<P> The sport of flying homing pigeons was well - established as early as 3000 years ago . They were used to proclaim the winner of the Olympics . Messenger pigeons were used as early as 1150 in Baghdad and also later by Genghis Khan . By 1167 a regular service between Baghdad and Syria had been established by Sultan Nour - Eddin . In Damietta , by the mouth of the Nile , the Spanish traveller Pedro Tafur saw carrier pigeons for the first time , in 1436 , though he imagined that the birds made round trips , out and back . The Republic of Genoa equipped their system of watch towers in the Mediterranean Sea with pigeon posts . Tipu Sultan used homing pigeons . They returned to the Jamia Masjid mosque in Srirangapatna , which was his headquarters . The pigeon holes may be seen in the mosque 's minarets to this day . </P>
<P> The sport of flying homing pigeons was well - established as early as 3000 years ago . They were used to proclaim the winner of the Olympics . Messenger pigeons were used as early as 1150 in Baghdad and also later by Genghis Khan . By 1167 a regular service between Baghdad and Syria had been established by Sultan Nour - Eddin . In Damietta , by the mouth of the Nile , the Spanish traveller Pedro Tafur saw carrier pigeons for the first time , in 1436 , though he imagined that the birds made round trips , out and back . The Republic of Genoa equipped their system of watch towers in the Mediterranean Sea with pigeon posts . Tipu Sultan used homing pigeons . They returned to the Jamia Masjid mosque in Srirangapatna , which was his headquarters . The pigeon holes may be seen in the mosque 's minarets to this day . </P>
when were pigeons first used to carry messages
when were pigeons first used to carry messages
3000 years ago
3000 years ago