Carved Dove-cotes of Cappadocia

Facades embellished in accordance with the tradition

The facades of the dove-cotes were gnerally embellished in accordance with the tradition of the time and in harmony with the social life; the dyes used were extracted from trees, flowers, wild grass and soil with ferrous oxide. In addition to this, the red dye, widely used in decorating dove-cotes, was extracted from a kind of soil/mud known as “Yosa” in the region.

According to locals, the white paint is made by mixing plaster and white of an egg, therefore, animals; such as martens and foxes, find it difficult to climb up to dove-cotes to get pigeons and eggs. However, with most of the dove-cotes on the west side of the Uchisar castle, a simpler method, trinplate or zinc plates were used.

In the motifs with dove-cotes decorated with multicolors, feelings, thoughts and creativity of the local artists are hidden. A research done with more than one hundred motifs shows that Cappadocian artists, lived in the 18th and 19th centuries, preferred motifs that are simpe but also mystical. The motif of whell of fortune, that can be seen on both sides of almost all the dove-cotes found in the valleys of Goreme, Cavusin and Zelve, is one of the oldest Anatolian motifs. Although in the past it was th esymbol of four gods of wind, it now symbolizes the world going round, the destiny changing and the circle of fate and love. The motifs of tree of life with a bird and a pomegranate are as widely used as the motifs of wheell of fortune. The tree of life, originating from Shaman beliefs, symbolize the way to the other (spiritual) world and the birds on it are the craetures guarding the tree and one’s company during the journey. Pomegranate, symbolizing heaven, abundance and fertitiy, has been regarded as a holy fruit through the history. It also indicates that a marriage will last long, family will become rich and have many children who will have long lives. The motifs mentioned above, inscriptions written in Old Turkish are also found at the dove cove. Those inscriptions generally bare the date when the dove cove was built, words of “Masallah” and “Allah” and though very seldom the name and the occupation of the owner.

In the region of Cappadocia, the dove-cotes are mainly found in the valleys near Uchisar, Kiliclar and Gulludere valleys of Goreme, in the Uzengi valley of Urgup, in Balkanderesi and the valley of Kizilcukur of Ortahisar, and in the valley of Cat near Nevsehir end in the Soganli Valley in the province of Kayseri.