Guardians of Istanbul’s Streets

While walking the ancient streets of Istanbul city, the first thing that catches your eye are the city's unofficial inhabitants: dogs. You can see them lying asleep on the edge of the market square, or by the stone wall of an ancient mosque. You might even see them taking a nap in the middle of the sidewalk. The thing is they are so calm and confident here, nobody seems to bother them. What a great scenery to capture the spirit of this place!

As an animal lover, it's heartwarming to see such a tremendous level of understanding and acceptance of street dogs in this city. Look at the photos, and you will see that many of these pets have identification tags on their ears. It means that the municipality cares for them and vaccinates them. Some of them are even microchipped to keep track of their health condition. This way, local authorities can ensure that animals living on the streets are looked after and have access to food and shelter.

Now, please allow me to say a few words about the bright example of Turkish culture. In many Islamic countries, it's uncultured and even forbidden to feed street animals or show affection to them. But Turkish people proved that the theory is wrong. You can see the locals' attitude to street dogs in this photo series. Some of them bring warm water and food to the pets, and some give them chips or even blankets to lie on. It's always heartwarming to see people of different faiths coming together to help those in need. Here, we witness compassion and charity in the purest form.

I took these photos to share this example of kindness with the world. I hope you enjoyed looking through this gallery and saw the miracle of faith and charity. After all, animals are a part of God's creation, and we should treat them with care and respect. Isn't it nice to see how confident these pets are in the ancient city square?

What do you think about the Turkish example of caring for animals? Does it inspire you to be more compassionate towards pets in your country? Let me know in the comments!

Love U all ❤️
Morteza Yousefi