Dagestan is the pearl of the Caucasus, a country of mysteries and mountains, from time immemorial attracting a huge number of travelers, poets, artists, writers. This mysterious region has been famous since ancient times for its we alth of customs, hospitality, and the peaceful beauty of picturesque mountain landscapes. Huns and Romans, Mongol-Tatars and Turks, Khazars and Arabs fought for the right to own this land for thousands of years.
Dagestan today
Now it is the southernmost region of Russia and the largest republic in the North Caucasus in terms of the number of inhabitants. The entire territory, covering an area of fifty thousand square kilometers, is majestic mountains, sandy sunny beaches of the Caspian coast, high-mountain glaciers, steppes, subtropical liana forest and, of course, cities and villages of Dagestan. Large reserves of gas and oil have been discovered here, and there is a large copper deposit. But the main we alth of the region is its population, a unique ethnic community of more than a hundred nationalities and nationalities! Nowhere else in the world do such diverse people live in such a small area.
Cities of Dagestan
The cultural and administrative center of the republic is Makhachkala, which has a population of more than six hundred thousand people. This is a young city, it is only 165 years old. Makhachkala was founded as a Russian fortification during the Persian campaign, when Peter the Great camped in these places. However, not all cities of Dagestan are so young; one of the most ancient Russian settlements, Derbent, is also located here. This Persian name dates back to the sixth century and translates as "gate lock". The city justifies its name: it blocks a narrow passage along the Caspian coast. In ancient times, townspeople settled between two fortress walls, which began at the Naryn-Kala citadel, which is on a high bank, went down and went into the sea. Derbent has grown over many centuries, has become modern, but even now the streets of the old city, ancient mosques and ancient mausoleums keep the spirit of that time and oriental charm.
List of cities in Dagestan
The main we alth of the region is in its history, original and unique culture, art of peoples. Here, modern civilization is adjacent to ancient monuments, minarets and towers, stone fortresses. In total, there are more than six thousand historical monuments on the territory of the republic. Whatever cities and regions of Dagestan you visit, you will see unique cultural sites everywhere.
There are forty-two districts, ten cities and nineteen urban-type settlements in the region. There are 1610 rural settlements here, of which 701 are villages. Most of the settlements with non-Slavic population,officially designated as villages, are historically referred to here as auls. The cities of Dagestan are Makhachkala, Derbent, Dagestan Lights, Khasavyurt, Kaspiysk, Izberbash, Kizilyurt, Buynaksk, Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk, Kizlyar. Each of them is interesting in its own way.
From Dagestan Lights to Kizlyar
Dagestan fires are a satellite of Derbent. Both cities are growing rapidly, inevitably approaching each other. Located on the Caspian coast, at the foot of the Greater Caucasus, it contrasts sharply with its neighbor. The Dagestan Lights seem to be arguing with the mighty Derbent all the time, defending the right to exist. This is the youngest Dagestan city. In ancient times, the area was famous for natural gas outlets, and in 1914 the Malyshev brothers, industrialists from Astrakhan, built a plant here that worked on combustible gas. The settlement was named - Dagestan Lights, and then acquired the status of a city.
Another interesting place on the map of Dagestan is Khasavyurt, a city that arose at the end of the seventeenth century. On the right bank of the Yaryk-su River in 1840, the Khasavyurt military fortification was erected, which later became a settlement. Now it is the administrative center of a large district, representing Dagestan in miniature in ethnic composition. About 135 thousand people live in the city, representing more than thirty nationalities and nationalities.
All cities of Dagestan are original and beautiful. Buynaksk is the first capital of the region, famous for the Cavalier-Battery rock, on top of which the Mongol conqueror Tamerlane pitched his tent at one time. Izberbash is a city of oilmen, founded quite recently at the foot of the Pushkin-Tau mountain on the desert coast of the Caspian Sea. Kizlyar is a settlement that was mentioned in the annals of 1652, and later became the center of winemaking and viticulture. Kaspiysk is the brainchild of the first Soviet five-year plans, the name of which was given by the gray-haired Caspian, and life - the Dagdiesel plant.
Unique Land
One of the most hospitable and most beautiful corners of Dagestan is the Dakhadaevsky district. Past, present and future are closely intertwined here. Every year, hundreds of tourists come here to see Kubachi with their own eyes - a village of goldsmiths who make filigree jewelry, jugs, dishes, sabers and much more.
No matter where you go in Dagestan, you will find amazing places everywhere, meet amazing people everywhere. Words cannot describe the beauty of the local canyons, mountains, rivers, the beauty of the souls of the people inhabiting the republic. Dagestan needs to be felt. Dagestan must be seen. You need to live in Dagestan!
