Derbent is the most ancient cities in the Russian Federation.It is located in Dagestan, on the Caspian Sea.It is not known the exact date of the founding of the city, but historians believe that his age - not less than 5000 years.The main attraction of the settlement is the Derbent Fortress.Photos presented in this publication, enabling you to see the beauty and grandeur of the ancient fortification.
strategic purpose complex
around Derbent Fortress was built to protect the peoples who inhabited the West Asia and the Caucasus, from the devastating invasions of northern nomads.It is a massive defensive complex, which consisted of urban, maritime, mountain walls and Naryn-Kala (citadel).The ancient buildings were built during the reign of the Sassanid dynasty.By its power of they are not inferior to the Great Wall of China.
City was not the most favorable strategic position and was vulnerable from the Caucasus mountains and the sea, so local people paid special attention to strengthen it.Massive walls surrounding municipalities from all sides, have become reliable protection from invaders.
theory of the origin attractions
historians have not managed to find out who built the fortress of Derbent.In this regard, there are a lot of legends.One legend says that the founder of the city and fortress were breathing fire giants who inhabited the land before the humanity.
There is another version of the appearance of Derbent and fortresses around him.According to her, the founder of the ancient city was Alexander the Great.The great commander ordered the construction between mountains and sea impregnable walls topped its towers and set in it the iron gates to strangers can not enter here.Many historians this fortification complex versions of the legend say, as Alexander had never been to describe the land.But the fact of the existence of different versions of the appearance of a defensive complex testifies to its significance in the lives of Southerners.
Naryn-Kala
examining photos of the Derbent fortress, it can be seen that the center of the defensive structures is a huge citadel Naryn-Kala.They are all parts of the complex its stone walls best preserved, which gives visitors the opportunity to admire this wonder unto ancient architecture in all its glory.Naryn-Kala city stretches along 700 m. The thickness of its walls is sometimes 3.5 m and a height of 20 m. Citadel stands on the top of 300-meter steep hill.Steep slopes reliably protect it from enemy invasion from the east and north.The southern part of fortification equipped with steps, and on its walls are broad platform used today by tourists to explore the panorama of the city and the Caspian Sea.
Derbent Naryn-Kala fortress is a structure of irregularly shaped area of 4.5 hectares.Its walls are decorated with numerous towering ridges, located at a distance of 25-35 m from each other.In the southwest corner stands a large tower, which connects the citadel of the city walls.
internal construction
Inside the citadel, you can see the ancient khan baths with windows in roofs and buildings that have survived to our time (they lie in ruins).One of these buildings was the cross-domed church V century., Later converted into a Muslim religious institutions.Also, in the citadel it was located in the oldest Russian Juma mosque, founded in the VIII.In ancient times there was the Khan's palace, but today its place remained only ruins, which is difficult to judge the beauty of this structure.
Particularly noteworthy are two stone water tank located inside the citadel.They were built in the XI century Byzantine masters.The containers were placed large reserves of water, which allowed the fortress to withstand the long besieged city invaders.Fluid flows into reservoirs from springs on special ceramic, and metal pipes.Due to the population of the city was provided with water even in the most difficult times and did not surrender to the enemy.But not always an impregnable fortress of Derbent.History contains information when the enemy managed to capture the city, poisoned springs and leaving its defenders without water.
Citadel served not only defensive but also the administrative center of the city.It housed the Chancery, judgment, and dungeon (dungeon), out of which the prisoner was impossible.Its walls are arranged at an angle, and a criminal, caught in limbo, forced to die of hunger.The prison is the ruins of the Khan's palace.
antiquity lovers enjoy visiting the museum opened in the citadel.In it are exhibited household items, pottery, stone tools, jewelery, weapons, coins and so on. D. The age of some rarities has several millennia.
the central site rises guardhouse, built in 1828 (after Dagestan became a part of Russia).In this building today kept the painting, which depicts Derbent.Outside the guardhouse decorated with anchors and cannons tsarist times.
Other parts of the defensive structures
Derbent fortress, which seek to bring photos from Dagestan all the tourists are attracted not only the stronghold, but its walls.Their length in the city is 3.6 km.The north and south walls were built parallel to each other.The distance between them varies from 300 to 400 meters.Doug bars (rock wall) stretched for 40 km in the direction of the Caucasus Mountains.Unfortunately, she could not survive in its original form: in many places, the structure collapsed.Sea wall covered the entrance to the city by the Caspian Sea.She plunged into the water and it extends nearly half a kilometer.As Doug bars, sea wall preserved in fragments.
Gate in the walls of the fortress defense system was a little small, but very strong gate through which in ancient times it was possible to get to Derbent.They not only defended the city, but is its decoration.The gates opened for guests allies and merchants.Inputs were located in different parts of the fortress.They still preserved elements of the rich decor, which can judge how beautiful they were in ancient times.Doors, looking to the north, where in Derbent could come hostile nomads looked massive and intimidating.In contrast to their southern entrance to the city was elegant and solemn.Today it is difficult to establish the exact number of gates, as not all of them survived.
names of attractions in different languages
Derbent Fortress has always impressed travelers with its size and power.Foreigners are allowed to different names, but almost all of them attended the word "gate".It is not surprising, because the walls of the fortress were a large number of strong doors through which to penetrate the enemy in Derbent was impossible.The ancient Greeks called fortification Caspian Gates, the Arabs - Bab al-Abva (main), Georgians - Dzgvis Kari (sea), and Turkish residents - Temir Kapysy (Iron).
hypothesis of a single defensive wall
Anyone who is interested in the history of Derbent and the Derbent fortress, it will be interesting to learn about the scholars expressed in the beginning of the last century, the theory that in ancient times existed in Eurasia continuous fortification line dividing the continent in half.To the north of it inhabited by nomadic tribes in the south - the farmers.Sedentary people have suffered from attacks of nomads and to protect their land erected a defensive wall.Historians have mapped all the fortifications that existed at different times of the Eurasian continent, and found themselves overwhelmed.The Abkhaz, Caucasian, Crimean, Derbent, Balkan wall, the Roman ramparts, the Great Wall and other ancient city buildings, many of which have survived to the present day, in the distant past formed an unbroken chain.And though expressed the theory is not recognized official historical science, it makes think seriously about the past of mankind.
