The Khoy architectural complex is located in the village of Khoy (Cheberloy, Chechen historical region), Vedeno District, Chechen Republic, 40 km southwest of the district center Vedeno, in the vicinity of Lake Kazenoy Am. It dates from the 12th-19th centuries.
The complex stands on the very border with Dagestan. Even today in its ruined state it resembles an impregnable fortress. It consists of a combat tower, 17 residential towers, 3 stone underground buildings and a mosque. The combat tower was four-storied with a flat roof, up to 16.0 meters high. It was built on a rocky base. Its architectural methods and techniques differed from those of classical Vainakh towers. First of all, it was lower and more squat. There are petroglyphs on the tower: a U-shaped sign and a circle. There are residential towers with preservation of the first and second floors. They are built of roughly worked stones. The masonry is dry on the outside, while clay mortar is visible on the inside. The stones are carefully fitted together. There are petroglyphs on the walls. The combat and dwelling towers were built in a technique peculiar to the eastern regions of Chechnya, indicating the local origin of their builders. The mosque is located on the eastern edge of the complex. It is rectangular in plan. It was probably rebuilt from dwelling towers and oriented its walls to the sides of the world. It is built of worked stones on clay mortar. In the left wing of the southern facade there is a semi-conical mihrab (a niche of the mosque pointing in the direction of Mecca).
Khoy medieval buildings (towers and underground stone structures) are examples of Chechen medieval residential architecture. Their walls bear a huge number of petroglyphs of various kinds: crosses, spirals, palms and triquestras, which are of interest to researchers of medieval Chechen pagan cults.
The Khoy architectural complex is a cultural heritage site located in the Argun Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve. It is protected by the state.
