Ottoman masters didn't randomly choose where to place these *sparrow palaces*on a building. To keep the birds from freezing in the winter,they carefully calculated their locations, looking for sheltered spots that blocked the north wind and got plenty of sun -- usually on south-facing facades. They also made sure to put them high enough so cats and dogs couldn't reach them.
This was important work.There were charitable foundations that set aside money for birdseed so the birds wouldn't go hungry. People believed that caring for birds was a good deed and destroying their nests was a sin, and that this kind of charity would keep earning a person spiritual rewards even after death.