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Ingushetia is a unique region, rich in natural attractions and cultural heritage. In this guide, we have placed for you information about some of the sights of Ingushetia, which is worth seeing.

You will learn about such locations as: Concord Tower, Memorial of Memory and Glory, Borga-Kash Mausoleum, Abi-Guv Mound, Nazran Fortress and various museums. This is just a small list of places to see and visit in Ingushetia. The Republic offers many other interesting places and sights to visit and explore.

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Concord Tower
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Museum in the Concord Tower
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The Memorial of Remembrance and Glory
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Abi-Guv Mound
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State Museum of Local History
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Nazran Fortress
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Mausoleum Borga-Kash
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The State Museum of Fine Arts
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The Museum of Labor and Military Glory

Concord Tower


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The history of the Concord Tower began in 2013, from the moment of its opening. Although, of course, it was preceded by years of preparation, heated discussions of many interesting ideas and original projects.

The building itself was erected at the personal expense of Alikhan Kharsiev, an Ingush businessman and patron of the arts.

The concept of the Concord Tower is to consolidate the Ingush people as a whole, to give them an understanding of themselves as a full-fledged ethnic group, and the author of the design and architect of the Concord Tower is Sergei Tkachenko. He is an honored architect of the Russian Federation with many regalia.

It is noteworthy that during the construction of the high-rise building, not just the classic Ingush tower culture was taken as a prototype, but also the ancient traditions associated with its creation.

For instance, the Concord Tower was built exactly in a year, as medieval mountain custom demanded. Ancient rites stipulated severe punishment for breaking them. If the tower was not built within the 365-days, the clan was subjected to public censure and disgrace, and the structure was immediately demolished. A kind of fine was imposed on the delinquent clan – its members were obliged to provide for the family of the builder on a permanent basis.

The Concord Tower was built in Magas, the capital of the Ingush republic. The height of the Concord Tower is 100 meters.  The architect decided not to make it easy for modern visitors, so there is no elevator in the tower. To get to the observation deck, you must overcome a huge spiral ramp one kilometer long. The reward for this will be stunning views of the city and its surroundings from a height of 85 meters. It is surrounded by solid glass so that it is absolutely safe and also ideal for viewing the panorama.

The observation deck at the Tower of Concord is something unique and gives a feeling of freedom and flying. Firstly, it gives a good view not only of the young city of Magas which is situated on a plain area but also of distant mountains of Ingushetia. For the construction of the observation deck transparent, durable glass was mainly used, and this glass is not only a frontal barrier but also a floor through which the tower itself and its foot are clearly seen. The original architectural solution not only contributes to a better view, but also does not weigh down the appearance of the building. The glass in the Concord Tower is armoured, so you can walk around the observation deck without fear: one segment of the structure can easily withstand a load of 800 kg.

The Concord Tower has three floors with halls for cultural events, conferences and meetings – the Throne Room has been the traditional venue of the Council of Ingush “Teips” – clans. There is also a cafe with national cuisine on one of the levels. The paintings and pictures inside the Tower of Concord that will accompany you all the way up the tower demonstrate the art of the Ingush creative elite.

The paintings depict images taken from Ingush mythology as well as fragments of brutal battles, wars and even Stalin’s deportation, an extremely painful topic for the entire people of the republic. As a result, both inside and out, Ingushetia’s tallest observation tower is a model of harmony and identity. Since several artists were involved in decorating the walls of the bastion, each painting is an individual vision of the history, folklore and culture of the great people. In particular, the wall paintings are replete with stories from the lives of Seska Solsa, the intrepid Amazons, Caloi-Kant, and other famous mythical characters.

Museum in the Concord Tower


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Since some time, the Tower of Concord has housed a museum. The exposition is dedicated to the history of the Ingush people. The opening was timed to coincide with the 1076th anniversary of the ancient polis, on the site of which the modern capital of Ingushetia was built. Once the ancient city, which disappeared from the world maps, was called the City of the Sun, but now it is called Magas, which, incidentally, at the time of the opening of the ethnographic museum was 25 years old.

Expositions in the Tower of Concord are arranged in such a way that visitors can plunge into the authentic world of antiquity from the threshold. The life of the ancestors of today’s Ingush, what the legendary builders of the towers lived with, has been recreated in the smallest details. A model of an ancient dwelling has also been designed. It should be mentioned that the public opinion was also taken into consideration while creating the museum: not only recommendations of historians and archaeologists, but also advice of elders of the people were taken into consideration.

On the first floor is an exhibit showing, in chronological order, the history of Ingushetia as it develops through centuries of strata, despite the obstacles and malignant attempts of enemies to hinder it. The museum is full of national carpets woven either from felt or using the technique of motley applique. In the Tower there is a mini-smithy, a sacred place in every mountain aul. Generally, blacksmiths in ancient times were considered untouchable. Moreover, even blood feuds bypassed them! In the museum there is also a carefully constructed imitation of an ancient drawing-room, because the Ingush are a very hospitable nation. There is a legend that if guests arrived during a funeral, the mourning event was stopped before they left.

In the future the Concord Tower will be joined by a gallery, connecting the building to another high-rise structure, though with a completely different purpose. It is planned to house a modern shopping center with parking, elevators and an underground restaurant. Sergey Tkachenko, the architect of Conciliation Tower, told about it to mass media. He sees this project as a successful combination of antiquity and modernity. Here it is also planned to build a square called “Silk Road”, composed in the form of an intricate Ingush ornament. It is also planned to build a helipad, bicycle parking and a system of artificial ponds.

The Memorial of Remembrance and Glory


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The Memorial of Remembrance and Glory is an echo of the rich heroic history of the Ingush people.

The memorial is located on the outskirts of Nazran. It stands as a testament to the Ingush people’s devotion and courage. Its first structure, a memorial to victims of repression, was built in 1997. Other compositions and monuments were completed later.

The memorial is a well-balanced ensemble of objects that reflect various historical stories.

We see a bas-relief “Ingushetia’s entry into Russia” with a memorial plaque “Oath promise” at the entrance. The text of the oath of allegiance of representatives of the Ingush people to Russia can be found on the board.

The “Monument to the Ingush Regiment of the Wild Division” follows, which is dedicated to the native cavalry division formed to fight in World War I. It was made up of six regiments, one of which was the Ingush regiment. The division was dubbed “Wild” because of the ferocity with which its soldiers crushed their foes. They were сalled “the brave eagles of the Caucasus” by Nicholas II.

Not far away is the “Monument to the Last Defender of the Brest Fortress,” which commemorates the events of the Great Patriotic War. Lieutenant Umatgirei Barkhanoyev, one of the last defenders of the Brest Fortress, stands in the center. A section of the fortress wall can be seen in the background.

The “Nine Towers” memorial, which depicts the towers built and connected by barbed wire, is located in the middle of the complex. The building honors those who lost their lives as a result of oppression and the expulsion of Ingush people to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. The Monument to Remembrance and Glory’s towers are both its most imposing and central landmark.

On the complex’s right and left sides are semi-circular colonnades with 18 memorial slabs with the names of 36 Ingush who received state awards during their service in the Russian Imperial Army. The train and equipment used in the deportation of the Ingush people can be seen and examined on the grounds of the memorial behind the colonnade.

You can see also the memory alley for law enforcement officers, the Chernobyl accident memorial, the monument to the soldiers and internationalists of the Republic of Ingushetia, and so on.

Abi-Guv Mound


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Abi-Guv is a historical mound of Ingushetia in the town of Nazran. This archeological monument of the Maikop culture of the middle of the third millennium B. C. represents a grave mound based on a stone shell of rounded river cobbles.

Since XV-XVIII centuries, when Ingush people returned to the plain, on this place in crucial moments national assemblies were held, at which the most important decisions for the Ingush people were accepted and proclaimed. For example, in 1941 they unanimously decided to oppose the Nazis and declared Jihad on Hitler. And on June 4th 1992 it was announced that the Supreme Council of Russia had passed a law “On formation of the Ingush Republic”.

According to legend, a female warrior Abi, that saved her people from a horde of conquerors, is buried under this hill. Legend has it that once one duke decided to seize the lands of the Ingush. He offered to fight their strongest warrior. In case of loss the duke had to retreat. The chosen place was a high mound, from where the battle would be visible to everyone. The Ingush nominated a woman named Abi. Seeing her, the duke laughed, but Abi won and killed the ruler, after that the remaining soldiers retreated. In honor of this woman, the mound was nicknamed Abi-Guv (“Guv” in Ingush – “hill”, “mound”).

State Museum of Local History


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The Ingush State Museum of Local History named after Tugan Khadzhimokhovich Malsagov is the Republic of Ingushetia’s main museum of history and culture. It was established in 1972.

The museum exposition consists of several sections placed in different halls: the Hall of Statehood, the Hall of Heroes, the Hall of National War, the Hall of Archaeology, the Hall of Religious Figures, and the Hall of Ethnography.

The Hall of Statehood is the first hall you enter. The state symbols and attributes are prominently displayed in that hall.

At the entrance to the hall on the left side you see the FIRST EXHIBIT – the painting “Ingushetia’s entry into Russia”, which tells us about the events of 1770, when Ingushetia voluntarily became part of Russia.

Next to the Hall of Heroes, to the right of the entrance, are pictures of generals of Tsarist Russia. 29 of them are St. George Cavaliers.

The SECOND EXHIBIT is in the far right corner; it is the parade uniform of Oskanov Sulumbek, a Soviet and Russian military aviator and Air Force Major General. He accomplished a feat for which he was named Hero of the Russian Federation.

Portraits of the first leaders of the Ingush Autonomous District can be found on the left wall of the THIRD EXHIBIT. The exhibition commemorates the centennial of Ingush statehood, which was established in 1924.

The archeology hall is the second building inside the entrance on the right side. There are several archaeological artifacts on display in this room, but the bronze eagle “Erzy,” the FOURTH EXHIBIT, deserves special attention. It represents the malleability of a raptor with its wings folded behind it. An Arabic inscription that reads “In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful” is inscribed on the eagle’s neck. Suleiman, the work’s creator, and the date it was created—189 AH, or roughly 796-797 in the Christian calendar – are inscribed below.

Employees of the museum of local lore investigated and proved the eagle mystery, restoring historical justice.

The Hermitage Museum houses the original bronze eagle of Erzi, the symbol of all Ingushes. Its exact copy is exhibited and kept at the Ingush State Museum of Local History named after Tugan Khadzhimokhovich Malsagov and is included in its coat of arms.

The FIFTH EXHIBIT is a piece of late medieval iron chainmail that belonged to Dovtbi Khuchbar, the legendary Ingush warrior and commander of the armed entourage who fought in the second half of the 18th century. It resembles a short-sleeved shirt with a quadrangular collar that has two hooks and a slit. The hem is slashed in the front and shortened in the back. It is constructed of 20,000 rings, each of which has a 12 millimeter diameter.

The SIXTH EXHIBIT, the Scythian iron sword “Akinak,” is one of the museum’s oldest exhibits, dating back to the first and second centuries BC.

It is also worth noting the SEVENTH EXHIBIT, the medieval Ingush costumes, in which the authentic kurkhars discovered in an Ingushetia crypt are displayed.

The hall of heroes leads to the hall of the Great Patriotic War, which is where the museum began. The EIGHTH EXHIBIT is displayed in the hall: a piece of the plane that carried WWII hero Ozdoyev Murad and a Maxim machine gun.

The jackets of the Great Patriotic War heroes, including Tugan Malsagov, are on display in the hall, as is the entire exposition of the Great Patriotic War heroes.

You enter the spiritual hall from the Great Patriotic War Hall. This building is devoted to religious leaders who made an impact on Ingushetia’s history and beyond. The majority of them are written pieces, documents, and photographs.

The Hall of Ethnography is the final hall you will visit. It represents the Ingush people’s traditions, way of life, and crafts. This hall displays regional cultural monuments, architectural details of mountain shelter-towers, village types, tower complex models, national costumes and silver ornaments to costumes, as well as highly artistic samples of contemporary applied art.

The dagger of Vassan-Girey Dzhabagiyev, the NINTH EXHIBIT, was rescued and returned to Ingushetia.

The TENTH EXHIBIT is a painting titled “Ingush tower builders” by Khozh-Akhmed Imagozhev.

The ELEVENTH  EXHIBIT: a reproduction of Kotiyev Akhmed’s caucasian caftan, one of the commanders of the wild division, from the Tbilisi museum; next to it are classic Ingush wedding costumes and old photos of those costumes.

Nazran Fortress


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The fortress of the Russian Imperial Army in the town of Nazran is a unique monument of Russian defensive architecture of the early 19th century. The area where the fortress is situated – a high elevation between the rivers Sunzha and Nazranka – was strategically important, and so at different periods of history there were fortifications, posts, fortresses, armoury, household and service buildings.

The fortress occupies an area of 20 hectares. The entire territory of the fortress is surrounded by a stone wall, 3 to 7 m high and about a meter thick. The fortress was protected by two bastions on the south and west sides and had 4 exits. A moat was dug in front of the main gates, and a drawbridge was erected to raise the city in case of an attack, which made it more difficult for the enemy to attack.

Only two similar fortresses are extant in the North Caucasus. The role of those fortresses in conquering and retaining the North Caucasus is huge. In this case, the fortress fulfilled a very specific task: to defend against the mountaineers who disagreed with the power of the empire.

In 1818, Alexander Griboyedov, who was on a diplomatic mission to Persia, visited the fortress.

The first serious test for the fortress was the march of Dagestan imam Gazi-Muhammad to Vladikavkaz in 1832.

There was a 3-day battle with a large detachment led by Shamil. He tried to subdue the Ingush, but he failed.

The fortress is now in a semi-ruined state, and its interior is occupied by a small mosque, a city hospital, a block of flats, and a number of outbuildings.

Mausoleum Borga-Kash


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Borga-Kash is the ancient mausoleum that bears witness to the Muslim culture on the territory of Ingushetia. It is the only monument of Golden Horde architecture on the territory of the Russian Federation that has not lost its original appearance.

Borga-Kash, translated as “Borgan’s Grave,” is located near the village of Plievo in Ingushetia. Borga-Kash is a white-stone mausoleum with a semicircular dome. On the southern side is an arch that crowns the entrance, above which there are three slabs with Arabic inscriptions. The plates let us know that the mausoleum was built in 1405-1406 by builder Giri to bury a certain Bek Sultan. However, more than one person was buried here.

Once inside, you will find yourself under a semicircular vault and four rectangular arches. You are in the upper chamber of the structure, which is connected to the lower chamber by a manhole in the center of the room. The locals believed it was the entrance to the underworld, where the souls of the dead reside. According to reports, the manhole used to be hidden by a large white boulder. The dome has two openings for light to penetrate and several holes for torches. The inside of Borga-Kash was painted: a yellow band with an ornament ran down the wall and flowers were painted above it.

At the end of the 18th century, five expeditions led by Guldenstedt were here. In the lower chamber they saw a terrible picture – the floor was covered with corpses in expensive painted shrouds. They were lying in a kind of coffin, but Muslims did not bury the dead in a such manner. Archaeologists began looking for information about Borga-Kash from the locals, but did not get any information about it.

The mausoleum is associated with the legend of a shepherd named Borgan and his beloved Suv. According to the legend, their marriage was opposed by relatives, but they continued to love each other until Borgan was killed by bandits. Suva built a mausoleum for him and pierced her heart with a dagger.

Another legend says that an Arab Sheikh was buried here, who left the choice of site to his camel. The mausoleum was erected where the camel stopped. In the 19th century, there was a popular belief about buried here narts bogatyrs whose bodies remained imperishable for a long time.

Borga-Kash was used for pagan rituals: people came here to call for rain, ask for children, bring livestock to be born and sick children for a miracle cure.

In 1910 the building was repaired. The Borgan-Kash lost its former ornamentation, the drawings were hidden under a layer of paint.

The place, where Islamic culture and pagan rites once intertwined, attracts with its picturesqueness and silence.

The State Museum of Fine Arts


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The largest museum in Ingushetia is the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Ingushetia.

The museum’s activities are extensive and diverse. It focuses on fine art collecting, preservation, and study, as well as exhibitions and educational work.

The museum currently houses over 2000 exhibits. The State Museum of Fine Arts’ current collection is divided into several sections: painting, graphics, decorative and applied arts, and sculpture.

The museum is divided into two sections: the hall of paintings and the hall of arts and crafts. The first hall is the hall of paintings, which hosts regular exhibitions of artists and others.

The hall of arts and crafts is the next stop after going down a short aisle. The museum-educational project “The Saklya of the Highlands of the 19th Century” is THE FIRST EXHIBITION, and it is an arts and crafts display that can be found in the right corner of the hall. Here, we can see the Ingush people’s everyday lives, belongings, traditional crafts, and family customs through the lens of ethnography. The mannequins were created to provide a visual representation of Highlands and Ingush daily life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A wooden scoop and shovel, wooden mugs, a copper jug and mugs, a hearth chain, a copper basin (or “chara”), and a jug can all be seen in this picture (“kumgan”).

The variety of national costumes of various trends, including the recreation of medieval and traditional national costumes, is also strongly represented in the hall. Jewelry is represented in folk art by Ingush masters.

The museum’s collection has expanded to include a variety of archaeological relics, including collections of weaponry, ethnic jewelry, and common objects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as the early Middle Ages that were discovered on Ingushetia’s soil.

In 1994, the stock collections started to take shape. The State Museum and Exhibition Center transferred artwork by several Russian painters from the second half of the 20th century as some of the museum’s initial acquisitions.

Eventually, collections of works by Ingush artists and the works of a number of great masters helped to increase the museum’s holdings.

The museum regularly conducts a variety of events, including interactive and informative activities for kids and adults, as well as thematic talks, exhibitions, contests, master workshops, charity events, and seasonal exhibitions. All ages of visitors and republicans are given guided tours by museum personnel.

The Museum of Labor and Military Glory


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The Museum of Labor and Military Glory, named after Bashir Aslambekovich Cherbizhev, is located in Malgobek Park, near the Memorial of Glory, on the site of the mass grave of 796 Malgobek town defenders during the Great Patriotic War.  The complex includes a monument “To the people of Malgobek who fell in the battles for their motherland,” a memorial sign “Toilers of the Home Front, 1941-1945,” and a stele commemorating the awarding of the honorary title of “City of Military Glory” to Malgobek in 2007.

The museum’s exhibition, which opened on May 9, 1984, is devoted to the history of Malgobek and tells about the discovery and development of the city’s oil field, as well as the heroic defense of Malgobek against Nazi invaders. The museum’s primary mission is to promote war and labor traditions among young people. Meetings between war participants and schoolchildren take place here.

The museum has a collection of relics, letters, and images of troops who served on the front lines from the time of the Great Patriotic War. They are situated in the biggest room devoted to the Malgobek defense strategy as well as Caucasus defense.

The museum is divided into three halls. The Caucasus defense, including the Malgobek defensive operation, is the focus of the first and largest one. The Malgobek oil employees are honored in the second hall. A section of the third hall is dedicated to Afghan warriors and has ethnographic artefacts.

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