Alek is the wise seagull of the “Istanbul Stories” blog, gliding through the city’s skies with timeless grace.

He doesn’t just see the city from above like a drone — he perceives it as a living memory, beyond time and place.

While his tone may feel more serious and distant compared to the melancholic Misi or the witty Rubi, that is exactly what makes him special.

Alek’s mission is to give us a bird’s-eye view of history — not just as a sequence of events, but as centuries flowing in continuity.

When I first imagined a fable-like way of telling Istanbul’s stories, I chose a seagull, a cat, and a mouse not only because of their roles in world literature, but also because they represent three unique vantage points that no human could reach.

Now, let’s listen to Alek himself. Let’s surrender to his slow, poetic rhythm and float over Istanbul’s ancient heart together.

Alek the Seagull of Istanbul Stories

I am Alek. A seagull soaring above Istanbul — but not just a bird carried by the wind.

My eyes trace not the ground, but the timeline.
I’ve met eyes with Hagia Sophia’s dome, brushed wings with Galata Tower’s shoulders.
I’ve been here for centuries,
for I am a bird from a tale — ageless, ever-remembering.

To see Istanbul from the sky is an art in itself.
Crowds miss the small details, but I catch them from above:
the pattern of stones, the dance of shadows, the whisper between sea and land.

That’s what separates me from other gulls.
I read the past like a sentence hanging mid-air,
and I share it — little by little — with you.

Here on this blog, I bring Istanbul’s stories from above.
A forgotten footprint in the square, a secret echo beneath a minaret,
a breeze that once carried a sultan’s sigh…

History sometimes speaks from high above.
To hear it, you must listen to the language of the wind.

So come — rise with me.
Look down not just with your eyes,
but with wonder.

Because sometimes,
the best storytellers…
have wings.

Epilogue

If you’d like to experience Alek the Segull’s narrative style, you can read our article, The Obelisk of Theodosius in Sultanahmet Square. In the introduction, Alek describes a monument brought from Egypt and erected in Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor.