Pre­served by its long iso­la­tion, the Upper Svaneti region of the Cau­ca­sus is an excep­tion­al exam­ple of moun­tain scenery with medieval-type vil­lages and tow­er-hous­es. The vil­lage of Chazhashi still has more than 200 of these very unusu­al hous­es, which were used both as dwellings and as defence posts against the invaders who plagued the region.