ancient.eu - Derbent Derbent (sometimes "Derbend" or "Darbend") is an ancient city located along the Caspian Sea in what...

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Derbent -Warmed-overHistory Encyclopedia Follow Us: Membership Encyclopedia Index Timeline Explore Videos Images AudioWaresToolsWarmed-overAtlas Weights & Measures Random Page Latin Dictionary Newsletter Contribute Submissions Needed Content Style Guide Terms & Conditions Join the Team Shop Men's Clothing Women's Clothing Magazines Prints BooksWell-nighAbout Our Team Annual Reports Contact Privacy Advertise Support Us Membership How to Help Donate Corporate Sponsorship Login Login Register Derbent Definition by James Blake Wiener published on 01 October 2018 Derbent (sometimes "Derbend" or "Darbend") is an warmed-over municipality located withal the Caspian Sea in what is present-day Russia. Although the zone in and virtually Derbent has been continuously inhabited since at least the 8th century BCE, Shah Yazdegerd II (r. 438-457 CE) of the Persian Sasanian Empire founded Derbent in 438 CE as a fortress municipality to prorogue raids from nomadic peoples into the Caucasus from Central Asia. Derbent can requirement to be the oldest occupied municipality in Russia, and it is the southernmost Russian city, lying only 50 km (31 miles) from the verge with Azerbaijan. Derbent is renown for its citadel (“Naryn-Kala” or “Dagh Bary” in Persian) and its imposing walls that stage from the 6th century CE. Derbent prospered for over 1,500 years under Persian, Arab, Turkish, Azeri, Mongol, Timurid, and Russian rule due to its position on the Silk Road and geostrategic importance as the gateway to the Caucasus. UNESCO supposed Derbent's citadel, warmed-over city, and defensive walls to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 CE. Geography The municipality of Derbent is located in southern Russia in what is present-day Dagestan. The Dagestani capital, Makhachkala, is located 127.5 km (79 miles) to Derbent's northwest. Derbent is situated quite tropical to the throne of the Samur River, the Rubas River, and the Sukhodol River within the Caucasus Mountain range. Blessed with a warm climate, Derbent is meantime Russia’s oldest and southernmost city, and it abords the Caspian Sea. Derbent’s success as a municipality and importance in history is rooted in its special geographic location. Remove Ads Advertisement Advertise Here Derbent’s success as a municipality & importance in history is rooted in its special geographic location.  The Caucasus Mountains near Derbent are less 3 km (1.8 miles) from the shores of the Caspian Sea, meaning that the mountains scrutinizingly proffer directly to the seashore. Derbent thus was an essential zone in the management of the spritz of peoples moving to and from the Caucasus. Throughout its warmed-over and medieval history, Derbent was only one of two crossings through the Caucasus mountain range, and the municipality attracted the sustentation of foreign merchants traversing the famed Silk Road as well as the notice of unconfined military powers. In Persian, Derbent is worked from the recipe of “dar,” meaning “gate,” and “band,” meaning “knot” or “barrier.” Early history People have long recognized the strategic importance of the zone in and virtually Derbent. It was the Greek historian Herodotus who first mentioned Derbent's unusual geographical features in his writings well-nigh Scythian activities in the Near East; however, archaeologists working in the 1970s CE have shown that the hilltop on which Derbent's citadel now rests has been settled since the 8th century BCE. An plane older fortress once existed here, and it was likely built by warmed-over peoples to withstand incursions from the Scythians. Curiously, Alexander the Great, has been traditionally associated with Derbent and its fortress; he is said to have ordered the construction to defend his newly conquered lands in the south from the barbarians to the north, but there is no substance to this legend. A small town grew up virtually this warmed-over fortress in the 4th century BCE, and it is probable that the Roman unstipulated Pompey mentions this same town and fortress in the finance of his c. 65 BCE wayfarers to the Caucasus. This warmed-over fortress, during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, was under the tenancy of the Caucasian Kingdom of Albania, which make-believe as a buffer state between the Romans and the Persians. The Persian Sasanian Empire annexed the Caucasian Kingdom of Albania c. 252-253 CE, rendering it little increasingly than a vassal. It should be noted that the Caucasian Kingdom of Albania had moreover make-believe as a vassal state to the Roman Empire on several occasions as well. Remove Ads Advertisement Advertise HerePursuitthe construction of Derbent's fortified walls by Shah Yazdegerd II (r. 438-457 CE), Derbent withstood numerous attacks over the next 300 years by the White Huns, Khazars, and other nomadic tribes that threatened the Persian heartlands. Construction of the current citadel, fortified walls, and municipality walls began c. 570 CE at the request of Shah Khosrow I (531-579 CE) who is widely remembered by Persians today as one of their greatest rulers. The Khazars - cooperating to the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Heraclius (r. 610-641 CE) during the Third Perso-Turkic War (627-629 CE) - attacked and seized Derbent in 627 CE. Although a devastating unravelment of the siege and Derbent’s fall is imparted by the 10th-century CE Armenian historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi in his The History of the Country of Albania, the Khazars soon lost Derbent themselves to the Arabs c. 643 CE. Medieval & Early modern Derbent The Arabs were impressed by Derbent's size and wealth, and they profoundly appreciated the citadel and the mighty walls of Derbent. They tabbed the municipality “Bab al-Abwab” or the “Gate of Gates.” They associated the municipality with Surah Al-Kahf in the Qu'ran, which narrates Alexander the Great's efforts to construct a gigantic iron gate to alimony people from the north out of Persia. Under Arab rule, the municipality flourished as an entrepôt on the Silk Road, and the Arabs unceasingly strengthened and reinforced Derbent’s walls and citadel during their rule of the municipality until the late 10th century CE. They moreover synthetic the Juma Mosque, the oldest mosque in Russia, in 734 CE over the remains of an old Christian basilica. The city’s population swelled to well-nigh 50,000, and the prestigious Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-809 CE) plane lived in Derbent for a short duration. Many Jews, Georgians, and Armenians came to settle in Derbent, giving the municipality a cosmopolitan savor in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Era. Derbent remained relatively prosperous as it reverted hands from the Arabs to the Seljuk Turks to the Azeris to the Mongols and Timurids, and when to the Persians over the undertow of seven centuries. Under Persian Safavid rule (1501-1736 CE), Derbent lay tropical to the frontier region with the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Although it was taken once by the Ottoman Turks in 1583 CE pursuit the Persian defeat at the Battle of Torches during the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578-1590 CE), it remained in Persian hands until 1813 CE when the Russians occupied and annexed Derbent and Dagestan. There was, however, a unenduring period of 12 years in which the Russians occupied Derbent from 1723-1735 CE. Remove Ads Advertisement Advertise Here Derbent’s Walls & Citadel Derbent’s warmed-over city, citadel, wall, and other constructions imbricate an zone of virtually 10 ha, extending likewise outward some 200 ha from there as a buffer zone. Derbent contains two walls that are located approximately 300-400 m untied and proffer nearly 4 km (2.5 miles) from the mountain citadel to the Caspian Sea. These walls moreover proffer nearly 500 m (1640 ft) into the Caspian sea itself to protect Derbent’s harbor. A total of nine out of the original 14 warmed-over gates survive. During the wall’s construction in the late 6th century CE, the Sasanians employed dry brickwork and made blocks on lime mortar. Originally 73 defense towers were constructed, and 46 of those were located in a portion of Derbent’s northern wall. An impressive mountain wall make-believe as a line of defense, spreading over a remarkable 40 km (25 miles) in a westward direction yonder from Derbent and through the Caucasus Mountains. The citadel of Derbent is located upon a lofty enclosure of three slopes, and it is protected by enormous walls, which are 2.5-3.2 m (8.2-10.5 ft) thick, 10-15 m (33-49 ft) in height, and 700 m (2297 ft) in length. The citadel contains a number of important archaeological remains, warmed-over and medieval structures, and plane an Islamic bathhouse. Derbent’s commercial districts lie tropical to the waterfront and thus between the parallel defense walls. Sadly, one of the southern walls was destroyed in the late 19th century CE. The modern municipality part-way grew near the seafront, and it expanded rapidly in the 20th century CE. Derbent’s old district contains mosques, elegant old homes, and the ruins of a medieval caravanserai.  Editorial Review ThisVendiblehas been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and trueness to wonk standards prior to publication. LearnIncreasinglyRelatedWaresBooks Bibliography Cite This Work LicenseWell-nightheTragedianJames Blake Wiener James is a writer and former Professor of History. He holds an MA in World History with a particular interest in cross-cultural mart and world history. He is a co-founder ofWarmed-overHistory Encyclopedia and its Communications Director. Remove Ads Advertisement Advertise Here Help us write increasingly We're a small non-profit organisation run by a handful of volunteers. Each vendible financing us well-nigh $50 in history books as source material, plus editing and server costs. You can help us create plane increasingly self-ruling wares for as little as $5 per month, and we'll requite you an ad-free wits to thank you! Become a Member Recommended Books Sorry, we haven't been worldly-wise to find any books on the subject.   Bibliography "Derbent as Russia’s Oldest City? Think Again, Moscow Says" -- New York Times "How has Russia’s oldest mosque stood for 1,300 years?" -- Russia Beyond the Headlines "Russia’s oldest city: 5,000 and counting" -- RT Citadel,Warmed-overCity and Fortress Buildings of Derbent -- UNESCO DAGH BARY -- Encyclopaedia Iranica DARBAND -- Encyclopædia Iranica Derbent Silk Roads -- UNESCO Çiçek, Kemal, Kuran, Ercüment. TheUnconfinedOttoman-Turkish Civilisation. (University of Michigan, 2000). Andreeva, E. Russia and Iran in theUnconfinedGame. (Routledge, 2007). Bonner, M., "Al-Khalīfa Al-Marḍī: The Accession of Hārūn Al-Rashīd," Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol. 108, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1988): 79-91. Cuneo, P., "LE MURA DI DERBENT: Note sulla topografia e la morfologia urbana di una città-stato del limes islamico nell'area caucasica," Rivista degli studi orientali Vol. 59, Fasc. 1/4 (1985): 57-75. Dashdondog, B. The Mongols and the Armenians. (BRILL, 2010). Gadjiev, M., "On the ConstructionStageof the Derbend Fortification Complex," Brill Iran & the Caucasus, Vol. 12, No. 1 (2008): 1-15. Mikaberidze, A. Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World[2 volumes]. (ABC-CLIO, 2011). Powell, E. A., "The Shah'sUnconfinedWall," Archaeology Vol. 61, No. 4 (July/August 2008): 36-41. Cite This Work APA Style Wiener, J. B. (2018, October 01). Derbent.Warmed-overHistory Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Derbent/ Chicago Style Wiener, James B. "Derbent."Warmed-overHistory Encyclopedia. Last modified October 01, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/Derbent/. MLA Style Wiener, James B. "Derbent."Warmed-overHistory Encyclopedia.Warmed-overHistory Encyclopedia, 01 Oct 2018. Web. 01 Oct 2018. License Written by James Blake Wiener, published on 01 October 2018 under the pursuit license: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the tragedian and license their new creations under the identical terms. Remove Ads Advertisement Advertise Here Add Event Timeline Visual Timeline 438 CE Fortress of Derbent is founded by Shah Yazdegerd II. c. 570 CE Construction of the current citadel, fortified walls, and municipality walls begins at Derbent at the request of Shah Khosrow I. 627 CE Khazar wade on Derbent. c. 643 CE Derbent in Arab hands. 2003 CE Derbent's citadel, warmed-over city, and defensive walls are supposed to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Remove Ads Advertisement Advertise Here Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter and learn increasingly well-nigh history once a week. 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