Today we will talk about the ancient city of Derbent, known in history as the Iron Gate. Every stone a chronicle of eternity, every fortress a living history — the ancient land of Derbent is today considered a tourism center located on the Caspian Sea coast of our northern neighbor, Russia. The Derbent Fortress, the Gates of the Forty, Dashkapi, Naryn-Kala, and the “Mahallar” district — populated solely by Azerbaijanis — are among the most visited sites by local and foreign tourists.
With a history dating back 5,000 years and still preserving its national identity, where the Azerbaijani language echoes through its streets, we present a report from the Iron Gate Derbent by APA’s special correspondent in Russia, Farid Akbarov.
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We are in the Iron Gate Derbent… One of the cities historically inhabited by Azerbaijanis since ancient times, located between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus mountain range, and the southernmost settlement with city status in the Russian Federation… Derbent, which is part of the Republic of Dagestan, is located 258 km from Baku and just 65 km from the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan.
I had read so much about Derbent in history and literature books that I was eagerly looking forward to my visit to this city. The main reason I gladly accepted the invitation to the media tour organized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Dagestan was precisely because of Derbent. Mentioned in the epic of Kitabi-Dede Gorgud — the monumental literary heritage of Azerbaijani Turks and the entire Turkic world — Derbent is said to be the burial place of Dede Gorgud himself. It was once ruled by Fatali Khan, the Khan of Quba, and is the birthplace and final resting place of his wife, Tutu Bike Khanum…
Derbent — the ancient homeland of the Turkic people...
Our interlocutor, an honorary resident of the city of Derbent and our compatriot Huseynbala Huseynov, states that Derbent is an ancient Turkic settlement: “The tomb of Dede Qorqud is in Derbent. According to sources, the Book of Dede Qorqud was written in the Derbent dialect. If the tomb of Dede Qorqud is in Derbent and this epic was written in the Derbent dialect, then there is no doubt that this place is a Turkic settlement. That is why we take pride in living in this city.”
When Derbent is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is the fortress, a monument from the 6th century, and its famous six gates. The gates of Derbent Fortress are Charji, Kyrkhlar, Yeni, Bayat, Dashgapi, and Naringala...
What is the meaning of the word "Derbent"?
Solmaz Heydarova, a native expert and the chief specialist at the Derbent City Tourism Development Center, explains that the word "Derbent" comes from the Persian words "Darü" and "band," meaning the lock of gates. According to her, out of the original 14 gates, only 9 have been preserved to this day: "The place we are currently at is the Narinkala gate. Narinkala is formed from the Turkish words 'narınj' and 'qala' (fortress). The total length of the Derbent fortress walls is 42 kilometers. If you look at the fortress walls, it is clear that it was a very strong defensive fortress."
Dərbənd şəhərinin turizmin inkişaf mərkəzinin baş mütəxəssisi həmyerlimiz Solmaz Heydərova “Dərbənd” sözünün farscadan “Darü” və “band”, yəni, qapıların kilidi anlamını verdiyini bildirir. Onun sözlərinə görə, o vaxtkı 14 qapıdan bu günə kimi ancaq 9-u qoruyub saxlamaq mümkün olub: “Hazırda olduğumuz yer Narınqala qapısıdır. Narınqala türkcədən tərcümədə “narınc” və “qala” sözlərinin birləşməsindən yaranıb. Dərbənd qalasının divarlarının ümumi uzunluğu 42 kilometrdir. Qalanın divarlarına nəzər yetirsəz, onun çox güclü mühafizə qalası olduğunu görmək mümkündür”.
The neighborhoods inhabited exclusively by Azerbaijanis...
As you go down from the Derbent fortress towards the sea, the famous neighborhoods come into view. Yes, neighborhoods inhabited exclusively by Azerbaijanis... that is, districts... The historical names of the neighborhoods—Bayatqapi, Bazar, Charchi—have simply been replaced by numbers.
The neighborhoods somewhat resemble Baku’s “Icheri Sheher” and its old districts. Elders sit on the street, next to the fortress walls, playing dominoes and speak only Azerbaijani among themselves... It is even possible to come across signs on the streets written in Azerbaijani, using the Latin alphabet.
The Azerbaijani elders, of course, speak in Russian with the foreign journalists who are participating in the media tour with me.
“You know, 60–70 percent of Derbent’s population are Azerbaijanis. We are the majority here. Only Azerbaijanis live within the ancient part of the city. Azerbaijanis have been here for centuries. This is the best part of Derbent. Our ancestors lived here, and our children and future generations will live here too,” — the Azerbaijanis of Derbent tell foreign journalists in their interviews.
“The 44-day war is a source of pride for us. Now we walk with our heads held high.”
Huseynbala Huseynov, who once held various high-ranking positions in the city of Derbent, was born and raised in this very city. He received his higher education in Baku, at the Institute of Oil and Chemistry. According to him, he worked in Baku for three years. Later, he returned to his ancestral land, Derbent, worked in various positions, including serving as the head of Derbent’s executive authority for 7 years: “My father and grandfather are buried here. I have seen the graves of my grandfather, his father, and his father. I am proud to be a resident of Derbent. Azerbaijanis live here very well. We live in harmony with other nationalities. My grandchildren are in Baku, I have many friends there. I talk to them by phone. Now the border is closed, it’s hard to go. My heart aches, I want to see Baku. I don’t have much time left, I’m already 83 years old. We are proud that Azerbaijan exists, that we have such a republic. The 44-day war is a source of pride for us. Now we walk with our heads held high,” – Huseynbala’s eyes fill with tears.
We also had the opportunity to ask a question to the head of the republic, Sergey Melikov, regarding the participation of Derbent Azerbaijanis in Dagestan’s socio-political life.
We also had the opportunity to ask a question to the head of the republic, Sergey Melikov, regarding the participation of Derbent Azerbaijanis in Dagestan’s socio-political life.
“The mayor of the ancient city of Derbent, the southernmost city of Russia, is an ethnic Azerbaijani. Therefore, there is no need for further explanation. In addition, Azerbaijanis are considered one of the titular, that is, indigenous peoples of Dagestan. Dagestan is the only subject of the Russian Federation where Azerbaijanis are considered a local, indigenous people. This is not only because Azerbaijanis live compactly in Derbent. There are also quite a few Azerbaijanis living in Makhachkala and Kaspiysk. When positions in government bodies are distributed, representatives of all titular peoples, including Azerbaijanis, are taken into account,” – said the head of Dagestan in response to our question.
A city with a mosque in every neighborhood... and even one of the oldest mosques in the world...
One of the things that pleasantly surprised me in Derbent was the presence of a mosque in every neighborhood of the old city, as well as the fact that the Azerbaijanis of Derbent are generally religious. In every "mahal" (neighborhood), it was common to see banners and slogans related to the month of Muharram. It is no coincidence that the oldest mosque on Russian territory is also located in Derbent — the Derbent Juma Mosque.
The Derbent Juma Mosque is a historical monument dating back to the 8th century. It is also considered one of the ten oldest mosques in the world. Currently, the mosque is undergoing restoration. With funding from the Russian government, the country's oldest mosque is being restored.
"Restoration work on the mosque began back in 2019–2020. Today, we are in the final stages of that work. President Vladimir Putin visited here. After his visit, the restoration work started progressing very quickly," says our fellow compatriot and tour guide, Solmaz Heydarova, who was assigned to the media tour.
We also had a conversation with the Derbent Juma Mosque’s akhund (chief cleric), our fellow Azerbaijani Seyid Nagi Mirteyyubov:
"We are residents of the city of Derbent, we were born here, and our fathers and grandfathers all served in this mosque. They passed down this ancient mosque to us."
The Girkhlar Cemetery — the Derbent cemetery, one of the oldest burial sites in the Caucasus...
One of the historical monuments proving that Derbent was among the first settlements to adopt Islam is the Girkhlar Cemetery. The cemetery is located about one kilometer north of the Girkhlar Gate entrance of the Derbent Fortress. Established in the 7th century, the cemetery is believed to be the burial site of 40 companions of the Prophet Muhammad. According to medieval Arab sources and the local historical chronicle "Derbendname," the cemetery is connected to the first Arab campaign against Derbent led by Salman ibn Rabiah al-Bahili.
According to one legend, during a six-day battle between Arab conquerors and local inhabitants, 40,000 and 20,000 soldiers were martyred, respectively. The 40 Arabs were buried in the Girkhlar Cemetery. Later, several other graves were added to the site. Girkhlar is part of the city's northern cemetery. The cemetery consists of two rectangular sections, large and small, joined along their longer sides. The large section contains three rows of 40 ancient chest-shaped tombstones, while the smaller section has a single row.
The tombstones are box-shaped, up to 3.2 meters in length, 80 cm in height, 70 cm in width, and 10–12 cm in thickness. Within the large section, there are headstones reaching up to 185 cm in height. The cemetery is visited by Muslims as a sacred site where companions of the Prophet Muhammad are believed to be buried.
The mausoleum of Tutu Bike khanum, the wife of Fatali Khan, the Khan of Guba, is located in the Girkhlar Cemetery. Tutu Bike khanum, along with Fatali Khan's sons Ahmad Khan, Hasan Khan, and his daughter-in-law Nurjahan khanum, are buried in this mausoleum.
“Send greetings and prayers from the people of Derbent to Azerbaijan!”
It is evening in Derbent. The call to prayer echoes from the mosques. But the hustle and bustle in the mahallas continues. Just like in “Icherisheher” in Baku, here too, local handwoven carpets and souvenirs are sold on the streets. An elderly man selling carpets looks at me and says in a Quba or perhaps Baku’s Zira village accent, “We are Azerbaijanis”...
“May I be a sacrifice for Baku… You know Baku… it makes me want to cry. My father’s aunt got married and moved to Baku. All her children are there. May I be a sacrifice for Baku’s soil… In every prayer, we ask Allah for this road to open. Send greetings and prayers to Azerbaijan… from the people of Derbent…”
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