Ushkaloy Towers, Medieval stone towers in Itum-Kalinsky District, Russia.
Ushkaloy Towers are stone structures positioned at the narrowest point of the Argun Gorge, built with carefully stacked stone blocks forming three complete walls. The fourth side of each tower simply uses the sheer rock face of the gorge itself as a natural barrier.
These defensive structures were built around 900 years ago to monitor and control movement through the gorge passage. Major restoration work completed in 2011 has preserved them for visitors today.
The towers reflect how local builders integrated stone construction with the surrounding landscape as a practical necessity. Walking around them, you notice how people here adapted their building methods to the natural terrain.
The towers are accessible via the main road that heads toward Itum-Kale village, and restoration improvements make the route straightforward. Plan your visit during warmer months when mountain passages are most reliable and weather conditions are steadier.
Instead of constructing four complete walls, the builders simply used the gorge's natural rock face as the fourth side of the structure. This clever approach reveals how the builders ingeniously adapted to their mountain environment.
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