Derbent is the southernmost city in the Russian Federation, and it is the second most important city of Dagestan, with a population of over 90.000, the Azeris are the main ethnic group, followed by Lezgin and Tabasaran. The city is built near the western shores of the Caspian sea, on the slopes of the Tabasaran mountains (part of the Bigger Caucasus range). It is well served by transportation, with its own harbour, a railway going south to Baku and the Baku to Rostov-on-Don road. Derbent has a unique strategical location in the Caucasus: the city is situated on a thin strip of land (3km) between the Caspian sea and the Caucasus mountains, controlling land traffic between south-eastern Europe and the Middle east. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in the Russian Federation. Since antiquity the value of the area as the gate to the Caucasus has been understood and Derbent has archaeological structures over 5000 years old. As a result of this geographic particularity the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains till the sea. Along the times different nations gave the city different names, but all connected to the word 'gate'.
The first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century B.C. Until the 4th century A.D. century it was part of Caucasian Albania, when it became part of the Sassanid empire as a strong military outpost and harbour. During the 5th and 6th centuries Derbent becomes also an important centre for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus. During the 630s it was invaded by the Khazar khanate. In 654 Derbent was captured by the Arabs, which transformed it in an important administrative centre and introduced Islam to the area. In the 10th century, with the collapse of the Arab Caliphate Derbent becomes an emirate, until it's invaded by the Mongols in 1239. In the 14th century it was occupied by the hordes of the Tatar warlord Timur. In 1437 it falls under the control of the Shirvan Khan. During the 16th century Derbent is the arena for wars between Turkey and Persia ruled by the Azeri Sefevid dynasty. By the early 17th century the Sefevid Shah Abbas inflicted a serious defeat on the Turks and recoverd Derbent.
By the 1735 Ganja treaty Derbent falls within the Persian state. In 1747 Derbent became the capital of the khanate of the same name. Finally in 1796 it was occupied by Russian forces involved in the 2nd Persian campaign. As a consequence of the Gulistan treaty of 1813 - between Russian and Persia - Derbent became part of the Russian empire. A large portion of the walls and several watchtowers have been preserved in reasonable shape till our days. The walls, reaching until the sea, date from the 6th century, Sassanid dynasty period. The city has a well preserved citadel (Narin-kala), comprising an area of 4.5 hectares, enclosed by strong walls. It's worth visiting the baths, the cisterns, the old cemeteries, the caravanserai, the 18th century Khan's mausoleum, the Armenian Church as well as several mosques: the most interesting built from a 6th century Christian basilica is the Juma Mosque (with a 15th century madrassa); the 17th century Kyrhlyar mosque, the Bala mosque and the 18th century Chertebe mosque.
The city is home to machine building, food (even a brewery and wineries!), textile, fishing and fishery supplies, construction materials and wood industries. The education infrastructure is quite good, there is a university as well as several technical schools. On the cultural front, don't miss the Lezgin drama theatre (S.Stalsky theatre). There a nice vacation colony about 2km from the city ('Chayka' - Seagull). Derbent being in practice a huge museum and with magnificent mountains and shore nearby, a great potential for development of the tourism industry exists, however instability in the region hasn't allowed further development (Russian visa procedures are also not very helpful).
