Jeyrakh-Assin Reserve
Jeyrakh-Assin Reserve

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 little higher than where the Armkhi River flows into the Terek, at the intersection of the Daryal and Jeyrakhov gorges, at the end of the last century a graceful 5-story watchtower with a rectangular base, flat roof and high parapet stood on a rock. It reached a height of 23.00 meters. Here armed warriors of the surrounding tower settlements alternately performed guard duty, controlling the vital trade and transportation highway. And as soon as enemies appeared in the Daryal Gorge, the guards would light a fire on the tower, and the rising smoke would let people know about the approaching danger. Now only separate stone blocks of the base of the tower have been preserved.

The substantial folklore and ethnographic information about it was collected by N.F. Ustvolskaya, and later by I.A. Dakhkilgov and D.Y. Chakhkiev.

And here is what is written about this tower in Ingush legend.

Not far from this watchtower, where Ezminskoye Lake is now, there was a strong fortress where many people lived. There was also a large army in that fortress.

Once an untold army of steppe warriors appeared in the gorge. The watchtower was alerted to the approaching danger. The men of authority decided that the people of the fortress must either defeat the enemy or perish. And they also decided: “If it happens that all our warriors die and the enemy wins, women should throw themselves and their children into the abyss, and girls should marry into the fire.

- And what should we who have lost our strength do? - asked the decrepit old men.

- You must pass around a bowl of poison,” they were told, ”drink it while making toasts.

The battle began. The fighters didn't know day or night. The children burned large pine beams at night so that they could see their enemies better. The battle was so bloody that the bodies of the enemies flooded the Terek and it went out of its banks. None of the defenders of the fortress survived.

All women and children threw themselves into the abyss and perished at its bottom. The old men sat in a circle and drank a bowl of poison. The girls made a big fire, chose Myalha Azu and started throwing themselves into the fire. Jumping into the fire the girls said that they were marrying him.

The remaining enemies destroyed all their towers to the ground. Of the inhabitants, no one was left alive.

(N.D. Kodzoev, R.H. Buzurtanov. Tales of the Caucasus).

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