It's free, women are welcome but shoulders, arms, and legs must be covered.

Sheikh Mahmud Efendi does not teach publicly any longer due to his age and illness, he no longer lives in the fatih district of istanbul. He now resides with his family in beykoz, istanbul. On the same road as the Mahmud Efendi camii. I was lucky enough to visit him for a brief moment in 2018. Go to the Mahmud Efendi camii in beykoz and speak to his students there, hopefully you will meet and english speaking or arabic etc student who may assist . Be aware that the sheikh recently went to hospital for an operation so meeting him may be out of the question, but who knows .

The Kariye Museum (The Chora Church) . A must to see!!

Dear John, I am not sure about the accesses, as I did not pay attention to that, but as the lady just mentioned, it is uphill, on a pedestrian street, but not far from the main street. You can always rest on a cafe, something I did while my wife was visiting the Wednesday bazar. I am sorry couldn't help much, but for sure you will enjoy this part of the city, people are very nice, and the area too, All the best Wissam