After-prayer workout at Istanbul mosques keeps retired men fit

The afternoon prayers have ended in the working-class Istanbul mosque and the silver-haired men turn their gaze from the imam to the fitness instructor in a white polo shirt.

A dozen worshippers, including the imam, begin their exercises.

In January, a fitness project was launched in 11 mosques of Istanbul's deprived Bagcilar district and is allowing these men to get more exercise than they have had in years.

But women in Turkey, who more often pray at home, are excluded from the project.