Pigeon towers of Isfahan
Palomares de guano de Isfahán (kabutar khaneh)
- Date
- s. XVII · confidence medium
- Place
- Isfahan, Iran
- Credited to
- Safavid farmers
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Large mud-brick towers with thousands of nesting holes designed to attract wild pigeons and collect their guano, a nitrogen-rich fertiliser for melons and orchards. Chardin counted around 3,000 around Isfahan.
Pigeon towers existed in Iran before this, but the large specialised kabutar khaneh are documented in the Safavid period.
What it led to
- intensive irrigated agriculture on the plateau
- organic fertiliser on a regional scale
- a source of saltpetre for gunpowder