Turkish bazaars and Fatih

ASA
Yesterday I had the most amazing experience, I went to visit Masjid Fatih. It was soo nice, even though most of the masjid is under restoration. It had this peaceful, and historical vibe and it surrounded me with whispers of hushed prayers. We left the masjid to visit the grave of the leader of who the mosque was named, and the prayers follwed. It seems he was and still is respected by all in Turkey. He was the one who conquered Istanbul, and was quoted to have said " if any one destroys this, may he be cursed by Allah"...he was speaking of the change of the Byzantine church to the Ottoman masjid.
Around the mosque, is a quaint town full of shops. The people are sooo nice, they give salaams everywhere you go. They are very religious people, and strongly believe in sadaqah, so it seems. They have a special place with water and bread just for birds. It is really a place for families, they thrive on children. And if you have problems speaking Turkish (like me) a lot of people there speak a little Arabic and English!:-)
Turkish bazaars are such that you can definitely get lost in the crowd. I had to lock arms with my father because of this. It is loud, stuffy, and exotic. I say exotic because you never know what or who you will find. You may hear music and think that a music store is up ahead, when in fact it is a couple of children's toys making all the comotion. Likewise, the smells are a variety of pungent, sweet, and dense smells. It si common to smell raw fish, and a second later sweet smelling fragrances of frankencince and myrrh.