Ingush historians treat installation of solar panels on towers as unacceptable

Historical towers are of great value for the entire Ingush people; and solar panels spoil their appearance and destroy buildings, the historians interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" assert. Monitoring towers is necessary, but this issue should have been approached professionally, taking into account residents' and scientists' opinions, they believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the installation of video cameras and solar panels on historic towers in the mountains had angered residents of Ingushetia. Solar panels provide power to the surveillance cameras that should protect towers against vandals and thieves, the Djeirakh-Assinsky Nature Reserve has explained.

"Ingush combat towers are elements of the national culture that originated in the second millennium BC," said Djabrail Chakhkiev, Director of the National State Archives of Ingushetia. He is sure that changing the historical appearance of the towers is unacceptable.

According to Umalat Gadiev, an archaeologist, for the modern Ingushes, the towers are the history of their ancestors; they symbolize the heroic past.

The preservation of the cultural heritage assumes that its appearance remains unchanged, even if people pursue good goals – the installation of cameras for protecting them, Mr Gadiev has noted.

He is sure that authorities are poorly working with the population; they fail to convey the importance of preserving the cultural heritage.

Surveillance cameras and solar panels are needed on towers, but they are installed "a little un-aesthetically," says Yakub Gogiev, the founder of the "Dzurdzuki" Ingush Historical and Geographical Society. In his opinion, it is unacceptable to change the appearance of cultural monuments; and any actions must be carefully coordinated.