The study of culture and identity, as well as architecture and household items of Scythians, Sarmatians and Alans, has always attracted the attention of scientists and archaeologists from all over the world. Currently, the direct descendants of Alans - Ossetians are living in the south of Russia. In this article, it will be highlighted the problems of preserving and restoring their rich cultural heritage - family towers of various types and why they are so unique and important for the world's cultural heritage.

In this article we are going to review the historical and architectural monuments of the republic of North Ossetia-Alania, its importance to the cultural heritage of the nation and the whole country, as well as to clarify who are the Ossetians and where do they come from in order to understand the specifics of the discussed topic. Many historians and scientists have been interested in Ossetians and Alans, their origin, culture and peculiarities of their identity during different historical epochs. The most significant contribution to the study and disclosure of this subject was made by such outstanding domestic and foreign historians and scientists as Miller, Potocki, Klaprot, Abaev, Alemany, and others. In this article, we are analyzing the conclusions of their research as well as the archaeological excavations and expeditions conducted on the territory of the entire North Caucasus from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Despite that many historians, archaeologists and scientists from all over

the world conducted research and excavations in North Ossetia-Alania and in all Caucasus as well, interest in ancient crypt constructions (towers) is still relevant and a lot of questions about the origin of these monuments and the objects found in them still remain open. Who are the Ossetians? An approach to a geopolitical and cultural framework  North Ossetia – Alania – is a republic in the Caucasus, in the southern part of the Russian Federation. Most of its population nowadays are Ossetians, however there are a lot of other nationalities living there, including Russians, Armenians, Ingushs, Kabardinians, Balkarians and others. Currently, the total number of Ossetians in the world is estimated to be around 700,000 people. Most of them - almost 460 thousand people - live in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. On the other hand, South Ossetia is home to almost 50 thousand Ossetians. The largest Ossetian diasporas are in Turkey, Syria, France, USA and Canada. We are going…