Small tower. Mysteries of medieval towers. Vainakh towers in Chechnya and Ingushetia

I’ll start the post with thoughts from one LJ, which I accidentally came across while searching for information on this topic. Moreover, the author has exactly the same questions as me.

Tower of Kurt and Tag in the Kurtatinsky Gorge

“I am not a historian, not an archaeologist, I am a photographer. I have been doing photography for a long time and, as some believe, successfully. Most of my archive consists of photographs of various places in North Ossetia, my homeland. Naturally, my collection also has a section dedicated to the medieval architecture of Ossetia. After all, our unique tower complexes, lonely medieval towers and crypts are not an adornment of the republic, but the face of it, and even, to some extent, the philosophy of our life.

Tsmyti - the most beautiful tower complex in Ossetia

While traveling and filming towers, admiring the courage of the architectural and engineering solutions of our ancestors, taking into account their modest technical capabilities, you involuntarily ask the question - “For what? For what purpose?". As a child, when, without hesitation, I believed everything that was said by my elders, I was quite satisfied with the military-defensive version of the construction of these towers. Lighting fires, throwing stones at attackers, a lookout point, climbing into an inaccessible place and waiting... But, judge for yourself. Why was it necessary to erect a heavy architectural structure just to light a fire on it in a moment of danger, when there is a suitable stone or rock nearby and it is enough to build a light shed for storing brushwood? Many of the medieval towers (from the point of view of modern man) are also not suitable for defense. I climbed many of them, tried to imagine myself as a medieval warrior... Well, it’s very inconvenient to stand at the top, pour boiling water down (it will cool down in the wind anyway), throw large stones at people passing by, or drag molten lead up. And, in my opinion, it is much more convenient to shoot from a firearm from the side of a mountain, hiding behind some boulder. “Hide and wait,” but many towers “slung” into the rocks have such a small usable area that there is nowhere for two people to turn around, and only a professional climber with a set of pitons and ropes can climb to the saving bastion. And it was necessary to hide and protect venerable elders, obese women and small children. In general, I have doubts about the military-defensive version of the origin of the towers.

Almost inaccessible tower in the village. Zinsar (Os-Bagator Castle)

What were they built for? Why are towers built these days? At the temples, at the entrance to the village, at the entrance to the mountain camp, in your own yard? For defense? - no, for storing utensils? – no, to attract tourists – hardly. “In the 12th – 14th centuries,” perhaps there was also a custom on the territory of our republic (fashion, if you like). Every self-respecting family had to perpetuate its family with such a monument. It’s not for nothing that many towers are family towers. Or a monument - "The tower was erected in honor of some significant event, like the tower of Kurt and Tag in the Kurtatinsky Gorge. Our ancestors amused their “I.” They didn’t eat enough, didn’t get enough sleep, didn’t rest, but built riddles for us, their descendants."

Taken from the Journal of Vladimir Mayorov.

The mystery of the Svan towers (Georgia)

First of all, Svaneti is famous for its towers. There are a great many of them here, Mestia and Ushguli are generally a continuous forest of towers. Here there are towers in every yard. It is precisely in order to look at the towers that huge crowds of tourists flock here.

But what’s interesting is that at the moment, no one knows for sure how these towers were built, or why.

In general, a tower is a structure of regular shape, with smooth walls, two to three floors high. The construction time of most of the towers dates back to the 12th-13th centuries.

The main theory of the emergence of towers is a combat theory, they say, they were built for defense, which is not without meaning, since it is a tower. But the trouble is, there were no internal wars in Svaneti, and most of the towers were built during the “golden age”, when no one invaded Svaneti. So why build towers? Reserve for the future? May be. It’s just that the towers, in their current state, are not very suitable for defense; a simple example is that most towers have windows only on one side, and what’s most interesting is that often these windows look in the opposite direction, from the probable location of the enemy’s appearance. Agree that this looks stupid for a battle tower. True, on the upper floors there are often windows looking at the foot of the tower, but they look more like observation windows than loopholes, and at the same time, they are narrow enough so that something significant can be thrown out of them, perhaps pouring resin .

Another theory is living quarters. But this theory is completely weak; all the locals unanimously claimed that no one had ever lived in the towers. And this is very similar to the truth, for one simple reason - there is no fireplace in the tower. And this, given the harsh climate of Svaneti, is a very serious argument.

Some say that the towers were used to store supplies. But then it’s not clear why the tower? Why do we need vertical, smooth walls and windows that look so much like loopholes? But it is true that food was sometimes stored in the towers.

Also interesting is the fact that when a village was captured, the towers were most often demolished? For what? After all, if this is a protective structure, wouldn’t it be better to use it for your own purposes?

In general, there is a lot of mystery in the history of Svan towers, and the most mysterious thing is that no one knows exactly why they were needed. And while scientists are wondering, the towers continue to stand, empty, like many centuries before.

Vainakh towers in Chechnya and Ingushetia

The lands of Chechnya and Ingushetia are often called the “country of the Vainakhs”. The Vainakhs are the common ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush, from whom they inherited a common language (with different dialects) and culture. For many centuries, this people lived in the territory between Ossetia and Dagestan, along the Main Caucasus ridge.

Here, in the valleys of stormy rivers and between high mountain ranges, he left behind a great architectural heritage: pagan sanctuaries, temples, family crypts and towers.

"Towers of two rivals" in Ingushetia

In the mountainous Dzheirakh region of Ingushetia and the adjacent mountainous regions of Chechnya, there are hundreds of medieval stone tower complexes, villages, and simply free-standing towers. The practice of building towers dates back to the 5th century.

Almost all of them are located on hills. Many of them are little-studied, but amazing in their magnificence. The fact that they are little known is a consequence of their virtual inaccessibility. In other words, access to them is extremely difficult and dangerous.

Twin towers from Ushkaloy, Argun Gorge

It is believed that these towers are divided into combat and residential. Maybe later they were already adapted for these purposes, but for what purpose they were built is unknown.

Ingush towers

The most famous tower complex in Ingushetia is Vovnushki. Standing in the picturesque gorge of the Guloy-Khi River, the stone towers look like a natural continuation of the rocks. Vovnushki tower complex in 2008 became a finalist in the "Seven Wonders of Russia" competition.

Oddly enough, the towers of the North Caucasus are similar to the towers from Sichuan province in China and the towers of the Anasazi Indians in California.

Towers of Tibet

In Tibet and in the Chinese province of Sichuan there are also strange ribbed towers, some as big as a ten-story building. There are more than a thousand similar ancient structures in southwest China. The local population does not know who, when and why they were created. It is said that the very first towers were built in these places as early as 1700 BC.

Unlike the Ingush towers, the towers of Sichuan province are star-shaped: some have an eight-pointed star in plan, others a twelve-pointed one.

Anasazi Indian Towers, whose culture developed in the southwest of North America in the beginning. III-XV centuries, also resemble the towers of the Caucasus.

Desert View Watchtower, a replica of Indian towers, built in 1932.

Round Towers of Ireland

Ireland is literally dotted with strange towers that are not found anywhere else. More precisely, there are still two in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man. For three centuries now, historians and architects have been unable to explain their purpose. There are 65 of these towers throughout the island. And another 23 completely or partially destroyed towers.
The towers were clearly built using the same technology, differing only in diameter and height. The height ranges from 18 to 34 meters. The walls of the tower are made of poorly processed stone and lime mortar. The tower has two walls - internal and external. The inner one goes smoothly, and the outer one with a slight slope towards the top. The space between the walls is filled with mortar.

The stone dome of the towers, which has a conical shape, also raises questions. Why is it so complex and massive?

Interestingly, the entrance to the tower is located at a height of 1.5 to 7 meters above the base. The builders did not provide any steps leading to this entrance. The towers were erected over 5 centuries, from 700 to 1200.

The first written mention of these towers appears in the 12th century. It wrote that the towers symbolize people's desire for God. Well, what else could a church prelate write in those years about incomprehensible structures?

It was only during the Enlightenment in the 17th century that the assumption arose that these towers had nothing to do with the church. And a diametrically opposite version arose - the towers were erected by the Vikings to control the local population. But the Vikings would then have to build such towers not only in Ireland. And in the central part of the island, there are towers, but there are no traces of the Vikings. So they're not Vikings after all.

The latest official version says that the towers were built for shelter during Viking raids. And indeed the towers are located near Christian churches. And the high entrance allowed people to climb up the ladder and take cover during raids. And lime mortar began to be used only during Christianity.
But as it turned out, lime mortar was used on the island back in the Bronze Age. This is evidenced by a Bronze Age crypt discovered by archaeologists in Belfast. And how could such a shelter as a tower protect against the Vikings?
It seems that the purpose of these towers has not been fully revealed.

Fantastic towers of Bologna

Of all the antiquities in Bologna, the most striking thing is its towers. Especially standing in the center are Torre Asinelli and Torre Garisenda.

With a height of 97.2 m, the tower is the tallest structure in the historical center of Bologna and the tallest of the "leaning towers". Even during construction, the tower began to tilt, and today this tilt is 1.3°, with a shift of 2.2 m in the upper part. And the neighboring Garisenda tower, due to its tilt of 3 m, was shortened three times, and today its height is 48 m.

There is no exact date for the construction of the Asinelli Tower, but it is believed that construction began between 1109 and 1119. However, the first document mentioning the Asinelli Tower dates only from 1185, almost seventy years after the supposed date of construction. The tower's name comes from the family traditionally credited with building the structure.

According to legend, in the Middle Ages there was an unspoken competition among the richest families of Bologna: whoever builds a tower higher than others deserves the highest honor.

In the 14th century, the city authorities became the owners of the Asinelli Tower. Since then, the tower has been used both as a prison and as a fortress.

They also write that then, in the 12th century, all wealthy families built such towers, so Bologna in those years resembled Manhattan. It was later that some of the towers collapsed on their own, which were dismantled, so that only a few have survived to this day.

San Gimignano: the city of a hundred towers.

In another small Italian town, San Gimignano, the concentration of towers is so high that it creates the feeling of a small man among skyscrapers.

Why is this, why? But, again, they write “then, in order to show their wealth and power, families built towers, so in the 14th century there were 72 towers, of which 14 have survived.”

"Medieval skyscrapers"

Towers of Central Asia and the Middle East

Many will say that there is nothing unusual about them - these are minarets, but...

Burana Tower, Kyrgyzstan, circa 10th century.

For some reason the entrance is not at ground level. Were the builders looking for easy solutions?

The original height of the tower was at least 40 m; its upper part was toppled by an earthquake. Today the height is just over 21 meters.

Inside the tower

Swastika script

Near the Burana Tower there is an ancient settlement covered with soil.

Tower of Qaboos (Iran), built in 1006-1007. We see the same conical massive roof as in Ireland.

This is what the tower looked like before restoration

Sanbenito. Al Malwiya Minaret, Iraq. The approximate date of construction is 849.

The quality of stone block processing is amazing.

Jam Minaret in Afghanistan.

In one of the remote and deserted corners of Afghanistan there is a mysterious tower. The height of more than 1500 meters above sea level and the rocks made it difficult to access, which is what allowed it to survive to this day. For a long time, this tower was forgotten, until it was rediscovered in 1957.

The top of the first tier contains text from the Koran. There is also another inscription indicating that this minaret was built by Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad ibn Sama, who was one of the leading rulers of the Ghurid Empire. According to the same inscription, it is believed that the Dzham minaret was built in 1194.

And its mystery is also that the entrance to this structure was not found. Now its role is played by a passage that has already been made in our time.

These are just some of the towers - minarets, according to modern historians. Maybe this is one of their purposes, but I think not the original one.

Jenga is a game that appeared a long time ago and to this day has a considerable army of fans around the world. This is due to several reasons:

• Simple rules
• Exciting gameplay
• Having fun

Unique building

This version of the game differs from standard Jenga - it is more compact in size. Thanks to them, it has now become possible to take her on any trips, trips, and so on. The basic rules remained unchanged and first you need to build a bathhouse of 18 floors with 3 blocks in each. In turn, each floor is located perpendicular to the neighboring ones, which creates significant difficulty for the participants.

Players take turns pulling out the blocks from the main structure, and they try to do this in such a way as not to violate the integrity of the tower, or, in simple terms, not to destroy it. You need to gradually transfer the blocks from the bottom to the top of the tower, and this is only easy to do at first. Once the lower floors become completely unstable, every movement becomes very important, so a considerable amount of care must be exercised. Moreover, the danger of destroying the tower is present both when pulling out the lower block and when installing it upward.

Entertainment as it should be

During the game, the guys will receive a lot of pleasant emotions, have a lot of fun and, of course, will “work” in a very exciting atmosphere:

• Every movement is important
• Wrong choice of block - loss
• A trembling hand means a loss.
• Uncontrollable laughter - loss

Prague is an exquisite city, full of cultural and historical monuments, and you will see a lot while relaxing here. Since you probably won’t have enough time to go around all the wonderful places, be sure to visit a place that in no case should be ignored - the great Lesser Town Bridge Towers.

Walking along the Royal Road you will certainly meet them. Two bridge towers connected by arched gates will happily greet you. The towers are located at the western end of the Charles Bridge, leading to that part of the city called Mala Strana. Externally, the towers are not similar (neither in height nor in architectural style), since they were built at different times. They are connected to each other by a huge arch, bordering the passage to Mala Strana (Mala Strana is the part of the city to which the bridge leads. If translated into Russian, it will mean “Small Side”, but for the sake of understanding we will leave the Czech version).

Small Bridge Tower

This is a tower from the Romanesque period, which at one time was part of a fortification on the road to. This is the one of the towers that is more squat, since it lost its top floor during the reign of Jan Luxemburg.

Some time later, in 1591, due to a fire in the tower, the government decided to reconstruct the building. The building was restored in the Renaissance style: the facade was decorated, the shields were replaced by battlements, and windows were also cut through.

In subsequent times, and more specifically, from the beginning of the 15th century, the tower became a prison for the most dangerous violators (especially for those who dared to covet public good). A striking example of this was the public display of the head of a knight caught for ruining the estates of townspeople, which took place in the 16th century. Before the beginning of the next century, the tower and the house attached to it became the location of the Prague Bridge administration and a customs control point.

The most famous find in this tower is considered to be a Romanesque monumental relief measuring 1 meter by 75 centimeters, built into a wall niche, which was discovered in the 19th century. This relief is notable for the fact that it vividly describes the direct connection of local culture with ancient art.

The sculpture itself depicts a man (a king, most likely) sitting on a large throne. At his feet is a character kneeling, giving something to the king, or, conversely, accepting something. The statue figures were made life-size, but, alas, they were very poorly preserved. Of the character who sits on the throne, only the torso remains, while the head and most of the arms are completely absent. This seriously complicates the task of recognizing the characters depicted on the bas-relief, however, historians have two versions. According to the first of them, Mala Strana is on its knees before its monarch. Another version suggests that Otakara II, the prince of Přemysl, is kneeling, capitulating to his father after an unsuccessful uprising against him. We also cannot reject the version that this is just an abstract bas-relief.

High Bridge Tower

This structure was erected by order of King George in 1464, therefore it is the “youngest” fragment of the bridge fortification. The high bridge tower has many architectural design features in common with Old Town Tower, located at the opposite end of the Charles Bridge, although the High Bridge Tower looks much simpler, since the number of sculptural decorations and other decorative items on its walls is several times less. This tower is decorated only with niches on its front sides. There is an opinion that the tower was not fully decorated, since at that time there were many difficulties due to the outbreak of the Hussite Wars. The last time the building was reconstructed was in 1879-1883 by Josef Mocker, and since then its appearance has remained almost unchanged.

Gates

The gates located between the towers also play an important role in the bridge fortification. They are made in the form of two parallel walls with arched openings, the passage over which is decorated with square teeth along the upper edge. On both front sides the gate is decorated with various emblems. This structure still stands today thanks to the efforts of ruler Wenceslas IV.

Above the arched vault leading to Mala Strana there is a sign of Vratislava. It is followed by the Czech Lion and Dolní Luznice, and below them are the signs of the Old and Small Towns of Prague. From the side of the bridge, the signs of the Luxembourg Lion, the Czech Lion and the Moravian Eagle fly over the arch. A little lower is the Old Place sign, which is repeated twice. This is not without reason, and since the gate has two sides (one leads to the Charles Bridge, and the other to Mala Strana), one side is hung with some signs and coats of arms, and the other with others.

How to get there?
Getting to the Lesser Town Bridge Towers is easy. Their landmark is one of the most famous sights of Prague - Charles Bridge, from the Malostranska Square. The nearest stop is Malostranské náměstí, you can get there by trams No. 12, 20, 22 and 57.

Lesser Town Bridge Towers on the map

Lesser Town Bridge Towers

Lesser Town Bridge Towers are two towers of different heights connected by gates. They are the entrance to Charles Bridge from Mala Strana. Climb the high tower and admire the wonderful view of Prague and the Vltava. It is especially beautiful in the evening.

The western, Lesser Town end ends with the arched Lesser Town Gate. The gate serves as a passage to and connects two ancient bridge towers. Each of the Malostranská mostecká věž bridge towers is remarkable in its own way.

Low Tower (Nižší mostecká věž) – Judithina (Juditina věž) – this building is considered older than the bridge itself. It has stood here since the 12th century. The Judith Tower was part of the Judith Bridge, which stood before Charles, as well as part of the fortifications of the left bank of the Vltava. Opposite it stood another, Romanesque tower (later destroyed).

The entrance to the Judith Tower is located in house No. 56. The building houses an archaeological exhibition. The Prague Historical Society is also located there, but tourists are not allowed there. The tower can only be viewed from the outside.

The four-story building is covered with a high hip roof with a figured pediment and two spiers. Now the height of the building is about 30 meters. The tower was even higher, but during the reign of John of Luxembourg it lost its top floor.

The appearance of the building has been preserved since 1591 - then reconstruction was carried out in the Renaissance style. On the facade there are fragments of plaster with sgraffito painting.

They say that the tower for a long time served as a prison for dangerous criminals - thieves of public property.

Right tower – High tower (Vyšší mostecká věž) , was erected in the late Gothic style after the construction of the Charles Bridge, in 1464, on the site of a demolished Romanesque tower. At the corners of the high narrow roof of the building there are typical Gothic elongated turrets.

The appearance of the building is quite simple - among the decorations on the darkened facade, only empty niches framed by decorative relief openings are visible. These niches were laid out for sculptures of three Czech kings, but due to the events of the Hussite War, the figures were never installed.

The high tower was used as a warehouse and was a signal tower. Now, unlike its “neighbor”, it is open to visitors, its height is 43.5 m. After the restoration in 2013, you can climb the stairs. Inside the tower are frescoes and relief architectural decorations from the Romanesque period. Wooden steps lead to the observation deck, which is located at an altitude of 26 m. From there, a fabulous view of the Vltava, Charles Bridge, bright roofs of ancient houses and sharp spiers of towers opens.

The gate (Gotická brána), connecting both towers, has been preserved from the bridge fortifications of the times of Wenceslas IV. Once upon a time they were closed with bars and heavy oak doors. Now this gate, consisting of two parallel arched openings, is topped by a battlement. On both sides they are decorated with heraldic symbols. Above the gate, at a height of 26 meters, there is a transition gallery.

How to get there

Take tram 1, 12, 15, 20, 22, 23, 25, 41, 97 to the Malostranské náměstí stop.

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Along the busiest route since the Middle Ages and the most popular for tourists - the Royal Road - you are greeted by a unique pair of bridge towers, connected into one by arched gates located between them. These are the famous Lesser Town Bridge Towers ().

They are located on the western, Lesser Town (the end of the bridge is called Lesser Town because it leads to the part of the city called Lesser Town) end of the Charles Bridge and differ from one another, both in height and in the architectural style of the building. The reason for this is that the towers were not created at the same time. Both towers are connected into one whole by an arch and border the passage from Charles Bridge to Mala Strana (the historical district of Prague, the so-called “Prague Small Castle”).

Small Bridge Tower

This is the left, squat tower, the construction of which dates back to the 12th century. The tower is of Romanesque origin, it was part of the fortifications and was an important fortification on the way to the Castle. The tower lost one of its floors during the reign of Jan Luxemburg.

In 1591, after a fire, the tower was reconstructed in the Renaissance style, the shields were replaced by battlements, the façade was decorated with sgraffito, and windows were also cut through. But the Romanesque core of the tower was preserved.

Then, at the beginning of the 15th century, the tower began to be used as a prison for especially dangerous criminals, especially those criminals who were dishonest with public property. For example, in the 16th century, for the first time, the head of a knight who was caught destroying city estates was put on public display from the tower. At the end of the same century, the tower and the house attached to it were used as a customs house. The Prague Bridge Office is also located here.

A well-known rarity of the Lesser Lesser Tower is a monumental relief found in the 19th century in a walled niche. The relief was created in the Romanesque style and its dimensions are 1 by 0.75 meters. The uniqueness of the relief lies in the fact that it is perhaps the oldest example of the relationship of local traditions to ancient art.

The bas-relief sculpture depicts a man on a throne, most likely a king, at whose feet another character kneels, giving the king, or perhaps accepting something from him. The bas-relief figures are almost life-size. Unfortunately, only the torso of the figure of the man sitting on the throne has been preserved; part of the arms and head are missing, which makes it impossible to recognize the characters depicted on the bas-relief. According to one version, the kneeling man is Přemysl’s prince Otakar II, who rebelled against his father, but was forced to capitulate. According to another version, the kneeling figure represents Mala Strana and its rights in relation to its monarch. Or maybe it's just an abstract relief.

High Bridge Tower

It is the “youngest” part of the entire bridge fortification. The tower was built in 1464 by order of the king on the site of a destroyed ancient Romanesque tower, which once formed a pair of the Small Bridge Tower.

In architectural terms, the design features of the High Bridge Tower clearly echo the design of the Old Town Bridge Tower, which is located at the other end of Charles Bridge. But the High Bridge Tower looks much simpler, it does not have such complex symbolism and fewer sculptural decorations.

The tower is only decorated on the front sides with niches. Most likely, further decoration of the tower was not completed due to the outbreak of the Hussite wars. In 1879-1883, under the leadership of Joseph Mocker, the tower was reconstructed. It is in this form that it has survived to this day.

Gates

The gate located between the towers undoubtedly forms an important part of the bridge fortification. The gate was built in the form of two walls with arched openings, which have come down to us since the reign of Wenceslas IV. The transition above the openings along the upper edge is decorated with teeth. The gates on both sides are decorated with coats of arms.

In the direction of Mala Strana (the same part of old Prague where the bridge leads, translated into Russian it sounds like Mala Strana, but you can leave the Czech version, it will be clearer) at the top of the gate there is a sign for Vratislav, a sign for Dolní Luznice and a Czech lion, below them signs of the Small and Old Towns of Prague are located. On the gate from the side of the bridge at the top there are the signs of the Lion of Luxembourg, the Lion of Bohemia and the Moravian Eagle, below them the sign of the Old Town of Prague, which is repeated twice. This is not a repetition, the gate has two sides, one side faces Mala Strana, the other faces the Charles Bridge, on one side hang some signs and coats of arms, on the other the second, yes, some of them repeat each other.