Zaraysk.
Zaraysk is a small town that lies 120 kilometers southeast from Moscow. It was originally settled in the 12th century, but was burned down or otherwise destroyed several times by nomadic tribes. The last time, it was burned by Mongols under Khan Batu in 1237. In that time, this land was part of the Ryazan principality--one of the main competitors of the Moscow principality. In 1521, together with the entire Ryazan Principality, the town was annexed to the Moscow Principality. Zaraysk became an outpost near the southern border of the principality, and a target of devastating raids of Crimean Tatars during the entire 16 th century. During the period of 1528-1531, by order of Vasily III, a stone kremlin with seven towers was built here. The walls of the new fortress were three meters thick and nine meters high. The new fortress was a powerful fortification, since the Osiotr and Monastirka rivers were natural barriers ...