The Jeyrakh-Assin historical, architectural and natural museum-reserve is located within the boundaries of the Jeyrakh district of the Republic of Ingushetia on the northern slopes of the foothills of the Central part of the Greater Caucasus Range.
The reserve was established on June 2, 1988. The area of the reserve is slightly more than 627 square kilometers.
The activity of the reserve is aimed at ensuring the preservation, restoration and study of territorial complexes of cultural and natural heritage, material and spiritual values in their traditional historical (cultural and natural) environment.
On the territory of the museum-reserve there are 122 ancient architectural complexes, including more than 2,670 objects of cultural significance, including defensive and residential towers, burial crypts, Christian and pagan sanctuaries and temples. The oldest buildings of the megalithic type belong to the middle of the second millennium BC.
Every year, significant scientific discoveries are made on the territory of the reserve, new objects are identified, archaeological expeditions are constantly working, scientists from all over the world come.
Since 1996, the reserve has been a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Significant value in the reserve is given to work on creating conditions for the development of organized tourism, its educational and service component.
A well has been discovered in the Eban tower complex in the mountains of Ingushetia, which has been hidden from human eyes for an unknown number of years or even centuries.
Eban is a tower complex with one combat tower and 12 dwelling towers. It was destroyed during the punitive expedition of tsarist troops into mountainous Ingushetia in 1830. The ruins of the complex can now be seen at the exit from the village of Jeyrakh, near the bridge over the Armkhi River.
On June 20, the first meeting on the preservation of the republic's cultural heritage was held in Magas, organized by a representative of the Renaissance Charitable Foundation.
The event was attended by: T.U. Kodzoev, head of the Committee for State Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects; A.A. Sampiev, acting director of the Jeyrakh-Assinsk Museum-Reserve; heads of contracting organizations; A.G. Mikhailov, general director of complex architectural and restoration projects of “ ACM GROUP” LLC; public figures and others.
The task of the meeting participants was to discuss the progress of works, exchange professional experience and pass on to each other the valuable knowledge and skills they have acquired in the process of work.
They also discussed the observance of deadlines, checking the compliance of works with the project, control over technology, bringing the territory of the complex into proper sanitary condition and its improvement.
The first meeting was an introductory one, during which the participants were able to get to know each other. They determined who would be involved in the project, in what format and where subsequent meetings would take place. These meetings are scheduled on a weekly basis. A plan of joint work was also developed, which we hope will benefit our republic.
A. Sampiev, acting director of the Jeirakh-Assinsk Museum-Reserve, made an inspection visit to the tower complex “Gvezi”, located in the eastern part of the Guloykhi gorge of the Jeirakh district, border zone, 400 meters southeast of “Kasheti”, on a steep mountain slope.
Only one residential tower of the complex has survived to the height of one floor, the rest of the buildings are in a ruined state. There are five underground collective crypt tombs and a necropolis of stone burials within the village. There are petroglyphs on the residential tower of the complex, on the arched stone of the entrance doorway, in the form of 3 handprints - two large and one small.
The complex is little known, rarely visited and difficult to access. Small medieval tower settlements “Agutyr”, ‘Kasheti’, “Oaseg” are located nearby.
Last summer a cemetery with 13 gravestones and 5 early Muslim graves was discovered between Gvezi and Agutyr settlements.
The staff of the Jeirakh-Assin Museum-Reserve monitored the medieval tower complex Kost.
Kost is a tower settlement on the spur of the Tsey-Loam mountain, south of Kart.
According to the orders of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Republic of Ingushetia, the complex includes 52 identified objects of cultural heritage, including: semi-combat tower - 3, dwelling tower - 13, above-ground crypt - 5, underground crypt - 16, semi-underground crypt - 4, ruins of stone buildings - 9, outbuildings - 2.
The semi-martial towers of the complex have preserved about 80% of the original volume, there are numerous cracks, the roofs have been lost, and the base has been weathered by heavy rains.
The dwelling towers have preserved from 40 to 90% of the construction volume, the roofs have been lost. The walls of some dwelling towers are destroyed to the foundation, others are half-collapsed, and some are preserved to their full height. The reason for the deformation is the destruction of the rocky base.
The crypts have preserved about 70-95% of the construction volume, although some of them are ruinized and in critical condition.
Based on the results of the field work, extensive photographic material of all cultural heritage objects was collected and technical condition reports were drawn up, which will be used in the future when carrying out works on their preservation.
The staff of the museum-reserve monitored the medieval tower complex “Metskhal”.
Metskhal is a large tower castle-type settlement on the spur of Mat-Lam Mountain, 0.7 km northeast of Falkhan. The settlement consisted of 2 separate, but closely interconnected, powerful tower castle complexes of the Tochievs and Kotievs.
At present, during the conducted monitoring on recording and fixation of cultural heritage objects, as well as assessment of their technical condition, the staff recorded 19 dwelling towers, 2 barrier walls, 1 mosque, 2 tomb structures, 2 defensive walls, 1 semi-battle tower, 3 springs, 6 crypts, 40 steles, 4 outbuildings and 7 ruins of stone buildings.
All the objects of the complex are in unsatisfactory condition and require urgent emergency and restoration works. In general, all the structures have deep through cracks, base washout and stone masonry collapse.
As a result of the field work, technical condition certificates were drawn up for all cultural heritage objects of the complex, which will be used in further work.
Timerlan Umarovich Kodzoev and Akhmedkhan Sampiev urged all vacationers to refrain from visiting monuments that pose a threat of collapse.
Today, on August 14, Timerlan Umarovich Kodzoev, head of the Committee for State Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Ingushetia, and Akhmedkhan Sampiev, acting director of the Jeirakh-Assinsk Museum, made an inspection trip to the Tkhaba Erdy temple and the Vovnushki tower complex, where the latter has begun work to strengthen the rock base for restoration work. And in the cult monument works on its strengthening are being carried out for archaeological activities, usually preceding restoration works.
We would like to remind you that both historical monuments are in critical condition and need urgent emergency works to prevent their further destruction.
Taking this opportunity, we urge all vacationers, first of all, for their own safety, to refrain from visiting these monuments, as they are in a state of emergency and pose a threat of collapse!
The Arshaug tower complex is located in the Jayrakh district, 0.3 km west of Tsori, on the crest of a mountain ridge, 40-50 meters high.
The complex consists of one heavily damaged and semi-ruined combat tower and seven residential towers, as well as a stone fence, six tomb structures, two defensive walls, three collective burial vaults, steles, and ruins of stone buildings.
The combat and residential towers were previously connected by a stone defensive wall to form a single castle complex from the late Middle Ages.
The combat tower is rectangular in plan, five stories high, had a flat roof with a crenellated top, has been preserved to its full height, and faces west.
The residential towers are rectangular at the base, once three-story, with flat roofs and high parapets. They have preserved various types of door and window openings, linear recesses for wooden flooring, as well as niches, hiding places, and other structural details.
The hill on which Arshaug is located offers a picturesque view of the Tsori tower complex.
Arshaug is a recognized cultural heritage site of the Republic of Ingushetia, located within the boundaries of the Dzhayrakh-Assinsky Museum-Reserve, and is subject to state protection.
Transfer of artifacts from the Thaba-Erda temple to the T. Malsagov Regional Museum for temporary storage, in connection with preparatory work on the site.
The historical and architectural complex “Pyaling” consists of Lower Pyaling and Upper Pyaling. It got its name from the river in the valley where it is located.
Lower Pyalin is a powerful castle complex on a rocky outcrop on the left bank of the river. It includes a semi-ruined battle tower and seven residential towers with outbuildings, with a defensive wall around the outer perimeter and a complex system of passageways with loopholes inside.
Upper Pyalin is a large historical and architectural complex located, like Lower Pyalin, under the Tsorey-Loam ridge, 1.3 km northeast of Tish-Evli. Four battle towers and 16 semi-ruined residential towers with farm buildings and defensive extensions are relatively well preserved here, united by defensive walls into a powerful castle complex, where each battle tower is in a separate castle complex.
On the mountain slope, there are three semi-ruined collective crypt tombs measuring 2.5 x 3.7 m, dug into the mountain slope. All three crypts are neatly built on lime mortar.
On the northeastern outskirts of Upper Pyalin, on a massive rock, stands a half-ruined sanctuary 1.5 m high. According to legend, this pillar-shaped sanctuary was built on the spot where a man was killed by lightning. And north of Upper Pyalin, there is a cult site dedicated to the pagan deity “Yelta.”
It is a cultural heritage site of regional significance, located within the boundaries of the Dzejrakh-Assinsky Museum-Reserve and subject to state protection.
On September 4, a meeting chaired by Vladimir Gennadievich Osintsev, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, was held in Magas via videoconference.
The meeting was devoted to reviewing the list of cultural heritage sites belonging to the Russian Federation's state treasury, located in the Dzheirakhsky District of the Republic of Ingushetia and in poor condition.
The list was prepared by Rosimushchestvo based on the results of an inventory of federal property as part of the implementation of the list of instructions for the implementation of the Address of the President of the Russian Federation to the Federal Assembly, according to which at least 1,000 cultural heritage sites must be brought into satisfactory condition by 2030.
The meeting was also attended by:
First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Ingushetia Magomed Musaevich Yevloyev, who oversees this area;
Head of the Committee for State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Republic of Ingushetia Tamerlan Kodzoev;
Acting Director of the Dzhayrakh-Assinsky Museum-Reserve, Akhmedkhan Sampiev.
Trial diamond drilling of the rock foundation of the Vovnushki tower complex has begun.
This unique historical monument is in a state of disrepair. Work to reinforce the rocks will help preserve Vovnushki for future generations.
The Barkhane tower complex is located in the south of the Republic of Ingushetia, at the foot of Mount Tsey-Loam in the Dzhayrakh district, at an altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level, north of Egikala.
It consists of two late medieval castle complexes, each of which has a five-story battle tower with a flat roof. In addition, the first (northern) castle has a four-story semi-battle tower and six residential buildings. The second (southern) castle had eight residential towers. The design of both complexes was such that the battle towers could only be accessed from the residential buildings attached to them, and the entire castle was surrounded by a defensive wall. On the northwestern outskirts of the village stands a medium-sized sanctuary.
In the late Middle Ages, the local inhabitants of this settlement specialized in the construction of the most sophisticated and technically complex stone buildings.
It is part of the Jayrakh-Assin State Historical, Architectural, and Natural Museum-Reserve. It is a designated cultural heritage site and is protected by the state.
Lyalakh is a large castle-type tower settlement on a steep mountain slope, 0.3 km northeast of Khani. Today, you can see three damaged battle towers and semi-ruined residential buildings in the late medieval castle complexes.
The buildings are arranged in tiers on the slope. The battle towers, which were key support centers of separate but closely interconnected complex castles, are five stories high and reach a height of 26.00 m. Two of them, oriented with arched doorways to the east and south, respectively, are square in plan and have a pyramidal stepped roof (12 slate slabs topped with a large conical stone). The third battle tower has no roof.
According to local legends, this tower was never inhabited in the past: the architect repeatedly erected a pyramidal roof with the obligatory “blessed” stone at the top, but each time it collapsed. Even the abundant sacrifices brought to the sanctuary of the goddess of fertility, Tusholi, did not help. The priests explained this as a bad omen, and the owner was forced to abandon this battle tower. It remained unfinished, although its walls had already reached a height of 25 meters.
Monitoring of the “Kyazi” tower complex.
The “Kyazi” tower settlement is located on the crest of a mountain ridge at the beginning of the Salgin Gorge, northeast of the “Lyalakh” tower complex.
In terms of their technical condition, all the structures in the complex can be divided into the following groups:
- extremely ruined, with no possibility of restoring their original appearance;
- ruined structures with preserved foundations and the possibility of determining their dimensions and original volumes;
- destroyed and extremely dilapidated buildings, with the possibility of determining the original dimensions and volumes, but without the possibility of reconstructing details;
- partially destroyed buildings with the possibility of complete restoration or conservation.
These are identified cultural heritage sites of the Republic of Ingushetia. They are subject to state protection.
A previously unknown crypt tomb has been discovered on the territory of the Lyalakh complex.
During a routine inspection of the Lyalakh complex, a large castle-type tower complex, employees of the museum-reserve discovered a previously unknown above-ground crypt tomb in a ruined state.
The tomb is located on a mountainside, southwest of the towers, in a forest. As is well known, crypt tombs were built on the outskirts of settlements, on mountain slopes.
The crypt is completely destroyed, with only the southwestern and southeastern corners remaining at a height of 0.7 and 0.8 meters. The object is rectangular in plan, measuring 2.70 x 4.60 meters at the base, and is made of hewn white stone.
Further research is needed to determine the date of the structure, establish the presence or absence of bone material, and reconstruct the structural features of the building.
It should be noted that earlier, in November last year, underground collective tombs were also discovered on the territory of the complex.
Employees of the museum-reserve held a community work day on the territory of the ancient complex “Egikal” and along the bed of the river “Agi-hi.”
About twenty bags of trash were collected and removed.
The Magotinsky temple-sanctuary “Mago-Erdy” is located half a kilometer from the tower complex “Magote,” on the edge of a huge cliff, and is named after the legendary Ingush sage Mago, who, according to legend, built it. Nearby is the smaller and now semi-ruined sanctuary “Seska Sols-Erda.”
According to legend, Mago was from the Salgiev clan and had his own slaves. Mago also had a strong army. Leaving his tower, Mago would sit in his stone chair, which is still there today.
Mago had one son, who eventually had four sons: Zovra, Giy, Tsikkam, and Chinha.
The Dzaur family descended from Zovr, while the Tumgoev family descended from Giy. The Ozdoyev family traces its origins back to Tsikam. Chinkha fled to Chechnya out of fear of his brothers for some misdeed he had committed, and the Chinkhoev family descended from him.
Mago was known throughout the Caucasus as a scholar, saint, healer, and preacher.
His life and social activities have been little studied, except for the legends and traditions described in some publications. Oral traditions say that relics and an ancient book of secret knowledge were kept inside the temple, which, after the Ingush converted to Islam, were taken to neighboring provinces - Georgia, Armenia, and Ossetia.
The ancient sacred book was called “Mag1oy Zhey,” meaning the book of Mago. According to another version, the book was transferred to the Terek Museum, from where it disappeared during the Civil War.
The Mago-Erdy sanctuary is one of the largest religious monuments built in ancient times.
It is located within the boundaries of the Dzejrakh-Assinsky Museum-Reserve, is included in the list of identified cultural heritage sites of the Republic of Ingushetia, and is subject to state protection.
On September 24, the head of the Committee for State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites, T. Kodzoev, together with representatives of the public council and acting director of the museum-reserve A. Sampiev, made an inspection trip to the Tkhaba-Yerdy temple and the Vovnushki tower complex, where reinforcement and preparatory work is underway before the start of restoration and repair work.
It should be noted that both historical monuments are in critical condition and require urgent emergency work to prevent their further destruction.
The inspection trip was carried out as part of a plan to supervise and control the restoration, conservation, and emergency repair work being done to preserve historical and architectural objects on the museum-reserve's territory. Its goal is to prevent possible violations and, if any are found, to inform higher authorities in a timely manner.
