I commend to you two photographers, John Wreford, who spent ten Years in Damascus, four in Istanbul and is now living in Sofia, Bulgaria (See his site here), And Martina Korkmaz, whose site, The Depth of Now, explores Istanbul through storytelling and photography. Ms. Korkmaz interviews Wreford about his time in Damascus, among other topics, and features some of his photography, in this article. Worth your time.
Common Sense and Whiskey 