Ingushetia: Wild Beauty, People, Towers, Skiing and Moto biking (Part 3)

Christianity was spread in Ingushetia in XII - XVIII centuries. At that time, their beautiful towers were built. Practically each family or a small community, integrated by several families had their own towers. Ingush towers are of three types:

military (the tallest) and living (smaller)

and mixed.

Military towers were built in such geographical pattern, that one tower was visible from the two neighboring ones.

In case of emergency, fire set in one tower,

served as the alarm signal for others.

The whole mountainous area was informed within minutes.

People would gather in their towers, with supplies of food and water. Military towers are multistoried. The ground floor was occupied by livestock and captives.  Two upper levels were for the family members. The warriors and defenders were on top. There was always a rich supply of stones on top of each military tower as a powerful weapon against attackers.

It was impossible to get inside the military tower from the ground floor, as it had neither windows nor doors. The only way to get inside is to use removable wooden staircase to the second floor.

The living towers have a very original design.

There is a post in the middle. 

Through holes wooden floors were fixed for each level

Ingush towers had a central heating system! They set fire on the ground floor.

Walls were made of double stones layers (highlighted by green color), with a gap between them. Through this gap warm air was circulating all around the tower and flowing out through special holes (red arrows).

This is Erzi castle complex, high in the mountains, very beautiful even in winter.

Erzi means “eagle”

I made these pictures on the New Year Eve. The weather was snowy and foggy. To show you the splendor of this place I colored the grey sky into azzuro-blue.

Russian jeep “Niva” – the most reliable car for extreme driving

Ancient streets in Erzi

Although Erzi is not inhabited now, it gives the feeling of pure divineness and vitality. You must smell and drink this space one day!

Come and visit Ingushetia in summer or in spring.

You will be charmed

To be continued...

Love,

Natalia Levis-Fox

Ingushetia: Wild Beauty, People, Towers, Skiing and Moto biking (Part 2)

According to the antique data, the Ingush ancestors lived in the Northern Caucasus since 3000 BCE.  They used to call themselves “people of God and Sun” (“ma” – sun and “hal” – God).

“Sun” petroglyphs in the Northern Caucasus

Ancient Ingush were pagans and they cultivated sun, as the source of life, power and wellness. For 5000 years of this faith, their attitude to Sun reflected in their official solar symbol – flag of Ingush Republic:

The circle in the middle (sun) is surrounded by 3 rays.

This ancient solar petroglyph

(i.e. drawing, writing or inscription on stone,

as a painting on a cave wall)

means eternity, movement, dynamics of life, creation and wellness. This state symbol is very popular among modern Ingush now.

The shining neon solar symbol on The Curovs’ tower

(transcribed as [tzurov])

It both protects from disasters and gives wellness, prosperity and hope for the best.

For centuries, the Ingush lived by laws of patriarchal clans - “types”. They had collective property, production tools, consumption and territorial integrity.

After Georgian missioners had brought Christianity to Northern Caucasus, the Ingush started to build family towers in the 12^th century. Each family or type had their own tower, cemetery or crypts. 

Legend about the Curovs’ tower construction

Many centuries ago, in Dzheirakh there lived Chur Curov with his four sons. Once he went hunting to forests high in the mountains. Suddenly he saw a naked man, milking a female deer into a beautiful gold cup . He killed the animal, and the man run away.

Chur brought the cup home and his sons decided to build a military family tower. They prepared the ground for the tower and put the cup at the basis. They invited a famous master who had built the Curovs’ tower for 61 cows and bulls. At that time 60 cows and bulls were equivalent to a big sum of money for building towers, as the construction lasted for a year.

Modern Curovs at their tower

Lydia Curov, a girl from a distant branch of the big family

Dzheirakh region, the highlands of towers and ancient history

described in the article (white circle)

To be continued...

Love,

Natalia Levis-Fox

Ingushetia: Wild Beauty, People, Towers, Skiing and Moto biking (Part 1)

We planned to ski in Karpaty (Ukraine) and see the New 1213 Year with our friends. Weather forecast (+10 C and rains) made us change our pleasant plans. So, we went to explore Ingushetia and stay in

Armhi, spa resort hotel, high in the mountains

View from hotel

We had never been there before and Ingushetia became a real discovery,

a wild lovely perl with divine air, gorgeous nature,

unexpected ancient architecture

and friendly people. 

Adam Curov, representative of a very ancient Ingush family, rescuer

I was so charmed by Ingushetia and its people, monuments and culture, that I did an extended research. The results will make several articles (posts). I hope you will also enjoy them.

The Republic of Ingushetia (Russian: Респу́блика Ингуше́тия, Respublika Ingushetiya; Ingush: ГӀалгӀай Мохк Ğalğaj Moxk) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic), located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It was established on June 4, 1992 after the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was split in two.The republic is home to the indigenous Ingush, a people of Vainakh ancestry. Population: 412,529 (2010 Census).

The name "Ingushetia" is derived from an ancient village of Ongusht (renamed in 1859 to Tarskaya and in 1944 transferred to North Ossetia) and the Georgian ending -eti, all together meaning "(land) where the Ingush live".

Ingushetia is situated on the northern slopes of the Caucasus. It has an area of c. 4,000 km². It borders Republic of North Ossetia–Alania,  Chechen Republic and Georgia (southwards). The highest point is the Gora Shan (4451 m).

A 150 km stretch of the Caucasus Mountains runs through the territory of the republic.

Etymology

The Ingush, a nationality group indigenous to the Caucasus, mostly inhabit the Republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai (from Ingush: Ghal ("fortress") and ghai ("inhabitants", or, according to another Russian interpretation, "citizen"). The Ingush speak the Ingush language, which has a very high degree of mutual intelligibility with neighboring Chechen.

Religion

The Ingush are predominantly Shāfi‘ī Madh'hab of Sunni Islam with some Sufi minority which are often associated with one of two traditional Sufi orders: the Sufi tariqa Naqshbandi, represented in Ingushetia by the brotherhood of Deni Arsanov, and the tariqa Qadiriyyah, associated with Kunta-Haji Kishiev.

To be continued…

Love,

Natalia Levis-Fox