Argun

The Argun descends from the Greater Caucasus through a narrow gorge, linking the highlands of Chechnya with the northern foothills. Stone towers, burial grounds and fortified settlements mark the valley's long occupation. At Ushkaloy, two watchtowers were built into a recess of the cliff, using the rock itself as a fourth wall and roof. A paved road once passed nearby, part of a mountain route towards Georgia. The gorge was both a place of settlement and a passage between the northern and southern Caucasus.