Cappadocia's Dovecotes: Stone Birdhouses

#hellohalloween

If you walk through the Cappadocian valleys between Göreme and Uçhisar, you'll notice dozens of rocks with tiny square holes. These are dovecotes, carved into the soft tuff hundreds of years ago.

They used to be home to thousands of pigeons. Their droppings were used as fertilizer for vineyards, and their eggs and feathers were used for lime paint for churches.
The holes were made not only on the facades but also inside the caves, where an even temperature was maintained and the birds were safe.

Not all the dovecotes are inhabited today. Some have collapsed, others have crumbled. But some are still inhabited by pigeons—they return in the evening, circle over the valley, and settle on their old nests.

📍 Where to see:
— Pigeon Valley between Göreme and Uçhisar—the most famous dovecotes. — At the foot of Uchisar Fortress, there are several still inhabited ones.
— In the Çavuşin and Ortahisar valleys, there are old but well-preserved ones.

🕐 When to go: Early in the morning, when the sky comes alive—pigeons fly out of the caves in flocks, and a soft hum rises above the cliffs.

Post by Liseykina | Oct 19, 2025