The city of Amman, Jordan is home to a large number of pigeon fanciers whose leisure time and social life is completely dedicated to the pursuit of their hobby. Known as "kashasheen" or pigeon trainers, these fanciers maintain roof top lofts throughout the city and participate in a highly structured and organized daily contest to see whose birds can fly the longest and furthest and then return home each night.

During the flying season, from fall to late spring, at 3:30 pm sharp each day the birds are all released and thousands of them circle above the city until sunset, constantly under the watchful eye of their owner and neighbouring fanciers. The pigeons are trained to fly off, hover and return home according to sounds from their owner's whistle. The kashasheen have a system of bilateral agreements based on the individual rapport between any two fanciers. Depending on the agreement, birds which are lured to another fancier's loft may be promptly returned, sold back for a negotiated fee or kept by the new owner. The training and flying of pigeons in Amman dates back to the 1940s when Syrian immigrants brought their hobby with them. Most pigeons still come from Damascus although some are now being imported from Turkey.

Like any organized activity there are those who try to cheat the system and Wahib Abdelaziz Mahdi, who has operated a pigeon store in Jordan since 1950, says there is an increasing number of coop robbing by troublemakers who are not well tolerated. After sundown the fanciers all descend from the rooftops and meet at establishments called pigeon cafes to sip coffee, discuss the days flying and debate the merits of various pigeon breeds. In the largest pigeon cafe opened two years ago, hundreds of men lounge around discussing pigeons surrounded by five stories of pigeon cages with more than 160 varieties of pigeons for sale.

Despite living in a sometimes troubled part of the world the kashasheen are able to enjoy a competitive sport and a socially interactive lifestyle through their unique hobby.

Minutes of the meeting of the Vancouver Poultry & Fancy Pigeon Association held Sunday, April 29th, 2007, at the residence of Keith Aldridge in Victoria. President Ernie Silveri called the meeting to order at 1:00 pm. There were 10 members present.

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