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.

In the Ingush State Museum of Local History named after Tugan Malsagov, a solemn ceremony was held to transfer more than 200 archaeological objects of great scientific interest to the representatives of the Institute of Archaeology of the Caucasus.

Archaeological excavations, presented in the form of household items, ceramics, tools, jewelry, were discovered in 2018 during the reconstruction of the federal highway “Caucasus” in the Gamurzievsky administrative district and were stored in the Institute of Archaeology of the Caucasus for almost six years and during this time were studied in detail.

Scientists attribute these findings to the Koban archaeological culture of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages.

Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Caucasus Biyaslan Atabiyev notes that the significance of these finds goes far beyond the Caucasus: “Ceramic vessels, works of jewelry, available among the transferred artifacts, give an idea of trade routes, trade economic ties, the level of socio-economic development of society.”

It should be noted that the staff of the Institute of Archaeology of the Caucasus did a lot of work on the description and cartography of these objects. In total, there are more than 4000 of these artifacts, 200 items that came to the republic are only the first batch, the work on the return of the remaining part will continue.

The transfer of artifacts to the Ingush Museum of Local History took place thanks to the joint work of the head of the Committee for the State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites Kodzoev T. U., Acting Director of the Jeirakh-Assin Museum-Reserve Sampiev A. A. and Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Caucasus Biyaslan Atabiev, who at the end of 2023 came to a mutual agreement on the return of all finds to their historical homeland.

Go to group