Skull Tower, 2km from the centre of Niš, was built by the Turks in the early 19C in retaliation for the Serb uprising. After the Battle of Čegar, the commander of the victorious Turks ordered the heads of the fallen Serbs to be cut off, the skin of the heads padded with straw sent to the Sultan in Istanbul, and a tower erected with the 952 skulls, 58 of which have survived to this day. This macabre warning did not, however, deter the proud Serbs from rebelling again.