The Sumug-Kala Tower, one of the defensive towers of the last Ilisu Sultan Daniyal-bey, the brave ally of Sheikh Shamil, has survived in the high-mountain village of Ilisu (in the vicinity of Sheki). According to legend, this quadrangular tower was built on the site of the execution of the concubines of the local khan who betrayed him. Then Sumug became one of the watch towers of Danial-bey. Once the Bek was an officer of the imperial army, but then he rebelled against the king and went to his sworn enemy - Sheikh Shamil, becoming him naib. However, Shamil and his naibs failed to save the territory. In August 1859, the last row of fortifications subject to Daniyal-bek surrendered.
The defense tower, popularly referred to as the Sumug Kala, dating back to the 17th-18th centuries, is located on the left bank of the Kurmuk River. The tower was built at the place where the road of commercial and military significance from Dagestan to Ilisu, which runs through the slopes of the mountains and ravines, turns towards Gakh.
The local population calls this tower “Suma Kala” because it is as strong as a bone. The word "syumyuk" in Azerbaijan means bone, and in the local dialect it sounds like "sumat". The fortress has an almost square shape with dimensions of 6.22 meters by 6.02 meters. During the construction of the defense tower used river stone and lime. The walls inside the fortress are built with a slight slope, the higher the taper to the top.
The thickness of the walls on the surface of the earth is 70-80 centimeters, on the upper floors - 60-70 centimeters. On two floors of the tower in the middle of each wall there are places for windows 80 cm wide, and next to them are embrasures. On the third floor only in the west there is a place for a window. The embrasures are located there in such a way as to prevent the attacks expected from the corners and from the side of the tower.
The tower is built in a quadrangular shape at the base, tapering at the top. On each wall of two floors of the four-story tower, one window and two loopholes were installed. The walls of these floors were plastered with mortar. And the fourth floor of the tower is surrounded, unlike other floors, with larger windows.
The construction of Sumug Kala coincides with the period of development and prosperity of the Ilisuinsky Sultanate. At first, this tower was used exclusively as a defensive structure, and then - as housing. During the Caucasian wars, such defense towers played an important role in the confrontation provided by the local population to the enemy. Such defense towers can be found in the mountainous regions of Georgia, in Dagestan and in the North Caucasus. They were built near houses or next to the house as an auxiliary defense building.
Years have done their job. The last floor of the tower, built of burnt bricks, and the roof fell apart, the lower part of the structure was clogged with rubble, sand and earth brought by mudflows. In 2006, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism began restoration work at Sumug Kala at the expense of state funds. The part of the fortress that remained underground was cleared; after the restoration, the monument regained its former appearance. After thorough repair of the five-story defensive tower “Sumug Fortress” in the Gakh district, the area surrounding the tower was laid out of river stone, and an administrative building was built nearby. To facilitate movement to the monument, a new entrance road was made. In order to prevent mudflow from damaging the fortress, a drainage channel was built next to it.
Currently, a branch of the Gakh Museum of History and Local Lore under the name "History of the Ilisuinsky Sultanate" operates inside the fortress. Sumug Kala is of particular interest to local and foreign tourists coming to the area. This tower is protected by the state as a historical and architectural monument.
Sumug Tower is known to millions of people thanks to the film "Do not be afraid, I'm with you." The famous final scene of the battle was filmed here.