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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Akhtyn Fortress is a historical monument and an object of cultural heritage of federal significance of the XIX century in the village of Akhty, notable for being the southernmost fortress in Russia.
It was built in 1839 by General E. A. Golovin to protect the occupied territories of the Samur Valley, and it fulfilled its purpose. In 1848, the troops of Imam Shamil during the Samur campaign besieged the fortress, they managed to blow up the powder magazine. But thanks to the actions of Russian troops under the leadership of Golovin, the garrison of the fortress was saved, and Shamil's troops retreated. In Soviet times, it lost its purpose, and there was a winery, the production of cinder blocks, a prison, an orphanage, an Electrosignal defense plant, and even paving slabs and mechanisms for wind-up toys were produced (ist. wiki). Today the fortress is completely abandoned, the preserved premises and walls are gradually being destroyed, and the locals use the territory for walking livestock.
Despite its impressive size and rich history, this is one of those sights of Dagestan that only the most inquisitive tourists reach. The fact is that it is located in the still little tourist area of the Republic in the Samur Valley, which can be reached by private transport or with an expensive individual excursion, and mass tourists are not taken here. And, to be honest, there's not much to see in the fortress. It is closed, you can only walk around it and inspect the fortress walls. If you really want, you can get through the openings of the walls to the territory. There are plans to renovate this facility and open it to the public, but they have been plans for many years.
You can visit the fortress on the way to Akhtyrsky hot springs, in abandoned aul Gra or Zrykhsky waterfall. You will spend no more than 5 minutes near it, and usually a couple of minutes is enough. If you decide to wander around the territory and an abandoned building, then be careful: the fortress is in disrepair and poses a danger due to a possible collapse.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The Akhtyn fortress is located in the village of Akhty 120 kilometers from Derbent in the south of the republic (Akhtyn fortress on the map). Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get here by public transport, it is impossible with a group tour, so it is better to take a taxi or your own car. The nearest convenient tourist city for departure is Derbent.
From the southern bus station of Derbent (southern bus station on the map) minibuses leave early in the morning to Akhta and return after lunch. They go unstable and according to filling, the schedule changes, so everything will have to be clarified on the spot. For a reference point, they leave for Akhta at 05:00-06:00, you need to have time to leave Akhta before 13:00.
If you are traveling around Dagestan on your own transport, then this is great. Then you can come to the Samur valley to see the fortress, visit the Akhtyn springs, abandoned aul Gra, Zrykhsky waterfall and Mount Shalbuzdag. All this can be done in one day (with the exception of Mount Shalbuzdag), but you need to leave early in the morning. Also, on the way from Derbent, you can stop at Samur forest, but you definitely won't be able to see everything at once in one day, you'll have to choose something. Therefore, as an option, you can come to the Samur Valley with an overnight stay and see everything. To do this, there are several hotels and guest houses in the village of Akhty and next to it on the highway, you can also stay at the hotel at the Akhtyn springs or at the hotel "Jeni" next to them. And there are also many convenient and safe places to spend the night with a tent.
The road to Akhta is good, fully paved. On the way, you will pass through the border area with Azerbaijan, and border guards may stop you on the road to check your documents, but no passes are required. When driving along the road directly next to the border after the village of Mugergan, it is better to turn off the mobile Internet on your phone, as sometimes it starts catching foreign towers, and you may find yourself "abroad" with all the costs of mobile Internet roaming.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Dagestan with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: