Makhachkala is the capital of Dagestan. What sets it apart from other cities lying on the coast of the Caspian Sea is that the port of Makhachkala does not freeze in winter.
The history of the founding of Makhachkala is as follows. In 1844, Russian troops built military fortifications on this site. A city began to form around them, which received the name Petrovsk. This name was chosen due to the fact that during the Persian campaign the troops of Peter the Great were based here. In 1870, a port was built, which turned Petrovsk into an important industrial center. The modern name was given to the city in 1921 in honor of Makhach Dakhadaev, a Dagestan revolutionary of the early 20th century.
The modern name was given to the city in 1921 in honor of Makhach Dakhadaev, a famous revolutionary in Dagestan at the beginning of the 20th century.
The distance from Moscow to Makhachkala is just over 1810 kilometers. You can get to the capital of Dagestan by plane, car or by buying a train ticket.
Photo: Suleiman Nabiev
The symbol of the city is a monument to a Russian teacher (on the map). It has special meaning for local residents. Teachers who came from Russia and remained to live and work here were treated with special gratitude, respect and honor. A 10-meter bronze monument in the form of a young woman with a book and a globe was installed in a park near Lake Ak-Gol.
Under the monument site is located one of the youngest museums in the city – the Museum of the History of Makhachkala, built in 2007. As a rule, museums are ready to present their collections to visitors by the time they open, but in this case everything was completely different. The museum’s fund began to grow thanks to the efforts of its employees, who began to purchase interesting exhibits from city residents. Today there are already several thousand of them. The main attraction of the museum is a collection of old photographs of Petrovsk and its inhabitants.
Photo: culture.ru
In the very center of Makhachkala there is another interesting museum – “Dagestan Aul” (on the map). It stores the cultural heritage of the peoples of Dagestan: household and art objects, clothing, tools, weapons. The museum consists of four halls; creative master classes are often organized for visitors, where anyone can create, for example, an element of a traditional Dagestan costume or learn the basics of carpet weaving. “Dagestan Aul” is open to visitors every day except Monday.
Photo: islam.ru
The snow-white central Juma Mosque (on the map) is visible from almost any district of Makhachkala. From Arabic the word “Juma” is translated as “Friday”. It is on this day of the week at exactly noon that Muslims gather in the mosque to offer public prayer to Allah. The Juma Mosque is considered one of the largest in Europe and can accommodate up to 17 thousand believers. Initially, the mosque was quite modest in size, but every year it expanded due to the addition of new “wings”.
Photo: Georgy Agapov
In Makhachkala, representatives of the Christian denomination have been treated with respect since ancient times. In 1890, a small wooden church was built in the city, and 15 years later it was replaced by a beautiful stone cathedral, which is now called the Holy Assumption Cathedral (on the map). It is noteworthy that the vault and walls of the temple were painted by Muslim artists.
In 2014, the cathedral was presented with copies of the Gifts of the Magi, which were transferred by monks from the Monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos. Currently, there is a Sunday school at the temple, as well as an Orthodox library and a charity canteen for all those in need.
The Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts is considered one of the best museums in the Caucasus (on the map). The most complete and large-scale collection of objects and examples of decorative and applied art of Dagestan, as well as unique paintings by local artists, is collected here. The museum features exhibitions of weapons, paintings and sculpture. You can view the exhibits on any day of the week except Monday. The entrance ticket price for an adult is 100 rubles, and schoolchildren and children under 12 years old can enter for free.
Photo: nat-geo.ru
From Makhachkala you should definitely get to the Sarykum dune, which is located just 18 kilometers from the city (on the map). This is the highest sand dune in all of Eurasia. Its height reaches 262 meters.
This small piece of old desert, lying between the sea and the mountains, is truly impressive! On its slopes you can count more than 300 species of plants. When traveling through the dune, do not forget about safety measures, because here you can easily find scorpions, tarantulas and poisonous snakes.
Photo: Suleiman Nabiev
Before leaving, you should definitely check out the local souvenir shops. Folk crafts are very developed in Makhachkala, so you can easily find inexpensive and beautiful handmade jewelry in tourist shops. Silver items made by local craftsmen are most popular among travelers. Knives with the famous Kubachi ornament and colorful hats are also purchased as souvenirs.
Searching for a hotel, booking a room and paying will not take much time if you do it on the website or in the OneTwoTrip application.
