Qush Khaneh is a name I can read but not fully explain. In the Turkic language of this region, which is widely spoken in Zanjan province, qush means bird, and khaneh is the Persian word for house, so it sounds like a bird house, which might point to a falconry building, a pigeon tower or a pavilion for keeping hunting birds. Mongol rulers loved falconry, and hunting parks and hawks were an important part of court life, so a structure of that kind near the Ilkhanid capital would not be surprising.
The plain around Soltaniyeh is a natural stage for birds. Larks and wheatears nest in the fields, and in spring, rollers and bee-eaters flash blue and green along the wires. Raptors hunt over the stubble, with kestrels hovering and the occasional eagle on a distant mound. In autumn flocks of migrating cranes and storks pass through, tracing a route between the Caspian and the interior. If you bring binoculars, you can spend an hour watching without leaving the track.
Pigeon towers, which are large, round, domed buildings full of nesting holes, were common in central Iran, built to collect droppings for fertiliser, especially for melon fields. The one at Meybod near Yazd is famous. In the Zanjan area, such towers are less common, but the principle of using birds in daily life is the same. A falcon on a gloved hand was a status symbol, and the feathers and skills of the royal falconers were an item of diplomacy between courts.
The ride around here is quiet. The roads off the highway are narrow, with farm vehicles and herds, and the surface can crumble at the edges, so slow down at bends. The wind often blows hard across the plain, and gusts can be strong on open stretches. The main highway has fuel stations, and the larger towns of Abhar and Zanjan, each about thirty-five to forty kilometres away, have everything else. Take a flask of tea, a hat and good sunglasses, because the light on the plateau is hard and white, and the dome shimmers in the heat.