Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly
romanized
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
as Derbend, is a city in
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...
,
Russia, located on the
Caspian Sea. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second-most important city of Dagestan. Derbent occupies the narrow gateway between the
Caspian Sea and the
Caucasus Mountains connecting the
Eurasian Steppe
The Eurasian Steppe, also simply called the Great Steppe or the steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Transnistri ...
to the north and the
Iranian Plateau to the south; covering an area of , with a population of roughly 120,000 residents.
Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia, with historical documentation dating to the
8th century BC, making it
one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the
Persian,
Arab,
Mongol,
Timurid Timurid refers to those descended from Timur (Tamerlane), a 14th-century conqueror:
* Timurid dynasty, a dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage descended from Timur who established empires in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent
** Timurid Empire of C ...
, and
Shirvan kingdoms. In the 19th century, the city passed from
Persian into
Russian hands by the
Treaty of Gulistan of 1813.
Etymology
Derbent is derived from
Persian "''Darband''" (, from ''dar'' “door/gate” + ''band'' “barrier/dam”, lit., “gate in the barrier”), referring to the eastern-most pass in the high
Caucasus Mountains (whence the putative "barrier/dam") on the beaches of the
Caspian Sea. (The other pass, the
Darial Pass, is in Central Caucasus Mountains, and likewise carries a Persian name, standing for "the Alan Pass/gate" with the
Alans being the modern
Iranic Ossetians.)
It is often identified with the
Gates of Alexander, a legendary barrier supposedly built by
Alexander the Great in the
Caucasus. The Persian name for the city came into use at the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century AD, when the city was re-established by
Kavadh I of the
Sassanid dynasty of Persia, but Derbent was probably already in the Sasanian sphere of influence as a result of the victory over the
Parthians Parthian may be:
Historical
* A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran
* Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD)
* Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language
* Parthian shot, an archery skill famously employed by ...
and the conquest of
Caucasian Albania
Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...
by
Shapur I, the second shah of the
Sassanid Persians.
The geographical treatise
Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr written in
Middle Persian mentions the old name of the fortress – ''Wērōy-pahr'' (The Gruzinian Guard):
šahrestan kūmīs panj-burg až-i dahāg pad šabestān kard. māniš *pārsīgān ānōh būd. padxwadayīh yazdgird ī šabuhrān kard andar tāzišn ī čōl wērōy-pahr an ālag. (The city of Kūmīs of five towers Aži Dahag made it his own harem. The abode of the Parthians was there. In the reign of Yazdgird, the son of Šabuhr made it during the invasion of the Čōl, at the boundary of the Gruzinian Guard.).
-Wėrōy-pahr: "The Gruzinian Guard" The old name of the fortress at Darband;...
In Arabic texts the city was known as "''Bāb al-Abwāb''" ( ar, بَاب ٱلْأَبْوَاب, lit=Gate of all Gates), simply as "''al-Bāb''" () or as "''Bāb al-Hadid''" (). A similar name meaning "Iron Gate" was used by Turkic peoples, in the form "''Demirkapi''".
History
Derbent's location on a narrow, three-kilometer strip of land in the
North Caucasus between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus mountains is strategic in the entire
Caucasus region. Historically, this position allowed the rulers of Derbent to control land traffic between the
Eurasian Steppe
The Eurasian Steppe, also simply called the Great Steppe or the steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Transnistri ...
and the
Middle East. The only other practicable crossing of the Caucasus ridge was over the
Darial Gorge.
Persian rule
A traditionally and historically
Iranian city,
[Michael Khodarkovsky]
"Bitter Choices: Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus"
Cornell University Press, 12 mrt. 2015. . pp. 47–52. the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC; the site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of
Caucasian Albania
Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...
which
was a satrapy of the
Achaemenid Persian Empire, and is traditionally identified with Albana, the capital.
The modern name is a
Persian word ( ''Darband'') meaning "gateway", which came into use in the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century AD, when the city was re-established by
Kavadh I of the
Sassanid dynasty of Persia,
however, Derbent was probably already into the Sasanian sphere of influence as a result of the victory over the Parthians and the conquest of Caucasian Albania by
Shapur I, the second shah of the
Sassanid Persians.
In the 5th century Derbent also functioned as a border fortress and the seat of a Sassanid
marzban.
The walls with thirty north-looking towers are believed to belong to the time of Kavadh's son,
Khosrau I
Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...
, who also directed the construction of Derbent's fortress.
[Kevin Alan Brook]
"The Jews of Khazatia"
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 27 sep. 2006. . p. 126.
The Sassanid fortress does not exist anymore, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. 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.
[Robert H. Hewsen, ''Armenia: A Historical Atlas'', 2001, page 89.] The chronicler
Movses Kaghankatvatsi wrote about "the wondrous walls, for whose construction the Persian kings exhausted our country, recruiting architects and collecting building materials with a view of constructing a great edifice stretching between the Caucasus Mountains and the Great Eastern Sea". Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the
Sassanid Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
faith in the Caucasus.
During periods when the Sasanians were distracted by war with the
Byzantines or protracted battles with the Hephthalites in the eastern provinces, the northern tribes succeeded in advancing into the Caucasus. The first Sasanian attempt to seal off the road along the Caspian seacoast at Darband by means of a mud-brick wall has been dated in the reign of
Yazdegerd II
Yazdegerd II (also spelled Yazdgerd and Yazdgird; pal, 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩), was the Sasanian King of Kings () of Iran from 438 to 457. He was the successor and son of Bahram V ().
His reign was marked by wars against the Eastern Roman ...
(438–457 AD).
Movses Kagankatvatsi left a graphic description of the
sack of Derbent by the hordes of
Tong Yabghu
Tong Yabghu Qaghan (r. 618–628 or 630) (also known as T'ung Yabghu, Tong Yabghu Khagan, and Tong Yabğu, Traditional Chinese 統葉護可汗, Simplified Chinese: 统叶护可汗, pinyin ''Tǒng Yèhù Kěhán'', Wade-Giles: ''T'ung Yeh-hu K'o-h ...
of the
Western Turkic Khaganate in 627. His successor,
Böri Shad
Böri Shad (fl. c. 627) ( otk, 𐰋𐰇𐰼𐰃𐱁𐰑, böri šad, , "Wolf governor") was a Turkic prince or general who fought the Persians south of the Caucasus during the Third Perso-Turkic War. In this war the Western Turkic Khaganate was al ...
, 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.
As mentioned by the ''
Encyclopedia Iranica'', ancient Iranian language elements were absorbed into the everyday speech of the population of Dagestan and Derbent especially during the Sassanian era, and many remain current.
In fact, a deliberate policy of “
Persianizing” Derbent and the eastern Caucasus, in general, can be traced over many centuries, from Khosrow I to the
Safavid
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
shahs
Ismail I, and
ʿAbbās the Great.
According to the account in the later "Darband-nāma", after construction of the fortifications Khosrow I “moved much folk here from Persia”, relocating about 3,000 families from the interior of Persia in the city of Derbent and neighboring villages.
This account seems to be corroborated by the
Spanish Arab Ḥamīd Moḥammad Ḡarnāṭī, who reported in 1130 that Derbent was populated by many ethnic groups, including a large Persian-speaking population.
Arab conquest
In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs, who called it the Gate of Gates (''Bab al-Abwab''), following
their invasion of Persia. They transformed it into an important administrative center and introduced
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
to the area. The impression of antiquity evoked by these fortifications led many Arab historians to connect them with
Khosrow I
Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...
and to include them among the seven wonders of the world.
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.
Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the
Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the
Khazars in the course of the
Khazar-Arab Wars. The Sassanids had also brought Armenians from
Syunik to help protect the pass from invaders; as Arab rule weakened in the region at the end of the ninth century, the Armenians living there were able to establish a kingdom, which lasted until the early years of the thirteenth century. 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. 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.
Excavations on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea, opposite to Derbent, revealed the
Great Wall of Gorgan, the eastern counterpart to the wall and fortifications of Derbent. Similar
Sassanian defensive fortifications there—massive forts, garrison towns, long walls—also run from the sea to the mountains.
The Caliph
Harun al-Rashid lived in Derbent and brought it into great repute as a seat of the arts and commerce. According to Arab historians, Derbent, with a population exceeding 50,000, was the largest city of the 9th century in the Caucasus. In the 10th century, with the collapse of the Arab Caliphate, Derbent became the capital of an emirate. This emirate often fought losing wars with the neighboring Christian state of
Sarir, allowing Sarir to manipulate Derbent's politics on occasion. Despite that, the emirate outlived its rival and continued to flourish at the time of the
Mongol invasion in 1239. In the 14th century, Derbent was occupied by
Timur's armies.
Shirvanshah era
The
Shirvanshah
''Shirvanshah'' ( fa, شروانشاه), also spelled as ''Shīrwān Shāh'' or ''Sharwān Shāh'', was the title of the rulers of Shirvan from the mid-9th century to the early 16th century. The title remained in a single family, the Yazidids, a ...
s dynasty existed as independent or a
vassal state, from 861 until 1538; longer than any other dynasty in the
Islamic world
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...
. They were renowned for their cultural achievements and geopolitical pursuits. The rulers of Shirvan, called the Shirvanshahs, had attempted, and on numerous times, succeeded, to conquer Derbend since the 18th Shirvanshah king,
Afridun I, was appointed as the governor of the city. Over the centuries the city changed hands often. The 21st Shirvanshah king,
Akhsitan I, briefly reconquered the city. However, the city was lost once again to the northern
Kipchaks
The Kipchaks or Qipchaks, also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians, were a Turkic nomadic people and confederation that existed in the Middle Ages, inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the 8th century as part of the Se ...
.
After the Timurid invasion,
Ibrahim I of Shirvan, the 33rd Shirvanshah, managed to keep the kingdom of Shirvan independent. Ibrahim I revived Shirvan's fortunes, and through his cunning politics managed to continue without paying tribute. Furthermore, Ibrahim also greatly increased the limits of his state. He conquered the city of Derbend in 1437. The Shirvanshahs integrated the city so closely with their political structure that a new branch of the Shirvan dynasty emerged from Derbend, the Derbenid dynasty. The Derbenid dynasty, being a cadet dynasty of Shirvan, inherited the throne of Shirvan in the 15th century.
In the early 16th century, the kingdom of Shirvan was conquered by
Shah Ismail
Ismail I ( fa, اسماعیل, Esmāʿīl, ; July 17, 1487 – May 23, 1524), also known as Shah Ismail (), was the founder of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, ruling as its King of Kings (''Shahanshah'') from 1501 to 1524. His reign is often c ...
of the Safavid dynasty. As Shah Ismail incorporated all the Shirvan possessions, he also inherited Derbend.
Russian conquest
Derbent in the 1980s
Derbent stayed under
Iranian rule, while occasionally briefly taken by the
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
such as in 1583 after the
Battle of Torches
The Battle of Torches ( tr, Meşaleler Savaşı) was fought in 1583 during the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590). The name of the battle refers to torches used during night clashes. The battle resulted in an Ottoman victory, and had thereby se ...
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.
Being briefly taken by the Russians as a result of the
Persian expedition of 1722–23 by
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
, the 1735
Treaty of Ganja, formed by
Imperial Russia
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
and
Safavid Iran
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
(''de facto'' ruled by
Nader Shah
Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...
), forced Russia to return Derbent and its bastion to Iran. In 1747, Derbent became the capital of the
Derbent Khanate of the same name.
During the
Persian Expedition of 1796, Derbent was stormed by Russian forces under General
Valerian Zubov, but the Russians were forced to retreat due to internal political issues, making it fall under Persian rule again.
As a consequence of the
Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and the resulting
Treaty of Gulistan of 1813, Derbent and wider
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...
were ceded by
Qajar Iran to the
Russian Empire. (For background, see
Russian conquest of the Caucasus#Caspian Coast.)
In the 1886 census of
Dagestan Oblast
The Dagestan Oblast was a province (''oblast'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of present-day southeastern Dagestan within the Russian Federation. The Dagestan Oblast was created in 1860 out of t ...
, as part of Russia's
Caucasus Viceroyalty, people of
Iranian descent (russian: link=no, персы) were still an absolute majority at 8,994 out of 15,265, or 58,9%.
Geography
The modern city is built in the
North Caucasus of
Eastern Europe; 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). Derbent is well served by public transport, with its own harbor, a railway going south to
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
, and the Baku to
Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...
road.
To the north of the town is the monument of the Kirk-lar, or forty heroes, who fell defending Dagestan against the Arabs in 728. To the south lies the seaward extremity of the
Caucasian wall
The Gates of Alexander were a legendary barrier supposedly built by Alexander the Great in the Caucasus to keep the uncivilized barbarians of the north (typically associated with Gog and Magog in medieval Christian and Islamic writings) from i ...
(fifty metres long), otherwise known as
Alexander's Wall
The Gates of Alexander were a legendary barrier supposedly built by Alexander the Great in the Caucasus to keep the uncivilized barbarians of the north (typically associated with Gog and Magog in medieval Christian and Islamic writings) from inva ...
, blocking the narrow pass of the Iron Gate or
Caspian Gates
The Gates of Alexander were a legendary barrier supposedly built by Alexander the Great in the Caucasus to keep the uncivilized barbarians of the north (typically associated with Gog and Magog in medieval Christian and Islamic writings) from i ...
(''Portae Athanae'' or ''Portae Caspiae''). When intact, the wall had a height of and a thickness of about and, with its iron gates and numerous watch-towers, defended
Persia's frontier.
Climate
Derbent has a
cold semi-arid climate (
Köppen climate classification ''BSk'').
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Derbent serves as the
administrative center of
Derbentsky District
Derbentsky District (russian: Дербе́нтский райо́н; lez, Дербент район; az, Дәрбәнд раjонy, italic=no, Dərbənd rayonu) is an administrativeLaw #16 and municipalLaw #6 district (raion), one of the forty ...
, even though it is not a part of it.
[Law #16] As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of Derbent—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
.
As a
municipal division, the City of Derbent is incorporated as Derbent Urban Okrug.
[Law #6]
Demographics
According to the 1897 census, Derbent had 14,649 inhabitants, 9,767 of whom were Tatar (later known as
Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijanis
* Azerbaijani language
See also
* Azerbaijan (disambiguation)
* Azeri (disambiguation)
* Azerbaijani cuisine
* Culture of Azerbaijan
The culture of Azerbaijan ...
) speakers (66.7%) and 1,004 were
Russian speakers (6.9%).
In 1916, Derbent had a population of 31,168 consisting of 7,919
Shia Muslims (25.4%), 7,567
Russians (24.3%), 6,879
Jews (22.1%), 5,138
Caucasian highlanders (16.5%), 2,604
Armenians (8.4%), and 1,061
Sunni Muslims
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
(3.4%).
According to the
2010 Census, the main ethnic groups in the city are:
*
Lezgins (33.7%)
*
Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...
(32.3%)
*
Tabasarans
Tabasarans are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern part of the North Caucasian Republic of Dagestan. Their population in Russia is about 150,000. They speak the Tabasaran language. They are mainly Sunni Muslims. ...
(15.8%)
*
Dargins
Dargins or Dargwa (, ''darganti'') are a Northeast Caucasian native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus, and who make up the second largest ethnic group in the North Caucasian republic of Dagestan. They speak the Dargwa language. The ...
(5.6%)
*
Russians (3.7%)
*
Aghuls (3.2%)
*
Jews (1.1%)
*
Rutuls
Rutuls, Rutulians ( rut, Мыхабыр, Mykhabyr) are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native to Dagestan and adjacent parts of Azerbaijan. According to the 2010 Russian Census, there were 35,240 Rutuls in Russia. In 1989 Soviet Census in A ...
(0.8%)
Jewish community
Jews began to settle in Derbent in ancient times. During the Khazars' reign, they played an important part in the life of the city. The Jewish traveler
Benjamin of Tudela
Benjamin of Tudela ( he, בִּנְיָמִין מִטּוּדֶלָה, ; ar, بنيامين التطيلي ''Binyamin al-Tutayli''; Tudela, Kingdom of Navarre, 1130 Castile, 1173) was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe, Asia, an ...
mentions Jews living in Derbent in the 12th century, and Christian traveler Wilhelm of Rubruquis writes about a Jewish community in the 13th century. The first mention of Jews in Derbent in modern times is by a German traveler, Adam Olearius, in the 17th century.
Derbent's Jewry suffered during the wars in the 18th century. Nadir Shah of Persia forced many Jews to adopt Islam. After the Russian conquest, many Jews of rural Dagestan fled to Derbent, which became the spiritual center of the
Mountain Jews. The Jewish population numbered 2,200 in 1897 (15% of total population) and 3,500 in 1903. In the middle of the 20th century, Jews constituted about a third of the population of Derbent. In 1989, there were 13,000 Jews in the city, but most emigrated after the
dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
. In 2002, there were 2,000 Jews with an active synagogue and community center.
The chief rabbi of Derbent, Obadiah Isakov, was badly injured in an assassination attempt on July 25, 2013, sparking concerns of further acts of
anti-Semitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
targeting the Jewish community. In 2016, the Jewish population was down to 1,345.
Economy and culture
The city is home to machine building, food, textile, fishing, and fishery supplies, construction materials, and wood industries. It is the center of Russian
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
production. The educational infrastructure includes a university as well as several technical schools. On the cultural front, there is a Lezgin drama theater (named after S. Stalsky). About two kilometers () from the city is the vacation colony of Chayka (Seagull).
The Soviet novelist
Yury Krymov
Yury Krymov (russian: Ю́рий Кры́мов) is the pen name of Soviet novelist Yury Solomonovich Beklemishev (Ю́рий Соломо́нович Беклеми́шев; 19 January 1908 – 20 September 1941). The variants Yuri Krimov and Iu ...
named a fictional motor tanker after the city in his book ''
The Tanker "Derbent"''.
Theaters
Derbent has 3 state and 1 municipal theaters.
*State Azerbaijan Drama Theater
*State Lezgin Music and Drama Theater named after S. Stalsky
*State Tabasaran Drama Theater
*
Judeo-Tat Theatre
The Judeo-Tat Theatre in Derbent, Dagestan, Russia specializes in staging plays with themes related to the lives of Mountain Jews, which are created mainly by Mountain Jews. The plays are performed in the Judeo-Tat language (Juhuri).
The foundin ...
Citadel of Derbend
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 current fortification and walls were built by the Persian
Sassanian Empire as a defensive structure against hostile nomadic people in the north, and continuously repaired or improved by later Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan, and Iranian kingdoms until the early course of the 19th century, as long as its military function lasted. The fortress was built under the direction of the Sassanid emperor
Khosrow (Chosroes) I.
A large portion of the walls and several watchtowers still remain in reasonable shape. The walls, reaching to the sea, date from the 6th century,
Sassanid dynasty
The Sasanian dynasty was the house that founded the Sasanian Empire, ruling this empire from 224 to 651 AD in Persia (modern-day Iran). It began with Ardashir I, who named the dynasty as ''Sasanian'' in honour of his grandfather (or father), Sasa ...
period. The city has a well-preserved citadel (Narin-kala), enclosing an area of , enclosed by strong walls. Historical attractions include the baths, the cisterns, the old cemeteries, the caravanserai, the 18th-century Khan's mausoleum, as well as several mosques.
Religious monuments
As of 1865, the city had: 1 - Russian and 1 - Armenian church; 1 - Sunni and 16 - Shiite mosques, as well as 3 synagogues.
Mosques
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Juma Mosque
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
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is the oldest mosque in Russia and the
CIS
Cis or cis- may refer to:
Places
* Cis, Trentino, in Italy
* In Poland:
** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central
** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north
Math, science and biology
* cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...
. Built over a 6th-century Christian basilica; it has a 15th-century
madrasa.
* Bala-mosque is a mosque at the gates of Orta-kapa. In 1796 it was destroyed during the siege of the city by General
Zubov. Restored in 1812.
* Kilis-mosque is a mosque. It is located in the 7th district. In 1823-1853 the mosque served as a church. Now it is called Tovba Mesjidi.
* Kyrhlyar-mosque is a mosque at the gates of Kyrhlyar-kapa. Built in 1626-1627 by order of
Shah Abbas. Another name is Shah Abbas Mesjidi. Rebuilt several times.
* The Minaret-mosque is the only mosque in the city with a minaret. Construction dates back to the XIII-XIV centuries. Rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century. The minaret is 11.5 meters high.
* Chertebe-mosque is a mosque in 1 mahal. Construction dates back to the 17th century. Rebuilt at the end of the 19th century. Completely demolished in the 1960s.
Churches
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Armenian Church of the Holy All-Savior is an architectural monument of the XIX century. Built in 1860. After the completion of the overhaul and restoration work, in May 1982, a museum of fine arts (a branch of the republican museum of fine arts) was opened in it. The museum became part of the State Museum-Reserve as a department of "Carpets and arts and crafts".
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Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin is an Orthodox church. Built in 1899, opened in 1900.
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Cathedral of St. George the Victorious of Derbent
The Cathedral of St. George the Victorious (russian: Собор Святого Георгия Победоносца) was the main Russian Orthodox Church in the city of Derbent,Kozubsky E. I. History of the city of Derbent. Temirkhan-Shura. 1906 ...
was the main Russian Orthodox Church in the city of Derbent. Demolished in 1938.
Synagogues
* The
Derbent Synagogue
The Derbent Synagogue, it's also known as Kele-Numaz (russian: Дербентская синагога "Келе-Нумаз";
he, בית הכנסת דרבנט "קל-נומז") is the only synagogue in the city of Derbent, a city in the Russian ...
is the only synagogue in the city. The center of the spiritual life of the Jews of Derbent. Built in 1914. In 2009 the synagogue building was reconstructed. It was reopened on March 22, 2010.
Cemeteries
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Kyrkhlyar
The Kyrkhlyar ( az, forty) is an old and revered cemetery in the city of Derbent, a city in the Russian Republic of Dagestan. The oldest active Muslim cemetery in Russia.
Description
It is located less than a kilometer north of the gates of Kyrkh ...
is an old and revered cemetery established in the
7th century
The 7th century is the period from 601 ( DCI) through 700 ( DCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Common Era. The spread of Islam and the Muslim conquests began with the unification of Arabia by Muhammad starting in 622. After Muh ...
. It is the oldest active
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
cemetery in Russia.
''
* M. S. Saidov, ed., Katalog arabskikh rukopiseĭ Instituta IYaL Dagestanskogo filiala AN SSSR (Catalogue of Arabic manuscripts in the H.L.L. Institute of the Dāḡestān branch of the A.N. of the U.S.S.R.) I, Moscow, 1977.
* Idem and A. R. Shikhsaidov, “Derbend-name (k istorii izucheniya)” (Darband-nāma. On the history of research),” in Vostochnye istochniki po istorii Dagestana (Eastern sources on the history of Dāḡestān), Makhachkala, 1980, pp. 564.