The Mystery of the Secret Towers of the Himalayas
The Himalayan Towers (also known as the Star-shaped Stone Towers) are a series of towers located mostly in Kham, an ancient province of Tibet, and in Sichuan, China. The towers can be found both near inhabited centers and in uninhabited regions. The plan of many of these structures, which can exceed 60 meters in height, is star-shaped, or have a strictly rectangular perimeter. Who built them? When? And above all, why?
In 1982, French explorer Michel Peissel was on an expedition in Tibet when he first noticed a series of tall, mysterious star-shaped stone towers dotting the Himalayan valleys along the Chinese border.
Unfortunately, Peissel was forced to interrupt his expedition due to an accident that resulted in both his legs being fractured, preventing him from further investigating his discovery.
Many years later, in 1998, Peissel’s friend Frederique Darragon was about to travel to Tibet for research on the snow leopard. Peissel told her he was certain he had seen the towers and asked her to confirm his discovery.
Frederique followed Peissel’s directions, successfully locating the towers, and became so fascinated by them that she decided to abandon her snow leopard project to focus solely on the towers. Her goal was clear: to document all the towers in the region and uncover their history. Darragon spent several months each year traveling solo across China, often on foot and in areas still rarely visited by Westerners today.
After three years of research, Darragon finally identified the first towers while near Danba.
"When I realized that neither Westerners nor the Chinese had studied the towers and that virtually nothing was known about them, I couldn’t resist and began trying to solve their mystery"
the explorer wrote in a report published in the Journal of Cambridge Studies in 2009.
A compelling documentary aired by Discovery Channel, directed and narrated by Michael Peissel, showcases everything that Darragon’s research has uncovered.
The towers, remarkable for their architecture and their impact on the Himalayan landscape, in some cases reach over 60 meters in height and were built between 600 and 1,000 years ago. Some have been incorporated into farming villages, while others stand isolated at altitudes as high as 3,000 meters.
Some towers have been converted into shelters for yaks and ponies, but most remain empty. The towers are scattered across four regions (Qiangtang, Gyalrong, Miniak, and Kongpo), covering an area roughly the size of Texas.
Researchers are haunted by at least two questions: who built them, and what was their original purpose?
Peissel and Darragon have attempted to answer these elusive questions, but the main challenge is the lack of written records. The tribes that have lived in the region for centuries speak different dialects and have no written languages.
"People from one valley can’t communicate with those in the neighboring valley!"
explains Darragon.
However, during her study, Darragon made several surprising discoveries. Some of the towers are as tall as modern 15-story buildings and are able to withstand violent earthquakes due to their unique star-shaped design, an anti-seismic feature that locals have also emulated in building their houses.
Additionally, the explorer discovered that many of the villages where the towers are located share the same names as the 18 kingdoms described in some of the region’s ancient legends. Still, the historical and traditional material available is too limited to propose solid theories about their original purpose.
Darragon, with the help of other researchers, has established a foundation in China to raise funds for the study of the towers. She is also working towards having these monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
“The towers are the only evidence of the existence of refined cultures in these remote lands, and they are destined to become a tourist attraction,”
says Darragon.
“But we need to protect them so that the local people can benefit from them.”
After all, the towers could still be standing 1,000 years from now...
