When we look at structures like dovecotes and get acquainted with their mechanism, the first thought that comes to us is that our ancestors attached great importance to protecting the environment and life around them. At the same time, they did not forget to help beneficial animals. The reason is that the structures that were built in the [past centuries did not do the slightest harm to the environment. Those structures would serve both purposes of helping human in their lives and also had some benefit for birds and animals. The Mobarakeh dovecots were such a place: serving agricultural purposes and at the same time acting as nests for pigeons.
Mobarakeh is a city 45 kilometers southwest of Isfahan. This city and its surroundings are full of historical and tourist attractions. Especially its dovecote towers should be mentioned. There are nearly 20 of these structures, having 10 towers or 18 towers each. These structures should be considered as rare masterpieces of Iranian architectural art. Another dovecot in Mobarakeh district is the old Keynoo village (now called Ghahnaviyeh). Two centuries have passed since the construction of this tower, and it has a beautiful view. Keynoo is now one of the suburbs of Mobarakeh, having a long and distant history hidden in its heart. Most of the Mobarakeh dovecots remain from the Qajar period. There special characteristic is their having multiple towers. From this point of view they are unique throughout Iran. But there is one example of such dovecots in the village of Kelisan, part of Pirbakran, in Falavarj district (Isfahan province), which has 36 towers and is more popular than the multiple tower dovecots of Mobarakeh. This dovecot is also famous as “Chehel borj Kelisan” (meaning 40 towers) and has a history of maybe 450 years. This wonderful dovecot should be described separately.
Mobarakeh dovecotes, like many other structures of this kind, are built as a cylinder with latticed mud brick windows. Thousands of nests for pigeons can be seen inside them. The material used are adobe, clay and bricks; all taken from the environment and without the least harm to nature. The architects who created such structures had subtlety and deep understanding of nature and its secrets and did not build anything that would cause damage and destruction to the human ecosystem, unfortunately this is not the case in today’s world.
As said before, dovecots were useful in agriculture. Although this aspect of its function has lost importance, their beautiful and eye-catching architecture can be revived and used for the flourishment of tourism industry. Also, dovecots tell us about the culture of the people of this land in the past centuries, and therefore worthy of maintenance, research and study. Historical dovecotes are as essential and valuable as old structures such as caravanserais, kariz, reservoirs, and other examples.
Fortunately, the dovecotes of Mobarakeh city have been registered nationally, and by reviving them in 2017 and 2018, efforts have been made or promised to register them globally (ISNA news agency report, 2022). The world registration of Mobarkeh multiple dovecote structures, which are rare, makes the world more familiar with another corner of Iran’s architecture.
There are many dovecotes in Isfahan province, 89 of which have been registered nationally. These dovecotes are either made in the shape of a cube or circular. In the northeastern and southern parts of Isfahan, the dovecotes are circular, and in the cities of Khwansar and Golpayegan, they are cube-shaped. Most dovecotes in Isfahan are built in Mobarakeh, Falavarjan, Shahreza, Khansar, and Golpayegan cities.
