If you stop by the Yeni Camii at the entrance of the Spice bazaar (a.k.a The Egyptian Bazaar) you will surely observe the numerous flocks of pigeons feeding around the mosque. This is one of the most true and consistent visions of Istanbul, the pigeons and hence the pigeon feeders. The crowd of pigeons here is tremendous and honestly the season doesn’t matter at all.
Here pigeons always rely on constant food provided by the locals or the tourists. Wheat supply is sold for very little money in mobile stalls as seen in the picture. This man is one of the eldest sellers around. He has been selling wheat for the pigeons as long as he can remember. As documented in this photo, he is preparing some new wheat plates for the people while the pigeons wait to be fed. Continuous feeding ends up with overwhelming pigeons but still you feel like feeding them. This is one of the musts for me whenever I am in the neighborhood. I buy a plate of wheat and scatter it around on the pigeons like throwing a frisbee.
After your visit to the mosque spend some time with the pigeons and they will relax you while you watch the hordes fly from one feeder to the other. It might even be scary at some times as the pigeons swoosh before you, just inches above your head, or face. I always believe that this is a magic show that everyone has to experience…
