The Wider Image: Beauty, money and feathers
As night-time approaches in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey, most of the alleyways of the city's old bazaar are emptying out of buyers and vendors, except for one. The bustle of daytime trading has died down, but on this little street, a stream of men carry cardboard boxes filled with pigeons to a cluster of three teahouses. Here, they sell the birds at Sanliurfa's famed auctions to a dedicated band of pigeon keepers and breeders, a pastime that has been thriving for hundreds of years across the region and over the nearby border into war-torn Syria. In a country where the minimum wage is about 1,400 Liras ($367) a month, enthusiasts regularly easily spend hundreds of dollars for one bird. "I once sold a pair of pigeons forÊ35,000 Turkish Lira," says auctioneer Imam Dildas. "This is a passion, a hobby you cannot quit. I've been known to sell the fridge and my wife's gold bracelets to pay for pigeons." REUTERS/Umit Bektas SEARCH "PIGEONS AUCTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
