Ancient towers of China,about which nothing has been known for a thousand yearsThey have been standing here for many centuries, but no one knows who built them and when. The towers in Sichuan province can easily compete with them for the title of the most ancient skyscrapers: they are also very ancient, and their height is about 60 meters.They first started talking about them only in 1998. Then the French researcher Frederic Darragon went to the Chinese mountains to study snow leopards, but her attention was attracted by dozens of stone towers in local villages.Of course, what first impressed her was that no one knew why these structures were built.Frederic spent 5 years studying these unique structures. She mapped them, counted them, analyzed the building material, and even climbed them, which did not pose any particular danger.She tried to find information about the Himalayan skyscrapers, but the locals knew nothing about them: according to them, they have always been here. Bonanno Family
About the Towers
Spread throughout Sichuan Province and the Tibet Autonomous Region, 250 stone towers rise above the trees of southwest China. These monumental structures were built from a combination of cut stone, brick, and timber, and appear in several forms: square, polygonal, and star-shaped (with 5, 6, 10, 12, or 13 points). There is no existing documentation of the creation or function of the towers, so their role in the region’s history remains a mystery. Chinese and Tibetan scholars have surmised that they were erected between A.D. 200 and 1400 and used as storage, defensive posts, status symbols, and beacons. The towers have survived mostly intact despite centuries of earthquakes because of an earthquake-proofing method employed in their construction: wood planks and beams were interspersed between the stones to absorb the force. This practice is unique to the region and can still be seen today. Through the decades, several of the towers have been subject to vandalism and insensitive reuse, while others have been neglected completely. Many are without roofs, allowing rainwater to enter and destabilize the soil surrounding the foundations.
Stone Towers of Southwest China
More pix on the link.
I never heard of them. My first question was earthquakes but they claim they were engineered to avoid them. Impressive in that region.
The medieval Ingush towers, known as “vepshi,” were primarily constructed between 13th-17th Centuries CE, by Ingush people, a native ethnic group in the North Caucasus region. These towers are located in mountainous areas of what is now the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia.
The Ingush people built these structures as part of their defensive and residential complexes. The towers served multiple purposes, including as fortifications, homes, and watchtowers to guard against invasions.
They were typically constructed from local stone and range from 15-25m in height. They have a square base and taper slightly as they rise, often featuring four to five floors. The lower levels generally have small, narrow windows designed for defensive purposes, while the upper levels might include larger windows and openings. The tower walls could get up to a meter thick in some parts and they often include decorative stonework and inscriptions. Archeology Aesthetic