Three stories told over a cup of çay
The municipality's cat
A black-and-white cat named Mırmır lives in the office of Alanya's mayor. By unconfirmed accounts, she attends every urban-planning session, and once lay down on the plans for a 14-storey tower in Mahmutlar. A week later the height of the project was cut to 9 floors. Coincidence or not — no one knows.
How a vineyard was sold for a çay
In 1996 a German named Hans walked into a coffee house by the Süleymaniye Mosque, ordered a glass of tea and struck up a conversation with an elderly Turk. Two hours later Hans left the owner of a small vineyard in Kargıcak — having paid for the deal in cash right there on the table. Thirty years on, a 120-apartment complex stands on that plot.
The call to the police
In August 2024 a tourist called the Kestel police to report that his "sea had been stolen." The duty officer spent 20 minutes trying to get the details. It turned out the tourist had rented an apartment described as having a "sea view," and instead of the sea he saw a new residential complex. The complaint was passed to the municipality as a case of false advertising.
— From the collection of stories told over a cup of çay in the coffee house by the Red Tower.