Ingushetia.

History

The oldest traces of life here belong to the Koban culture, and the area later formed part of medieval Alania. In the Assa gorge stands the Tkhaba-Yerdy church: its earliest parts predate the 8th–9th centuries, it was rebuilt under Queen Tamar of Georgia, and it is described as the oldest Christian church in Russia. Between the 13th and 17th centuries tower villages grew up in the mountains and became the region's architectural pride. Ingushetia became a separate republic in 1992, and its new capital, Magas, was founded in 1995.

Culture & traditions

Ingush is a Nakh language, readily understood by Chechens. Traditional society rested on teips, clans considered equal to one another, of which there are about 350 today. Honour and hospitality are highly valued, and the lezginka is a favourite dance. Towers came in two main kinds: residential ones of 10–12 metres and battle towers of five or six storeys reaching up to 30 metres. In a residential tower the ground floor housed livestock, the middle one people and the top one supplies.

Nature

The north is steppe plain, the south five ridges of the Caucasus rising to Mount Shan at about 4,450 m. The mountainous Dzheyrakh district is rich in forest. Natural resources include marble, dolomite, granite and the Achaluki mineral springs. The Erzi Nature Reserve protects part of the mountains. The climate is continental, with July averaging about 21 °C.

Sport

Wrestling and boxing are an important part of Ingush sporting culture. The respect for strength and courage that early travellers noted lives on in the republic's gyms.

Food & drink

Ingush cooking is built around meat. Traditional dishes include galnash, chapilgash and dulkh-khaldar. The republic grows grain, sunflowers, vegetables and apples, and raises cattle, sheep and poultry.

Practical information

Magas Airport near Sunzha serves Magas and Nazran and has scheduled flights. The republic is on Moscow time. The mountain tower complexes belong to the Dzheyrakh-Assa Museum-Reserve. Summer and early autumn are the best time to visit the mountains.

What to see

• Vovnushki — battle towers perched on rocks above the Guloykhi gorge.
• Tkhaba-Yerdy — a medieval Christian church in the Assa gorge.
• Egikal — a tower village with stepped-pyramid towers.
• Erzi — a mountain tower village and the nature reserve of the same name.
• Dzheyrakh-Assa Museum-Reserve — mountains, towers and churches protected together.

Cities on the map

• Magas 10,333