In recent years, it seems that no other region of our country has aroused such great interest from tourists as Dagestan. It is understandable, because many things come together here: dramatic mountains and temperamental sea, ancient history and rich culture, delicious food and wonderful people. There is something to see and try, something to be inspired and enjoy. Makhachkala, Derbent, Gunib, Chokh, Gamsutl, Kubachi, Sulak Canyon – these and many other places are already well known to travelers. However, even outside the main tourist routes in Dagestan there are many interesting things. This time, Izvestia, within the framework of project “Media intelligence” in search of new experiences went to the Tabasaran region.
Along the Great Silk Road
Tabasaransky district is located in the southeastern part of Dagestan. It is quite small – about 800 sq. km. There are no high mountains and deep gorges here, as in the northwest, the landscape is quite soft, even cozy, somewhat reminiscent of alpine landscapes. There is a lot of greenery here in spring and summer. They say that there is no greener corner in the republic. At the end of winter, it is difficult to assess this, but there are really a great many trees and shrubs here. So the imagination can easily draw the rest.
The only airport in Dagestan is located in Makhachkala. From it to Tabasaran one and a half hundred kilometers, the road takes several hours. You need to go along the route, which stretches from north to south along the sea coast, exactly where one of the most important sections of the Great Silk Road ran many centuries ago. Unfortunately, the natural landscape does not yet allow creating other routes, which is why there is quite a dense traffic here in summer.
Note: air communication with the republic is very well established. Flights are served by more than a dozen air carriers. With a high level of competition, the fastest and, perhaps, the most convenient flight on the Moscow-Makhachkala route is operated by Ural Airlines. Leadership can be maintained through a clear organization of the process at all its stages.
Only when you get to the place, you understand how Tabasaran differs from the large urban tourist agglomerations of the northern regions – Derbent, Kaspiysk, Makhachkala. There are no cities here, only villages and villages. This is a completely rural world – with its unhurried pace of life, with organic involvement in natural rhythms and not at all urban relations between people. For this special atmosphere, inaccessible to residents of megacities, it is worth going here.
Tabasaran region is just beginning to develop tourism. There are still problems with accommodation here – there are almost no hotels, even the most modest ones, with simpler guest houses, but even there they will only offer a minimum set of personal services. Local authorities understand this and are actively working in this direction. According to the head of the district, Magomed Kurbanov, it is planned to develop the hotel sector in the coming years. “In recent years, many tourists have come to us, but for the most part for one day – by bus from Derbent. Our task is to make sure that guests spend at least a few nights in the area. Without this, we will not be able to make money on tourism, ”Kurbanov told Izvestia.
Waterfalls, bridges and signal towers
Meanwhile, there are many noteworthy sights in Tabasaran. Of the natural beauties, in the first place, perhaps, is the Khuchninsky waterfall, located a couple of kilometers from the village of Khuchni, the administrative center of the entire region. The waters of the Khanag River squeeze between picturesque rocks and then fall from a thirty-meter height into a small lake. In the warm season, life is in full swing around the reservoir in the shade and coolness – the locals themselves willingly come here to take a break from the exhausting summer heat, but there is nothing to say about tourists. Moreover, there is convenient parking here, and a quite decent picnic area is equipped a couple of hundred meters from the waterfall. A small hotel is also being built here, there is a chance that it will be opened by the beginning of the season.
History buffs should visit the early medieval Fortress of the Seven Brothers and One Sister, perched atop a steep hill overlooking the only road leading south. The bizarre name refers, as usual, to an old legend in which there was a place for miraculous heroes, and a brave beauty, and love, and fidelity. Near the fortress there is a historical and ethnographic museum with a small but carefully selected exposition of tools, household items, handicrafts and jewelry, furniture, weapons and clothing. If you are lucky with a guide, you can seriously expand your horizons in the field of national culture and traditions of the Tabasarans.
In the villages of Darvag and Gimeydi, no less unique objects have been preserved – observation towers, which were once part of the Great Caucasian defensive wall of Dag-bara, built, it is believed, in the 6th-8th centuries. to protect against nomads from the north. The powerful masonry of the towers, which still looks impressive today, allows us to judge how powerful the rest of the fortification was.
Another monument that deserves a special visit is the wooden bridge in the village of Shile. It is impossible to establish the exact age of this monumental structure today – various experts estimate it in the range from 400 to 700 years. Most likely, much less, which does not detract from the complexity of the design, reminiscent of an intricate puzzle. Its main feature is that it was erected without a single nail and time does not seem to have power over it.
Finally, for those who are interested in religious tourism, it makes sense to plan a visit to the sacred cave of Dyurk in the village of Khustil. Once it was a natural multi-hall grotto with several “floors”. However, after another earthquake, only two halls are available for visiting. Many legends are associated with the cave, telling about the history of the establishment and spread of Islam in Tabasaran.
The floor, especially in the second hall, is densely covered with hundreds of carpets – a kind of sacrificial offering to Allah. The cave itself is located in a beautiful place on the cliff of the Darkdag mountain, from where a stunning view of the surrounding mountains and valleys opens up.
Knot for memory
The presence of hundreds of carpets in the Dyrk Cave is not at all accidental. Today, few people know that the Tabasaran region was historically famous for carpet weaving. But even in relatively recent Soviet times, many large and small enterprises worked here, where local craftswomen manually made carpets of amazing beauty that were not inferior to Persian ones. Almost every village had its own factory, so any girl from an early age would certainly learn this difficult craft. The old people say that they didn’t marry another if she didn’t have a carpet made by her own hands as a dowry.
After the collapse of the USSR, much has changed. The centuries-old traditions that survived both the revolution and the Soviet regime could not cope with the new capitalist reality. Carpet weaving has lost its former popularity. However, it has not completely disappeared, and in recent years it has been slowly but surely reviving.
You can get acquainted with the intricacies of this amazing craft, for example, in the village of Kyuryag. Here, in the spacious building of the former factory, a small production room is equipped, where several craftswomen, young and old, painstakingly weave their masterpieces every day. They will gladly share some secrets with the guests, and they will even allow the most inquisitive ones to make a few knots on their own. It’s worth a try, if only to understand how much strength, perseverance, attention and hard work is required for such work.
Note: the drawings of Tabasaran carpets are full of special symbols, incomprehensible to the uninitiated. For example, in the male figure “tapancha” the symbols of war and bloodshed are encrypted. It is believed that weaving such a carpet means calling trouble on your family. And in the “safar” drawing, feminine in nature, a girl’s longing for a shepherd groom, who perished in a mountain mudflow along with a flock of sheep, is visualized.
Khinkal around the head
Tabasaran cuisine can hardly be called diverse – after all, it was formed by the highlanders, who lived in rather harsh places. It has few vegetables, but a fair amount of meat, cheese, nuts and dough. In the first half of the meal, there will certainly be miracles on the table – something like large round pies with filling. Juicy inside, and topped with plenty of melted butter. Fragrant, savory and delicious. It is almost impossible to meet others in Tabasaran. For every hostess, even if she is just a hired cook in a roadside cafe, baking the right miracle is a matter of honor.
Usually they are cooked with cheese, with mountain greens and cottage cheese, with potatoes, and also with meat, to which they add onions, peppers, various local spices like thyme or mountain cumin, ground walnuts, sometimes – for greater juiciness – fat tail or just a piece oils. In some places in the mountain villages they bake tsikvar – a kind of miracle, where potatoes and dried beef meat are used as a filling.
Of the other almost obligatory dishes, it is worth mentioning boiled spelt (it is often seasoned with carrots and meat, but it is good on its own), and even boiled beef with potatoes. All this is served with different sauces and adjika.
But the main dish on the Tabasaran table is khinkal. This is the actual dough, boiled in meat broth – in the form of petals, short sausages, etc. It would seem, what is simpler: I threw it into the pan, mixed it – and you’re done. But no. A little underexposed – and you can’t chew the “petals”, a little overexposed – and everything sticks together. So the right khinkal, like a carpet, is a test for the hostess.
Meat that has been boiled in broth is served immediately and eaten with the same spelt. Most often it is turkey or beef. Then there are the petals. The broth – rich and fiery – is offered at the end. Locals say that this is the order in which a traditional delicacy is served that is extremely beneficial for health. Khinkal is served with uchrub, a vigorously sour sauce made from wild plums. It is recommended to add it to the broth – perfectly tones!
There are very few sweets in the local cuisine. Of the most noteworthy, it is worth noting jam from strawberry berries (a kind of dogwood), walnuts with grape molasses and, of course, Tabasaran halva, which is made from fried flour, sugar and a large amount of melted butter. Generally speaking, an ideal energy drink for those who spend all day doing hard physical labor in the fresh air.
Note: restaurants in the usual sense of the word cannot be found in the Tabasaran district – only cafes. In Khuchni, for example, you can have a great lunch at Terek – both the miracle and the khinkal are excellent there. However, for a more refined cuisine, you will have to go to Derbent. The choice there is wide, but uneven, as in any popular tourist city. In terms of the ratio of price, quality, level of service and location – on the very shore of the Caspian Sea – it is worth taking note of the Villa family restaurant. Order lagman, kebabs, puff bread and sturgeon skewers. There is no alcohol in the institution for religious reasons, but tea and sweets are beyond praise.
