Photograph of the Mamelon hill and the Malakoff fort, taken from the front of the mortar batteries. To the right is the wall of the battery with open land behind. The Mamelon and Malakoff can be seen in the distance. The Mamelon hill and Malakoff fort were both of stragetic importance during the Crimean War. The Battle of Malakoff, at which the French captured the Malakoff tower, ended the Siege of Sevastopol after eleven months.