Carved Dove-cotes of Cappadocia

Cappadocian Dovecotes

While hollowing dove-cotes, small niches or recesses were carved into 4 or 5 rows for pigeons to land on, on the three walls of a 5-10 m² room and when needed wooden perches were also put across the room. This can easily be observed with some of the dovecotes the facades of which are collapsed. Since dove-cotes were hollowed out high up into the cliffs, access can be gained either through a hollowed out tunnel or by a ladder.

Another type of dovecotes is the ones that were orginally hollowed out as churches or monasteries and by closing up the entrances and the windows they were changed into dove-cotes. Some of the best examples for this type are the Cavusin (Nicephorus Phocas) Church near Cavusin, the Kiliclar Ksulku Church (of Mother Mary) in Goreme and some churches in the valley of Karsibucak. We owe the well preserved frescoes of churches used as dove-cotes to pigeons, because in this way frescoes were not exposed to tdhe sun light and were protected from people, since farmers go into the dove-cotes only once a year and leave the place rebulding the wall.