Old Town in Derbent

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

The old district or Magala district is the historical part of the ancient city of Derbent, and it was from here that the history of the oldest city in Russia began. A walk along the old narrow and winding streets past low old residential buildings and ancient architectural monuments will undoubtedly become one of the most memorable moments of rest in Derbent.

The city of Derbent originates with the construction by the Persians in the VI century of two powerful fortress walls (north and south), which depart from the walls of the fortified fortress of Naryn-Kala towards the sea. These walls used to reach the very coast of the Caspian Sea and blocked the entrance to uninvited guests. They are parallel to each other and were about 3 kilometers long.

Today, the northern part of the wall is better preserved, it runs from the walls of Naryn-Kala further along Kerim Mammadbekov Street and goes to the sea. The entrance through it was carried out through the gate, of which only three have survived: Dzharchi-kapy, Kyrkhlyar-kapy, Dash-kapy.

The southern part of the wall was partially demolished during the sprawl of the city. Access roads to the main entrance to Naryn-Kala run along it. The gates of yuzhnaya are also not all preserved, only: Kala-kapy, Bayat-kapy and Orta-kapy.

Ancient Derbent originated within these later city walls, and today it is one of the most visited places in the city with well-preserved architectural monuments and unique historical sites. At least the following attractions are located and worth visiting:

• Juma Mosque
• Museum "Culture and life of ancient Derbent" in the old maiden bath
• Oriental men's bath
• Kyrkhlyar Mosque
• Kyrkhlyar Cemetery (located outside the Old Town)
• Armenian Church and Carpet Museum
• Bestuzhev-Marlinsky House Museum
• The minaret of the VIII century
• Jarchi-Kapa Gate
• Bayat-Kapa Gate
• The gates of Orta-Capa
• Kyrkhlyar-Kapa Gate

And this is only a small part of the architectural and historical monuments of the district. In fact, there are many more of them, and during the walk you will constantly come across old objects marked with information signs.

Local travel companies offer ready-made hiking tours along the streets of the Old Town with a tour of the Naryn-Kala Fortress costing from 1500 rubles. But it will not be difficult to walk around the area on your own, because everything is provided and well equipped for this: signs and maps are installed, there are information signs on the most important sights. During the walk, you can take a break in one of the colorful family cafes, drink tea or coffee in a coffee shop, go to a souvenir shop.

💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Makhachkala with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites:

• 📷 Search for excursions in Derbent on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 Search for excursions in Derbent on Tripster.ru