A Bird Affair

In the shadowed rooftops, gardens and quiet terraces of Istanbul, a centuries-old tradition continues to flutter. Once widespread across the city, pigeon keeping now endures in the hands of a dedicated few who regard their birds as companions and vessels of memory. Rooted in Ottoman heritage and passed down through generations, this practice is more than a pastime; it is a way of life, described by many as a “love affair” — something you can never give up.

Among the keepers, motivations vary. Some breed and train pigeons with pacient and devotion over years, aiming for highlevel competitions such as flight performance or race across the sky, and sometimes commanding high prices in specialized markets, breed shows and auctions. Others, however, keep pigeons purely for companionship, indifferent to prestige or profit. For them, no price is high enough to sell a bird that has become part of their daily life.

Despite the pressures of urban development and changing lifestyles among younger generations, these keepers persist. They care for their birds inside workshops, houses, gardens and on rooftops, crafting small sanctuaries wherever possible. Here, care and control blur into one. The pigeons are companions, symbols of freedom and yet they are also trained, traded, and prized. Their true value lies somewhere in between affection and possession, freedom and control, devotion and responsibility. In this balance, the practice embodies a form of living heritage that resists disappearance.