Dovecotes. All over the region pigeonries have been carved into the rock surfaces of the slopes of most valleys, or were constructed used cut stone. Another type of pigeonry was made by closing entrances and windows of previously constructed monasteries and churches. The external surfaces of pigeonries were decorated by local artists of the 18th and 19th centuries and provide fine examples of Islamic painting. Motifs such as a wheel of fortune, tree of life and the pomegranate are most common. The date of painting and the words Maşallah and Allah were often added, in Ottoman script. Rarer examples include the name and profession of the owner. Some hundred different motifs are known so far.