers don't have to dodge cars. And there are very few tourists. Those that do find their way here tend to have a purpose that involves having a decent camera around their neck. So there are no carpets or trinkets on sale. Hardly anyone speaks English, or any other modern European language for that matter. Everyone just ignores the weird guy with the camera. But attempt a few words of Turkish, buy a coffee or a pastry and people quickly become your friend and shake your hand. And genuinely, not just for your money.

It won't last though. Both areas have been designated UNESCO heritage sites and European Union money has started to arrive along with artist's studios and a handful of trendy Western European-style coffee shops, especially noticeable around the area bordering the Great Horn. In 20 years time no doubt it'll still be worth seeing, but not for the same reasons.

More of my images from these streets can be found here ​

​Minaret of a mosque somewhere in Oman.

​A trio of beach huts on an overcast day at Llanbedrog.

​Mosque minaret somewhere in Oman. For more of my images of Omani mosques go here

​Wonky looking building in Ribiero, the old town district of Porto.

​Mosque dome somewhere in Oman. More of my images of Omani mosques are found here

​A plethora of curved lines at the Olympic Stadium in Munich.

​Few children get to play soccer in a place like this, on a polished floor next to Al Alam, the royal palace. In old Muscat, this appeared to be the norm everyday after school. They did remove their shoes and socks first, though.

​Morocco and Tunisia are the places to go to photograph interesting doors. Many buildings go to a great deal of trouble to offer a decorative place by which to enter or leave. Often, they're past their prime but in some ways that only adds to the charm in terms of the beauty of decay. Blue doors and walls are especially common in both countries, which is strange, because neither of their flags have any blue. Knowing what I know now, if I was transported back in a time machine I would make sure I had the sole rights to sell blue paint in both these places. I'd be a billionaire now. Or maybe not. Some buildings look like they only get a coat of paint once every 50 years.

​Three windows of a house in Old Muscat.

​Mosque minaret. More images of Omani religious architecture can be found here 

​Typical tin house in the village of Tai O, Lantau Island.

​Detail from a building in the grounds of Al Alam Palace in Old Muscat.

​Modern building in Sousse

​Detail from Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Sohar.