Naryn-Kala Fortress (Dagestan) is a visiting card of the city of Derbent. This citadel was included in the honorary list of UNESCO as a historical and cultural monument of world significance. To date, the walls, gates and towers of the defensive complex have been preserved. Inside the fortress are water tanks and reservoirs, baths, a cross-domed church and the Juma mosque. These last two temples are the oldest in the Russian Federation.
There is still a debate among scientists about how old Naryn-Kale is. The earliest buildings of the fortress date back to the sixth century, and the latest to the fifteenth. Let’s take a virtual tour of this ancient defensive structure.
Naryn-Kala fortress: history
The city of Derbent itself is more than five thousand years old. It is believed that the citadel, called Naryn-Kala, that is, the Solar Fortress, began to build Shah Kavad in the sixth century. His son, Khosrov the First Anushirvan, continued the work of his father and erected a fortress wall blocking the passage between the Caucasus and the Caspian. It is believed that its length was forty kilometers. The wall went into the sea, thereby blocking the way for the barbarians from the north in shallow water and providing the defenders of the citadel with a convenient port. But all these buildings belong to the pre-Arab period of the early Middle Ages. But modern archaeological research has discovered that on the territory of the Naryn-Kala fortress (Derbent), there was an older settlement surrounded by a wall of raw brick. It dates from the reign of Yazdigerd the Second (438–457 years) and refers to the late Albanian-Sarmatian and Sassanid periods. But that is not all. Raw bricks were laid on a stone basement. Apparently, this masonry belongs to the defensive walls of Derbent , which existed five thousand years ago.
Where and why was Naryn-Kala built
In the early Middle Ages, the Persian state was constantly subjected to raids by nomad barbarians from the steppes near the Volga delta. Therefore, it was decided to block the so-called Caspian Gates between the spurs of the Dzhalgan Range and the sea. Persistent and reliable masonry of thick and high walls was impregnable for weapons of those times. But even later Naryn-Kala fortress withstood many sieges. After all, the defenders helped the terrain. On three sides, the slopes of the hill on which the citadel stands are very steep.
The fort, unlike previous fortified complexes, was not a settlement. He stood at a distance from Derbent and was inhabited by guards guarding the narrow passage. But the fortress was also the residence of the Marzpan - Iranian governors. Therefore, it soon became an important administrative, commercial, and cultural center.
Powerful citadel
Until now, people are shocked by the defensive ability of the fortress. Its shape is dictated by the outlines of the relief. Naryn-Kala fortress is an irregular polygon outlined by walls three meters thick. Builders used lime mortar and stone blocks for brazing. The height of these walls is ten to twelve meters. Towers run along the perimeter - at a distance of about 20-30 m from each other. The area of the fortress is four and a half hectares. At the southwestern tip of the stronghold is a square tower, which is a lintel with a wall of Dag-bar, covering the “Caspian passage”. One part of it went into the sea, and the other into the mountains. Four yards are located at different levels of the fortress. From the side of Derbent, the citadel guarded a very steep slope of the mountain. So the stronghold could be taken only in the presence of artillery. What happened in 1796, during the Russo-Persian war.
Internal buildings of the Naryn-Kala fortress
The citadel guarding the northern borders of Persia was prepared for a possible long siege. For an autonomous water supply system, underground canals were conducted leading from mountain springs to stone reservoirs inside the fortress. One of these tanks was ... the Christian church. This cross-domed building was erected in the fourth or fifth century. Later it was used as a temple of fire worshipers - Zoroastrians. When Islam was established on these lands, the building was abandoned. It gradually went underground and began to be used as a reservoir for storing water. Paradoxically, but thanks to this, the church has survived to our time. This is the oldest Christian church in Russia.
The Juma mosque belongs to medieval monuments of architecture. She is also the oldest in Russia. Its construction dates back to the eighth century. But in subsequent centuries, the building was rebuilt several times. In the fifteenth century, madrassas were erected in front of the mosque. Was in the citadel of Naryn-Kala (Derbent) and the Shah's palace. But he came to us in ruins.
Buildings of New time on the territory of Naryn-Kala
The fortress, and with it the city, did not lose their strategic importance at the sunset of the Middle Ages. Derbent khans settled in the citadel. They turned the Naryn-Kala fortress into their residence. The Shah's palace was abandoned, but new khan's chambers were erected on the territory of the citadel in the eighteenth century (during the reign of Fet-Ali). In addition, the complex was replenished with administrative buildings. This is zindan (prison cellars), a sofa-khan (office). Here the remains of Derbent rulers rest in mausoleums.
Khan baths (XVI – XVII centuries) have also been preserved. A guardhouse belongs to the Russian buildings of the nineteenth century. Now in this building is located the Derbent Picture Gallery.
Archaeological excavations
In the twentieth century, historians began to work in the fortress to establish the true age of Naryn-Kala. Of course, the construction of the citadel and the construction of the defensive wall of Dag-bar, covering the Derbent passage, date back to the sixth century. But archaeological research extended the age of the settlement back centuries. It turns out that as early as the eighth century BC there was a fortified settlement. The stratigraphy of cultural strata indicates that it was going through a difficult history. Alternations of ash indicate that graying has experienced many fires. But the place on the top of the hill, on which the Naryn-Kala fortress now rises, has never been empty. Control over the passage between the Caspian and the Caucasus has always been important in military and commercial relations. The settlement grew steadily and developed until the Sassanid penetration.
Open-air museum
In 1989, the State Historical and Architectural Reserve was established. It includes the ancient districts of the city of Derbent and the museum complex “Naryn-Kala Citadel”. The security zone covers 2044 hectares. On such a vast territory there are about two hundred and fifty cultural and historical monuments. These are public and residential buildings, Christian and Muslim temples, archaeological artifacts excavated by excavations. But not only the citadel is interesting for tourists. It is worth going to the Old Town. Derbent, whose name translates from Persian as “Locked Gate”, has always been inextricably linked with its fortress. In 2003, the UNESCO Committee included in the list of the world heritage of mankind this entire historical and architectural complex. And in 2013, according to the results of the vote held among Russian citizens, the Derbent fortress took the fifteenth place among the most famous and iconic sights of our country.
Naryn-Kala: excursion
What do you need to see a tourist who independently visited the citadel? A fragment of the khan's palace of the eighteenth century is open for viewing. It will also be interesting to look at the baths. This semi-basement structure is divided internally into two large halls. Several small rooms with a vaulted roof adjoin them. The Zindan Underground Prison is also worth a visit. This building is eleven meters deep and has the shape of a jug. The sloping walls did not give the prisoners any opportunity to climb up. The most beautiful of all the gates of the fortress are Horta-kala in the southern wall. You should also familiarize yourself with the citadel’s water supply system. Stone and ceramic pipes have been preserved. And in Derbent itself, residents still take water from the fountains of Haibulah and Dgiarchi-bulah, which is supplied from mountain springs according to an old aqueduct. And of course, you can’t leave the citadel without visiting the Juma mosque and the old Christian church.