The village of Lars is located at the narrowest point of the Darial gorge, one of the two passes through the Greater Caucasus Range (the other is near Derbent in Dagestan).
Therefore, the pass has held strategic importance since ancient times—according to Georgian chronicles, first fortifications to defend the gorge existed as early as the II century BCE.
This tower was likely built in the Middle Ages, as its relatively narrow form was common in the Caucasus during that period.
Possible builders of this fortification include the Alans.
These Iranian-speaking tribes appeared in the Caucasus in the IV century.
In the IX century,they founded the state of Alania, located in the foothills of the North Caucasus (it lasted until the XIII century).
Alternatively, a possibility is the Ossetian Dudarov princes, who controlled Lars up until the XVIII century.
In addition to the fact that the tower stands on land once under Dudarov control, there is further evidence supporting this theory: the Dudarov princes built another tower in Ingushetia.
The remains of both towers there share a similar square shape and also gradually taper toward the top.