The authorities have distanced themselves from the problem of preserving medieval Ingush towers.

The preservation project of the "Towers of Two Rivals" in the Dzheyrakh district is already being developed with funds from Mikhail Gutseriev's foundation, although the complex does not yet have protective status. The survey of the towers and their inclusion in the register of monuments should be financed by the budget, but no funds have been allocated for this work.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", a group of women from Ingushetia recorded a video appeal to the head of the republic, Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov, demanding to save the medieval complex "Towers of Two Rivals" (also referred to as "Towers of Two Wives") in the Dzheyrakh district. According to the authors of the appeal, the complex is threatened with collapse due to the crumbling rock on which it is built. Residents of Ingushetia reported the emergency state of the towers, recognized as a cultural heritage site, back in March 2024.

The emergency state of the "Towers of Two Rivals" complex in the Dzheyrakh district can be considered standard for Ingushetia, as almost all towers "have stood for a couple of centuries without care," said the founder of the Ingush Historical and Geographical Society "Dzyurdzuki" Yakub Gogie to "Caucasian Knot."

“Naturally, any house, any object deteriorates over time. These towers are built on a slate rock foundation, which erodes over time. And it is this lower part that has weathered over several centuries. Some corners of these towers have become somewhat suspended, and stones are falling down from them. They are indeed in an emergency state; all towers need urgent work, but in this case, I think the foundation should be reinforced first. The upper part also requires restoration, but that can wait,” he said.

Without emergency restoration work at the bases of the towers, it is impossible to predict what will happen to the complex.

"There is a possibility that even in such a state, the towers could stand for another hundred years, but they could collapse tonight. We live in such a seismically dangerous area where a small, unnoticed tremor can provoke anything. A small earthquake that people may not feel can lead to destruction. In any case, urgent measures need to be taken,” Gogie said.

An employee of the Dzheyrakh-Assin State Historical, Architectural, and Natural Museum-Reserve, head of the monument preservation department Zyaudin Gurazhev reported that the project to reinforce the towers is already in development.

“It is good that there are people who care about the fate of the towers, that the public is reacting, but they were not aware that a lot of work has already been done. The fate of the "Towers of Two Wives" had already been taken under control even before the residents' appeal. By now, these towers have been scanned, studied, and a project solution for the preservation and partial reconstruction of the lost volumes of walls and interior decoration is being prepared. Of course, the project solutions will take into account the need to restore the stone foundation of the towers. The rock foundation of the towers will also be reinforced,” he told "Caucasian Knot."

The project is being developed by the ASM group with financial support from the charitable foundation "Safmar," established by Mikhail Gutseriev. “Of course, the state should have been dealing with this, but unfortunately, there are not enough budget funds for everything. Fortunately, Mikhail Gutseriev is spending his money for free on preserving the cultural heritage of our republic, for which we are grateful,” Gurazhev said.

In total, the Dzheyrakh-Assin State Historical, Architectural, and Natural Museum-Reserve has more than 3000 historical and cultural objects, of which 8% are of federal significance. The "Towers of Two Wives" are listed in the registers as an identified object possessing signs of cultural heritage of regional significance. "In order to further identify historical and cultural monuments and include them in the all-Russian register, a lot of work needs to be done, an examination conducted, and new classifications added to the objects. This work should be funded from the budget,” Gurazhev explained.

Mikhail Gutseriev renovated his ancestral towers in the village of Bisht five years ago, but there are dozens of towers concentrated in the Dzheyrakh district, and many need repairs, confirmed historian Zurab Gadzhiev.

“Now Gutseriev sponsors similar work in some other complexes. They work systematically, with preliminary archaeological excavations, and the state budget is not designed for this. Why, in our time, is a rhetorical question. Everyone knows where the money goes these days,” he told "Caucasian Knot."

Employees of the Committee for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Ingushetia completed the survey of the tower complex "Towers of Two Wives" in June 2026, identifying two previously unaccounted objects, a representative of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments on the condition of anonymity told "Caucasian Knot."

"Now the necessary materials and applications for including these buildings in the register are being prepared. For now, these are objects that possess signs of a cultural heritage object. The second stage is identified cultural heritage objects. When it is already known that this is a cultural heritage object, its boundaries are usually established at this stage, and the mode of use of this territory, and the owner or user of the monument or land plot has an official obligation to preserve it and prevent destruction. And finally, the highest stage, the approval of which requires a lot of documents - this is the category of a protected monument, which is included in the unified state register of cultural heritage objects. These are three stages in the development of accounting documents, restrictions, and a set of measures for preservation. For now, the two towers are at the very first, preliminary stage,” he said.