Vovnushki ( inh, Вӏо́внашке, Vhóvnashke) is a medieval complex with defensive

Ingush Ingush may refer to: * Ingush language * Ingush people The Ingush (, inh, ГIалгIай, translit=Ghalghaj, pronounced ) per Oxford dictionary "a member of a people living mainly in Ingushetia in the central Caucasus." Ingushetia is a federa ...

watchtowers. It is a unique monument of Ingush architecture, which is part of the Dzheyrakh-Assa State Historical-Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve and is under state protection. According to scholars, several routes of the

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passed through the mountains of

Ingushetia Ingushetia (; russian: Ингуше́тия; inh, ГӀалгӏайче, Ghalghayče), officially the Republic of Ingushetia,; inh, Гӏалгӏай Мохк, Ghalghay Moxk is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. ...

. One route supposedly ran along the river Guloykhi, along the tower cities of Gul,

Tsori Tsori ( inh, Цхьори, Tshori) is an ancient city-settlement in Dzheyrakhsky District of Ingushetia, now abandoned village. It is part of the rural settlement of Guli (administrative center rural settlement). Tsori is the ancestral settlement ...

, Vovnushki, Pyaling, Niy, etc. The Vovnushki towers are traditionally regarded as the ancestral towers of the Ingush taïp Ozdoy ( inh, Оздой). In 2008, the Vovnushki tower complex became a finalist in the

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competition. In 2010, the Central Bank of Russia issued a commemorative silver coin dedicated to Vovnushki.

Etymology

The

name ''Vhovnashke'' consists of the plural form of the word "''vhov"'', meaning "guard/military tower", and the suffix ''— "ke" (ka)'', referring to a place. Thus, it translates as ''"the place of guard towers"''.

Geography

Vovnushki is one of the most exotic tower complexes among the defensive structures of ancient

. The monument consists of three main towers, two of which stand on top of one rock and one on the opposite rock. The towers of the complex attract attention from afar, although they are located in the picturesque gorge of the Guloykhi River against the backdrop of impressive rocks and ridges of the Caucasus. The towers are built of stone and look like a natural extension of the rocks on top of which they are built. They are four-story buildings of a truncated pyramidal shape with flat roofs and narrow loophole windows. The barrier walls that block access to the towers are organically inscribed in the natural relief of impregnable rocks. The nearest settlements are: in the north — Ozdiye, in the southwest —

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, in the northeast — Myashkhi, in the west — Puy.

Gallery

File:Вовнушки 1910 год.jpg, A picture of the eastern towers in 1910. Marka ingushetia.jpg, Vovnushki on a stamp of the Russian Post: " Republic of Ingushetia" in 2009, Series: «Regions». RR5111-0204R.png, Vovnushki on a commemorative coin of the

Bank of Russia The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBR; ), doing business as the Bank of Russia (russian: Банк России}), is the central bank of the Russian Federation. The bank was established on July 13, 1990. The predecessor of the bank can ...

in 2010. Series: «Architectural Monuments».

References

{{reflist

External links

Истоки: Vovnushki (virtual reconstruction)

Открытый Кавказ

Vovnushki: 3D virtual tour
Rural localities in Ingushetia