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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Transfiguration Fortress in Dagestan is a historical monument, an ancient Russian fortification built in 1859 to protect the road along the valley of the Andiyskoye Koysu River. Initially, the fortress was located in another place higher in the mountains, but later, due to severe climatic conditions and the outbreak of a malaria epidemic, it was moved lower closer to the river and to the newly built iron bridge. In 1912, a company of the 207th Novo-Bayazetsky Regiment stood in the fortification, and after the 1917 revolution it was abolished.
Currently, the fortress is in an abandoned state, but well preserved. It consists of a fortress wall, three towers from the barracks building. Periodically, the authorities remember it and make plans for its restoration and transformation into a full-fledged tourist site. In the meantime, you can visit it freely, go inside and enjoy the views that open from the hill of the fortress to the surroundings. However, in order to get to it, you will have to travel very far from the main tourist places of Dagestan, and whether it is worth it, of course, is up to you to decide. In the meantime, we recommend visiting it if you follow the route from Dagestan to Lake Kezenoyam in Chechnya or in the opposite direction.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The Transfiguration Fortress is located in the Gunibsky district, 35 kilometers from Gunib (by the shortest route) and 150 kilometers from Makhachkala (Transfiguration Fortress on the map). You can visit it only by private transport or with individual excursions, you can't get there by public transport. If you decide to get here from Gunib, the navigator will offer you two routes:
- Through the dam Gunibskaya HPP and the village of Murada leads a short route of 35 kilometers. This is a bad dirt road, along which in good weather you can easily drive any car, but you will have to overcome the pass with a large climb and subsequent descent. We do not recommend going this way.
- Detour on asphalt through Kurmi, Kikuni, Chalda 52 kilometers. Although this road is longer, you will get there without adventures and faster.
Inexpensive group excursions to the village are not held, at least we have not met such. Therefore, you will have to go here with an individual guide-driver.
💥 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: