The famous Pigeon Towers in Katara Cultural village will be destructed on February 16 and rebuilt following new engineering standards.
According to the General Manager of Katara Cultural Village, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, “The Pigeon Towers will be demolished at dawn on Wednesday February 16, to renovate as per higher engineering standards.”
The five well-known towers at the heart of Katara Cultural village represent iconic Arabic architecture that showcases part of the Qatari-Arabic heritage. The Pigeon Towers are very popular among tourists and one of the main photographed structures in Qatar.
Three of the Pigeon Towers are constructed around Katara Mosque, while the other two are located next to the beach on the eastern side of Katara. It is still unclear if all five towers will be rebuilt.
انهيار برج الحمام في كتارا . لاحول ولاقوه الا بالله pic.twitter.com/EwQfXQMsDj
— #الاسكوبلي زكريت (@naaiiif_qtr84) December 17, 2019
In December 2019, parts of the pigeon towers collapsed due to rain and bad weather conditions. Katara announced then that it caused minor material damage but there were no injuries.
The significance of the pigeons in the Arabic heritage is important as they were used to deliver messages. Raising pigeons is still a widely known hobby for many Qataris and citizens in the Gulf region.
The Pigeon Towers are made from mud to provide shade for pigeons. These towers can house up to 14,000 pigeons, and they contain holes with small entrances to protect pigeons from predacious birds such as owls, hawks, and crows.
The wall pattern has short projecting perches made from dried clay with slightly slanted walls inside to allow pigeon dung to fall into the tower’s floor directly.
