The Pigeon Towers of Isfahan Province

 

For centuries the farmers of Isfahan Province in Iran relied on pigeon guano to fertilize their famous melon crops. The towers provided nesting for the pigeons, and their droppings were collected in 3000 squat, circular pigeon towers, each able to house about 14,000 birds. 

Today the pigeon towers are no longer used, but many can be seen along the Zayandeh River south of the Ateshkadeh-ye Esfahan (Fire Temple of Isfahan). Today only around 700 of the pigeon towers remain in the Province.

Read more here: Pigeon Towers of Iran - Everything about Iranian Dovecotes; The Brilliant Qanats of Iran; Ice Houses in the Persian Desert; The Wind Towers of Persia