In the mornings, in the “Mardavij” dovecote, you can see thousands of pigeons picking seeds from the ground, flying in the heart of the sky, and going away until the day ends, then they return and rest inside the tower and end the night.
Mardavij dovecote is one of the surviving towers of Hezarjarib town of Isfahan; a tower that is built in the shape of a blooming flower and is shelter to pigeons of the city. In the past, the manure of these pigeons has such a high economic value that selling it to the farmers was a huge source of income. Therefore, dovecotes were very important, and the Mardavij dovecote, built in the Safavid period, kept its value.
Mardavij is a tower with winding stairs. Its height reaches 18 meters, and its floor is 16 sqm. From the top of this dovecote, one can see mount Sofeh, one of the high Zagros Mountains. That is why standing on top of the Mardavij Tower and looking at the Mountain View is spectacular.
As said before, Mardavij pigeon house looks like a blooming flower. Eight circles have been built around this flower-like structure, with a round shaped tower popping up in the middle. The art and style used in its construction makes it enjoyable to watch. If we add the flying and landing of thousands of pigeons around the building to those sights, then the charm of the Mardavij structure will be more visible.
Mardavij dovecote is divided into three stories. It houses about 15,000 pigeons, and 770 holes are built on the top of the tower to facilitate the movement of pigeons. These holes are made so that pigeons can easily pass through them. On the other hand, except for pigeons, other birds, such as owls, crows, and eagles, cannot pass through these holes. This is done for the safety of the pigeons. There is also a white belt on the tower wall that is covered with polished plaster and traps the snakes that want to crawl into the pigeon house, making it impossible to climb them. The upper part of Mardavij Tower is marked with two rows of bricks and has a checkerboard shape, and its holes are more visible than other parts of the tower.
Let us add that the land of Isfahan is alluvial. Alluvial soil is sand and river sediments and contains silt and sand. This soil is very suitable for building dovecote towers. The waste of pigeons strengthens such soil and causes the production of high-quality agricultural products. Mardavij tower has such an advantage.
The door of the dovecote was built in the middle of the tower, and the door was opened only once a year to collect the pigeon manure, take it out, and use it in farming. At other times, the tower door was covered with plaster so that no animal or reptile could enter the tower.
Mardavij dovecote is also a tourist attraction. Therefore, it is registered in the list of national heritage. Tourists can visit this tower from down until 2 pm. After that, the tower should be prepared for the return of the pigeons. Now-a-days factories that produce chemical fertilizers provide the needs of the farmers, but still the door of the tower is opened every once in a while, and the accumulated manure is given out for use on agricultural land. The tower has lost its past utility and is now just a symbol of Iranian architecture and known as a shelter for pigeons.
