Turkish Cats

Turkey is a secular republic, but Islam is the largest religion in the state. Since Cats are highly respected and cherished in the Muslim world, cats are like neighbors throughout the country. It is documented that one day when Prophet Muhammad listened to the call to prayers, his cat Muezza was asleep on one of the sleeves of his robes. In order not to disturb Muezza, Muhammad cut off the sleeve to leave Muezza in peace.The story best illustrates how cats are loved by the Muslims. According to Allah's Messenger, hurting a cat is a sin: "A woman was tormented because of a cat which she had confined until it died and she had to get into Hell. She did not allow it either to eat or drink as it was confined, nor did she free it so that it might eat the insects of the earth." This album records the cats that I captured in Istanbul, Ephesus, Göreme and Van. The most interesting ones are the Van cats. They are odd-eyed cats, some of them have one blue eye and another yellow amazingly due to gene disorder. They have lived in the Lake Van Region for centuries. They are believed to be brought by soldiers returning from the Crusades in the 10th century. The Van can be visited in The House of Van Cats, located in the suburb of Van in the Eastern Turkey.