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Pigeon Towers

Esfahan


For centuries Esfahan relied on pigeons to supply guano as fertiliser for the city’s famous fields of watermelons. The guano was collected in almost 3000 squat, circular pigeon towers, each able to house about 14,000 birds. Today they are unused, made redundant by chemical fertiliser, but more than 700 of the mud-brick towers remain in the city’s environs. The best place to see them is along the Zayandeh River south of the Ateshkadeh-ye Esfahan (Fire Temple).


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby Esfahan attractions

1. Ateshkadeh-ye Esfahan

0.63 MILES

Dating from Sassanian times, the crumbling mud bricks of the Ateshkadeh-ye Esfahan stand on a hill above Zayandeh River on the city's outskirts. There's…

2. Manar Jomban

0.82 MILES

Visitors flock five times a day to this tiny mosque in a courtyard of pines for the sole purpose of watching as the caretaker ascends the minaret and…

3. Nazhvan Cultural & Recreational Resort

2.58 MILES

This huge park on the outskirts of Esfahan encompasses a large complex of attractions that makes a pleasant contrast to Esfahan's intense city experience…

4. Kelisa-ye Vank

4.16 MILES

Built between 1648 and 1655 with the encouragement of the Safavid rulers, Kelisa-ye Vank in the Armenian neighbourhood of Jolfa is the historic focal…

5. Jolfa: The Armenian Quarter

4.2 MILES

The Armenian quarter of Esfahan dates from the time of Shah Abbas I, who transported a colony of Christians from the town of Jolfa (now on Iran’s northern…

6. Jolfa Square

4.25 MILES

At the centre of the Armenian Quarter, a short walk from Vank Cathedral, this delightful square is a good place to sit and watch the world go by. Other…

7. Isfahan Music Museum

4.28 MILES

This beautiful new museum in the Armenian Quarter in Jolfa houses a fine collection of traditional Persian instruments. A labour of love for the private…

8. Si-o-Seh Pol

4.84 MILES

The 298m-long Si-o-Seh Bridge was built by Allahverdi Khan, a favourite general of Shah Abbas I, between 1599 and 1602. It served as both bridge and dam,…