The Balkan mountain villages have plenty of towers that were used by men to escape blood feuds after a murder, when any of them could be targeted in retribution - leaving the women to do all the work. However, the iconic 400-year old stone tower of Zef Kol Koceku in Thethi was used more benignly for locking up the accused for 15 days, while a wise man judged the case and tried to reconcile the affected families. Until the practice ended a century ago, some 300 conflicts were resolved this way.
