Derbent
A mosque. A prison. And a mosque again. Derbent - the oldest Djuma-mosque in North Caucasus.
Source : Islam Magazine | Makhachkala | 20 Jan 2012
Derbent is one of the oldest towns that has saved its original look till nowadays. One can hardly find another town that has survived so many invasions and destructions, has been an apple of discord and a scene of bloody battles so many times.
The first Islamic activists and the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had started their charitable mission here.
Qala Quraysh - a famous Quraysh city in Dagestan
Source : islamdag.info | Makhachkala | 02 Jan 2011
Before the Arab invasion Dagestan was divided into many states, where lived various communities who followed their own customs and traditions.
Up to V century A.D. all the territory of Dagestan was the unit of Caucasian Albania, but later its southern part passed under the dominion of the Persians, and the Khazars conquered the other part.
In the middle of VII century the Khazars formed their own state named Khazar Khanate. But this change of government lasted only till Arabs have come to Dagestan.
Derbent - Russia’s oldest city: 5,000 and counting
Source : RT | 15 Dec 2011
RT travels to the country’s southernmost and oldest city. First mentioned by Ancient Greek historians, Derbent maintained strategic importance in the region for millennia and may have been the cradle of Islam in Russia.
The city’s present-day name is Persian in origin and is translated as “narrow gates”. In Arabic it was called Bab al-Abvab, or “the gate of all gates”. Many other names it had over its turbulent history also play on the idea of a closed doorway in one way or another.
