Mar/21

The ancient citadel of Naryn-Kala in Derbent

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in History, Travel

Derbent is a city located on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the Republic of Dagestan in southern Russia. It is located in the most strategically vulnerable place of the Caspian Gates, where the Greater Caucasus Mountains come closest to the sea, leaving only a narrow 3-km strip of plain.

The Derbent fortress was part of a large defensive system constructed to protect the peoples of Transcaucasia and Western Asia from the invasions of nomads from the north. The system included the walls, the citadel of Naryn-Kala, sea walls, and the Dag Bara Mountain Wall. Naryn-Kala Citadel on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

Naryn-Kala is a citadel founded in the 6th century AD and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. One of the translations of the name Naryn-Kala from the Middle Persian language into Russian is “The Sun Fortress”. According to other sources, it received the name Naryn in honor of the daughter of the Persian Shah, which means “tender”, “beautiful”.

The citadel occupies the top of the hill closest to the sea. In the past, the path along the coast was blocked by two parallel fortress walls (the Derbent wall), adjoining the citadel in the west, and going into the sea with the eastern end, preventing the bypass of the fortress in shallow water and forming a harbor for ships.

The medieval town of Derbent lay between the walls, which were 350-450 m apart. To the west of the citadel, the Dag Bara Mountain Wall stretched for 40 km, designed to prevent bypassing the fortress along the mountain valleys and passes. This fortress played an important defensive role for centuries.

The irregularly shaped citadel covers an area of 4.5 hectares. It is approximately 180 meters wide and 255 meters long; the walls are fortified with small towers (at a distance of 20-30 m from each other) and a gun tower in the southwest. Additional protection from three sides was provided by the steep slopes of the mountain.

Baths, the water supply system of the fortress made of ceramic pipes, and the ruins of the Shah’s palace have been preserved inside the citadel. Outer walls up to 3 meters thick continue to surround Naryn-Kala along the perimeter.