Regarding recent public inquiries regarding ongoing and planned work at the Thaba Yerdy Temple.
The Thaba Yerdy Temple in mountainous Ingushetia is a unique cultural heritage site of federal significance, with a centuries-old history. The first European mentions of the temple date back to the late 18th century – even then, scholars and geographers understood the temple's significance, both historically and architecturally.
By the mid-20th century, the Thaba Yerdy Temple was seriously damaged – the roof structure was completely missing, and many sections of the stone walls and structures had collapsed. Restoration and renovation work carried out in the 1970s with the participation of Georgian specialists undoubtedly helped preserve the church, but the quality of the work still raises serious questions. The stonework was restored using cement mortar, many unique carved stone details are no longer in their original locations after the restoration, facade details were "inserted" into the church's interior, and many fragments were never relocated and remained outside (they are currently housed in a museum). Three years ago, during the collapse of part of the northern wall, the obvious use of cement mortar was observed, which led to the collapse of most of the structure.
In 2019, the Russian Ministry of Culture drew attention to the unique church, after which the Moscow-based company "TsNRPM" conducted scientific research and prepared a restoration project, which was later approved by the Scientific and Methodological Council of the Russian Ministry of Culture. Unfortunately, restoration work has never begun.
In 2023, Mikail Safarbekovich Gutseriev's SAFMAR Charitable Foundation decided to participate in the restoration of Tkhaba Yerdy. The updated research and design documentation were developed by the licensed company ACM Group from St. Petersburg. The project received all necessary approvals, including a positive conclusion from the State Historical and Cultural Expertise Committee, signed by certified experts from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and approval from the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites of Ingushetia. One of ACM Group's calls was for new archaeological research, both on the temple itself and in the surrounding area. The SAFMAR Foundation organized and conducted the large-scale archaeological research, led by archaeologists from Ingush, Moscow, and Kuban.
In 2024, archaeological excavations involving trenching around the temple defined the boundaries of the "Thaba Yerdy" site, uncovered traces of an ancient settlement, and discovered a unique silver zuzun—an 8th-century coin that is the prototype of the Iranian drachma. This discovery confirmed the belief of many that the site of "Thaba Yerdy" has a centuries-old history and may date back to at least the 8th century.
Large-scale archaeological research conducted in 2025 included a study of the structures not only outside the temple but also inside. The archaeologists' discoveries are unique: the remains of historic stone floors, the bases of stone benches that once stood inside the temple near the western wall, and fragments of the original 8th-century foundations and walls were discovered. And crucially, a partial but extensive lack of foundations under the southern wall of Tkhaba Yerdy was discovered, which will significantly impact future restoration work. The wooden structures erected around and inside the temple are temporary and intended only to support the walls and vaults during archaeological and restoration work. The use of temporary structures in the form of wooden buttresses is common practice for ensuring the support of load-bearing structures; such structures can be seen at many restoration sites across the country, with the stone fortress of Koporye in the Leningrad Region being one of the most recent examples.
