Derbent experienced a period of considerable prosperity in the first three centuries of the Common Era, but the resumption of nomad raids in the 4th century (the Alans and later the Huns) meant that it quickly reverted to its role as a frontier post and a "symbolic boundary between nomadic and agrarian ways of life". Derbent is the southern-most city in Russia, and over 1,500km south of Moscow. Architectural Complex Citadel Naryn-Kala: The witness of great history - See 104 traveler reviews, 452 candid photos, and great deals for Derbent, Russia, at Tripadvisor. Крепость Нарын-кала. In 1747, Derbent became the capital of the Derbent Khanate of the same name. Institute of the Dāḡestān branch of the A.N. In 2002, there were 2,000 Jews with an active synagogue and community center. Derbent is situated on the shore of Caspian Sea, at a spurs of Tabasaran Mountains - a part of Great Caucasus. Том 1", http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2018/bul_dr/mun_obr2018.rar, https://web.archive.org/web/20180726010024/http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/doc_2018/bul_dr/mun_obr2018.rar, "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек", "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров", Derbent - Russia’s oldest city: 5,000 and counting, "Derbent as Russia's Oldest City? «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Дагестан», в ред. There has been a fortress here since very ancient times and sections of the current structure date back to the 6th c ad. ... Derbent. [1] As a municipal division, the City of Derbent is incorporated as Derbent Urban Okrug. The Soviet novelist Yury Krymov named a fictional motor tanker after the city in his book The Tanker "Derbent". [5], The main ethnic groups are (2002 Census):[43][44]. When intact, the wall had a height of 9 m (29 ft) and a thickness of about 3 m (10 ft) and, with its iron gates and numerous watch-towers, defended Persia's frontier.[22]. AC worked well. Already in Classical Antiquity, the settlement of Derbent and its wider region (the "Caspian Gates") were known for their strategic location between the Caspian Sea and the eastern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, separating the settled regions south of the Caucasus from the nomadic peoples dominating the Pontic–Caspian steppe to the north. The only other practicable crossing of the Caucasus ridge was over the Darial Gorge. [14] In the 5th century Derbent also functioned as a border fortress and the seat of a Sassanid marzban. View of Derbent city from the fortress wall (Dagestan, Russia 'Barred gate', from dar “gate” + band “bar,” lit., “barred gate”[13]), referring to the adjacent pass. Derbent is the oldest cultural center of Dagestan Republic, the birthplace of its spiritual and material culture, it is where art, art crafts, written language, values of Islam and other world religions spread from. On the cultural front, there is a Lezgin drama theater (named after S. Stalsky). They transformed it into an important administrative center and introduced Islam to the area. Despite that, the emirate outlived its rival and continued to flourish at the time of the Mongol invasion in 1239. Map of the Sasanian fortifications at Derbent, by Roderich von Erckert, The citadel of Naryn-Kala and the walls of Derbent, Section of the "mountain wall" of Dagh-Bary, Background and first fortifications at Derbent, Creation of the Sasanian fortification complex, BBC: Dagestan gunmen kill one at south Russia fortress, UNESCO: Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fortifications_of_Derbent&oldid=989635833, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 November 2020, at 03:36. Derbent resembles a huge museum and has magnificent mountains and shore nearby, and therefore possesses much touristic potential, further increased by UNESCO's classification of the citadel, ancient city and fortress as a World Heritage Site in 2003; however, instability in the region has halted development. The room is large with equipped with new furniture. Nice restaurant facilities nearby as well. Derbent is derived from Persian "Darband" (Persian: دربند‎, lit. 'Gate of Iron'). It is clear that the most important thing in Derbent is the fortress, well preserved, although rebuilt many times. Derbent is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea Derbent city view from above. A UNESCO World Heritage site in Dagestan partially collapsed after heavy rain. Derbent claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world and the southernmost one of the Russian Federation. The bed was comfy. Idem and A. R. Shikhsaidov, “Derbend-name (k istorii izucheniya)” (Darband-nāma. This emirate often fought losing wars with the neighboring Christian state of Sarir, allowing Sarir to manipulate Derbent's politics on occasion. The 21st Shirvanshah king, Akhsitan I, briefly reconquered the city. A mosque. Опубликован: "Дагестанская правда", №81, 12 апреля 2002 г. Народное Собрание Республики Дагестан. Within the framework of administrative divisions, Derbent serves as the administrative center of Derbentsky District, even though it is not a part of it. Historically, this position allowed the rulers of Derbent to control land traffic between the Eurasian Steppe and the Middle East. The impression of antiquity evoked by these fortifications led many Arab historians to connect them with Khosrow I and to include them among the seven wonders of the world. Derbent is well served by public transport, with its own harbor, a railway going south to Baku, and the Baku to Rostov-on-Don road. Hardliner Islamic groups shot tourists in 2015. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second-most important city of Dagestan. 'The Gate') or as "Bāb al-Hadid" (Arabic: بَاب ٱلْحَدِيد‎, lit. There are also various Middle Persian (Pahlavi) inscriptions on the walls of the fortress and Northern/Southern walls inside the city. Закона №43 от 30 апреля 2015 г. I stayed at the Hotel Elit for one night in July 2015. [15], "-Wėrōy-pahr: "The Gruzinian Guard" The old name of the fortress at Darband;..."[16], In Arabic texts the city was known as "Bāb al-Abwāb" (Arabic: بَاب ٱلْأَبْوَاب‎, lit. This settlement initially covered only the more protected northeastern side of the hill (some 4–5 hectares), but over the 6th–4th centuries BCE expanded to cover its entire surface (c. 15 hectares). Закон №16 от 10 апреля 2002 г. [47] [14] The Darband fortress was certainly the most prominent Sasanian defensive construction in the Caucasus and could have been erected only by an extremely powerful central government. [14] The geographical treatise Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr written in Middle Persian mentions the old name of the fortress – Wērōy-pahr (The Gruzinian Guard): "šahrestan [ī] kūmīs [ī] panj-burg až-i dahāg pad šabestān kard. Derbent occupies the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian Steppe to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. [14], The 20-meter-high (66 ft) walls with thirty north-looking towers are believed to belong to the time of Kavadh's son, Khosrau I, who also directed the construction of Derbent's fortress.[23]. The old Armenian Church, now used as a venue and Museum, Russian Orthodox Church of the Intercession, Putin visiting an exhibition dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of Derbent in the State Historical Museum, Почта России. On the history of research),” in Vostochnye istochniki po istorii Dagestana (Eastern sources on the history of Dāḡestān), Makhachkala, 1980, pp. Derbent Travel Guide; All Derbent Hotels; Derbent Hotel Deals; Last Minute Hotels in Derbent; By Hotel Type. [1], From the 4th century BCE, the settlement began to expand beyond the hill fortress, which became a citadel to an expanding city. Derbent is renown for its citadel (“Naryn-Kala” or “Dagh Bary” in Persian) and its imposing walls that date from the 6th century CE. Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. This is an incredible site over 15 centuries old, set right btw the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mtns. [24] Some say that the level of the Caspian was formerly higher and that the lowering of the water level opened an invasion route that had to be fortified. In the middle of the 20th century, Jews constituted about a third of the population of Derbent. There was also a second Armenian church, and two Armenian schools which served the Armenian community, which numbered about 3,000 in the census of 1913. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. māniš [ī] *pārsīgān ānōh būd. The modern city is built near the western shores of the Caspian Sea, south of the Rubas River, on the slopes of the Tabasaran Mountains (part of the Bigger Caucasus range). His successor,[citation needed] Böri Shad, proved unable to consolidate Tong Yabghu's conquests, and the city was retaken by the Persians, who held it as an integral domain until the Muslim Arab conquest. Out of the window next to the reception desk (3rd floor) you have a great view of the castle. The fortification complex was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. And a mosque again. [30][31] The Holy Saviour Armenian Church still rises up in the skyline, though it is used as the Museum of Carpet, Arts and Crafts today due to the decline in the Armenian population. A prison. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. He conquered the city of Derbend in 1437. After the Russian conquest, many Jews of rural Dagestan fled to Derbent, which became the spiritual center of the Mountain Jews. From a small early Bronze-age settlement to one of the biggest medieval cities of the Eastern Europe, the city of Derbent has a unique urban structure. In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List, highlighting the following sites: Derbent Wall- a double wall built in t… Russia. They were renowned for their cultural achievements and geopolitical pursuits. The walls of that settlement were some 2 metres (6.6 ft) high and maximally 7 metres (23 ft) thick, with evidence of repeated destruction and rebuilding throughout the period. Russia. Other shrines include the 17th-century Kyrhlyar mosque, the Bala mosque and the 18th-century Chertebe mosque. Derbent stayed under Iranian rule, while occasionally briefly taken by the Ottoman Turks such as in 1583 after the Battle of Torches and the Treaty of Constantinople, till the course of the 19th century, when the Russians occupied the city and wider Iranian-ruled swaths of Dagestan.[32][33][34][35][36][37][38].