In the middle of the XVIII century, the Georgian historian Vakhushti Bagrationi, visiting hard-to-reach mountainous areas, noted that the Ingush “know how to build from stone on lime and build houses, towers and fortifications from them.” The works of the Georgian historiographer mark the formation of scientific Caucasian studies.
In the XVIII-early-XIX centuries. there are works of a research nature. Ethnographic studies that appeared during this period are closely related to the study of stone architecture monuments of the Ingush and other peoples of the Caucasus.
In the late XIX - early XX centuries an important contribution to the study of monuments of mountain Ingushetia was made by a scientist - V.F. Miller.
At the beginning of the XX century the Soviet stage of studying monuments of mountain Ingushetia began and this period was represented by the works of A.F. Goldstein, L.P. Semenov, I.P. Shcheblykin, E.I. Krupnov, V.P. Kobychev, A.I. Robakidze, M.M. Basorkin, etc. In the works of Caucasian scientists, the culture of building towers and religious buildings of mountain Ingushetia was appreciated.
In 1925-1932 , archaeological and ethnographic expeditions in the mountains of Ingushetia were conducted by scientist L.P. Semenov. In his reports he wrote: "In the Ingush monuments reflected the change of three religions, successively replacing one another: pagan (the oldest), Christian (which began to penetrate the XII century), Muslim (which penetrated in the XVII century).
A significant role in the study of monuments of archaeology of mountain Ingushetia was played by E. I. Krupnov under the leadership of whom the archaeological expeditions of the State Historical Museum (GIM) were carried out in Ingushetia. His first scientific works on ancient and medieval Ingushetia were published in GIM. Thanks to him, significant groups of monuments of material culture were investigated. These monuments were covered in his monograph “History of Ingushetia from Ancient Times to XVIII Century” and “Ancient History of the North Caucasus”.
A general description of military and residential towers, castle structures, temples, crypts and sanctuaries is given by the artist-ethnographer I.P. Shcheblykin, who participated in expeditions to mountain Ingushetia together with L.P. Semenov.
At the present stage of study, in parallel with the studies of M. Muzhukhoev, D.Y. Chakhkiev, the works of scientists appeared - R. Munchayev, V.I. Markovin, V.B. Vinogradov, V.H. Tmenov, I.M. Miziev and many others.
Among these studies, it is worth noting the monograph by V.I. Markovin, which describes the traditional architecture of Ingushetia and other regions of the North Caucasus.
The works of A.F. Goldstein are important for the comparative analysis of tower structures of the North Caucasus. In his work Medieval Architecture of Chechen-Ingushetia and North Ossetia, he came to the conclusion that the architecture of Ingush, Chechens and Ossetians has much more in common than different.
For the study and comparison of materials relating to the monuments of mountain Ingushetia had numerous works of the scientist archaeologist M. B. Muzhukhoev. Cyclopean structures of mountain Ingushetia, dating of a number of settlements in the mountains, rooted in the III thousand BC, and much more have important scientific significance. M. B. Musukhoev identified and studied the early Muslim burial monuments of the region, located near or on the outskirts of villages, individual tombstones located outside cemeteries.
The study of the monuments of mountain Ingushetia gives us a certain idea of the economic, social, political and spiritual differentiation of society.
