The Guarding Birds of the FountainsDove-cotes, hollowed out into the upper parts of almost all the valleys and fairy chimneys, generally face east or south sides of the valleys. Since doves are in need of water to digest the grains they have already stocked in their craws, they are also named “the guarding birds of the fountains”. For this reason dove-cotes were hollowed out near the water sources. Although most of the dove-cotes in the region of Cappodocia date back to the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, there are few examples dating to the 18th century. These small buildings do not attract our attention much but are important in terms of showing us Islamic painting art which is rarely fonud in Cappadocia region.
The reason behind hollowing out dowe-cotes was not to catch and eat pigeons but to use their excrement as fertilizer. The local farmers used pigeon droppings as fertilizers for generations, and for this reason, a great number of dove-cotes were hollowed out. |
