These towers are iconic structures from the early Middle Ages in this region. Some of them are 1,000 years old.

Svan towers (Georgian: სვანური კოშკი) refer to the tower houses built as defensive dwellings. These tower houses are common in the Georgian historical region of Svaneti. The oldest are dated 8th or 9th century, the newest was built in the 18th century. A Svan tower is on average 20 to 25 meters high and has four or five, more rarely six floors. The ground floor, whose walls are up to 1.5 meters wide, usually has no doors and no windows. The entrance is usually at the level of an upper floor. The upper part of the tower is narrower than the lower one, and the width of the walls also decreases to 0.7-0.8 meters. The floors are connected by a wooden ladder. At the upper part of the tower ends in a so-called crown with roof. On each side of the tower has holes. The Svan towers are either rebuilt into residential buildings or are vacant.