  Let G/K be an irreducible Riemannian symmetric space of the non-compact type
and denote by \Xi the associated crown domain. We show that for any proper
action of a cyclic group \Gamma the quotient \Xi/\Gamma is Stein. An analogous
statement holds true for discrete nilpotent subgroups of a maximal
split-solvable subgroup of G. We also show that \Xi is taut.
