Minaret surrounded by nondescript concrete structures, Kasım Paşa, Istanbul, 2012. (Fuji X100) Click to enlarge.

The minaret of a small mosque is hidden amidst a forest of unadorned concrete structures built with minimal investments and maximum yields in mind, probably during the 1960s or 70s.  Many such buildings only barely pass present-day vetting for earthquake resilience.  The tall structure in the center probably owes its improbable form to being built on the plot of a razed characteristically-narrow 19th-century low-rise structure.  The ensemble created by these unattractive buildings, however, has an undeniable, albeit harsh, beauty of its own.