Geography of Dagestan
Dagestan in translation means "country of mountains". To visualize its scale, it should be said that the northern slopes of the mountains of the Central and partly the Eastern Caucasus, occupying the territories of Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia and Chechen-Ingushetia, are equal in area to mountainous Dagestan.
The Republic is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia in the eastern part of the Caucasus and is the southernmost part of Russia. It borders on land and the Caspian Sea with five states - Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, inside the Russian Federation it neighbors with the Stavropol Territory, Kalmykia and the Chechen Republic. The total length of the territory from south to north is about 400 kilometers, the area is 50.3 thousand square kilometers, the length of the coastline is 530 kilometers. The Republic includes various physical and geographical zones: from the Caspian lowland, located 28 meters below the level of the world ocean, to snowy peaks over 4 thousand meters high. The northern part is dominated by lowland, and in the southern part - the ridges of the Greater Caucasus, in the east it is washed by the Caspian Sea. Of the entire area, mountainous regions of the republic account for 56% of the territory.
The mountains occupy an area of 25.5 thousand km2, and the average height of the entire territory of Dagestan is 960 m. Up to 30 peaks of Dagestan exceed 4000 m, and its highest point - Bazardyuzyu reaches a height of 4466 m. About two dozen mountain peaks are close to 4000 m.
The orography of Dagestan is peculiar, a 245-kilometer strip of foothills rests on transverse ridges that border Inner Dagestan in a huge arc. Two main rivers break out of the mountains - Sulak in the north and Samur in the south. The natural boundaries of mountainous Dagestan are the ridges: Snegovoi, Andiysky and Salatau - up to the giant canyon Sulak, further: Gimrinsky, Les, Kokma, Dzhufudag and Yarudag - between Sulak and the Samur basin, and, finally, the Main Caucasian Range - in the southwest of both basins .
The rocks that make up the mountains of Dagestan are sharply demarcated. The main ones are black and clay shales, strong dolomitic and weak alkaline limestones, as well as sandstones. The slate ridges include Snegovoi with the Diklosmta massif (4285 m), Bogos with the top of Addala-Shukhgelmeer (4151 m), Shalib with the top of Dyultydag (4127 m).
Alpine Dagestan includes the Snegovoy, Bogossky, Nukatl, Shalib, Takliko-Dyultydag knot, Saladag, Khultaydag, Samursky, Kyabyaktepe and the Main Caucasian Range (mainly its southern part). The ranges of Andiyskiy, Gimrinsky, Arakmeer, Les, Kokma, Dzhufudag, extensive plateaus and table peaks of Betl, Khunzakhskoe, Tlimeer, Gunib, Turchidag, Shunudag make up Inner Dagestan. The relief of mountainous Dagestan, formed as a result of the interaction of tectonic processes and the erosive work of flowing waters, is complex and confusing. No wonder the famous scientist V.V. Dokuchaev called it an endless labyrinth of mountain ranges, peaks, rocks and gorges.
All the high ridges of Dagestan are spurs of the Main Caucasian Range, which stretches for almost 300 km, and its northeastern slopes occupy a vast territory, and the southwestern slopes and spurs are short and steep. In the south, along the Main Caucasian Range, along its entire length, the fertile grape-fruit valley of the Alazani and its left tributary Agrichai stretches. The GKH here yields to its northeastern side ridges and spurs in height up to 1000-1500 m. Over a long distance from Natsidris to Malkamud, the peaks of the GKH do not exceed 3500 m, excluding Guton (3648 m) and Seytyurt (3683 m). Only in the section from Malkamud (3876 m) to Bazardyuzyu, i.e., for only 24 km, the Main Caucasian Range rises sharply, and in the peaks of Charyndag (4084 m), Ragdan (4020 m) and Bazardyuzyu (4466 m) goes beyond mark 4000 m.
In the southern part of Dagestan, shale ridges in some places break through with powerful limestone outcrops. First of all, the multi-peak Shalbuzdag (4142 m) and the huge table Yarudag (4116 m) can be noted. The Yarudag plateau breaks off almost vertically to the west, north and south, and only in the east has a narrow bridge connecting Yarudag with the Shahdag ridge (4116 m). The watershed of Chekhychay and Tagirdzhal starts from the top of Bazardyuzyu, passes through the depression of the Kurush pass, along the western edge of the Yarudag plateau, through the Gil pass and further to the place where the Tagirdzhal flows into the Samur. The Yarudag watershed serves as a natural border between Dagestan and Azerbaijan.
The plain regions of Dagestan are located in the northern part. Here is the Tersko-Kuma lowland. Its surface is heterogeneous: some areas in the west have a height of about 100 m above sea level, while other areas have so-called "negative" heights. So, in the north of the lowland, the surface has depressions that formed the Caspian Bay. There are lake depressions here, most of which dry up in summer, leaving a crust of shiny salts at the bottom.
In the west of the plain are the Prikumsky, Bazhigansky and Tereklinsky sandy massifs. They were formed by river flows. In the lowlands, fresh water is found in an underground pool located at a depth of 1,000 m. Water is supplied to the surface through artesian wells, which are used all year round. The Terek-Sulak delta plain is located in the southeast of the lowland. The Terek Delta covers an area of approximately 4,000 sq. km. The old dry beds of the Terek River play the role of irrigation canals. The soils of the Tersko-Sulak Plain are used for agriculture. Corn, winter wheat, millet, rice are grown here. Near the sea coast is the Primorskaya lowland. It is composed of sea and river rocks of modern and ancient age. Shell limestone is used in construction.
There are many sandy beaches, but due to the lack of fresh water, they are little used. Fresh water is delivered to nearby settlements in tanks.
Dagestan has an extensive river network. The total number of rivers is 6255, but most of them are watercourses up to 10 km long. All rivers belong to the basin of the Caspian Sea, although only 20 of them flow directly into the sea. The largest river systems are Sulak (144 km) and Samur (213 km). The lower reaches of the Terek also pass through Dagestan. Other large rivers include Aktash (156 km), Shuraozen (80 km), Manasozen (82 km), Gamriozen (58 km), Ulluchay (111 km), Rubas (92 km) and Gyulgerychay (133 km). All the main rivers of the mountainous Dagestan, except for the Gyulgerychay, are fed by glaciers. The foothill rivers Aktash, Aksai, Shuraozen, Ulluchay and Rubas are fed by spring and ground waters, as well as rainfall. As a rule, they do not reach the sea, getting lost in the sands or in the floodplains of the Caspian lowland. Only the waters of Ulluchay and Rubas, having broken through the coastal sand dunes, have a constant flow into the sea. The high-water Terek, Sulak and Samur often wander along their delta and change their main direction. The Terek currently has three main drains - Stary Terek, Novy Terek and Alikazgan, Samur has Big and Small Samur.
Climatic conditions and natural resources.
The climate is generally temperate continental, arid. In the mountainous part, it changes with height: temperature drops, humidity rises. In the southern, coastal part - transitional from temperate to subtropical. A distinctive feature of the coastal and lowland climate is its strong windiness. The average temperature (in Celsius) in January is from +1 degrees in the lowlands to -11 degrees in the mountains, the average temperature in July is up to +24 degrees. Precipitation is 200–800 mm per year.
The amount of precipitation is distributed over the territory very unevenly. First of all, it depends on the terrain conditions. In the interior of Dagestan, where precipitation is retained by mountain ranges, an average of 500 mm of precipitation per year falls, and even less in the valleys. Most precipitation is in the high mountains, where even in summer there are low temperatures. Most of the precipitation falls in May-July.
There are frequent thunderstorms. Especially “thunderous” are the Bogossky Range (south of Mount Izhen), the GKH in the area of Mount Guton and the Bishiney Range. Summer showers and rains are strong and prolonged. As a result, the temperature drops, rivers swell, demolishing bridges and washing away paths, powerful mudflows descend. The most mudflow dangerous is the Temir River, some rivers of southern Dagestan. In such cases, laying routes along riverbeds, even if there are trails, is undesirable. It is necessary to use the "upper" paths, which are laid by the highlanders in almost all gorges.
In total, the flora of Dagestan has about 4,000 species, including many endemics and relics. The fauna of Dagestan includes about a hundred species of mammals, more than 350 species of birds (clarification by Gadzhibek Dzhamirzoev) and 92 species of fish, including sturgeons.
Among the main natural monuments scattered throughout the territory are the world's largest free-standing dune Sarykum, and the only subtropical liana forest in Russia in the Samur delta, and the Sulak Canyon, which is deeper than the famous Colorado Canyon, and the amazing Kug "Eolian City", representing the remnants in the form of towers, pillars, mushrooms and arches, and the Karadakh gorge, called the "Gate of Miracles", and the largest mountain lake in the North Caucasus Kezenoyam, abounding in fine trout, and the Aymakinskoe gorge, inhabited in ancient times, and many large (up to 100 meters high) and small waterfalls and much more.
Botanists distinguish the following on the territory of Dagestan natural complexes(Chilikina, Schiffers, 1962): meadows, desert and semi-desert vegetation, steppe vegetation, forest vegetation, upland xerophyte vegetation.
meadows. The meadows of Dagestan are distinguished by great typological diversity. This diversity primarily distinguishes groups of meadow formations associated with altitudinal belts, i.e. alpine, subalpine meadows, forest belt meadows (mid-mountain), foothill and lowland meadows. In addition, groups of meadow formations are more mesophytic and drier, steppe, turning into meadow steppes within the high-altitude sections.
Desert and semi-desert vegetation. Desert and semi-desert (grass-wormwood) phytocenoses are widespread in the plains of Dagestan and partly extend into the foothills, where they develop in saline basins on surfaces composed of tertiary rocks. In the soil-vegetation cover of semi-deserts, microcomplexity is often clearly expressed. Changes of sagebrush-salt vegetation to sagebrush, and then to grass-sagebrush and sagebrush-cereal (spatially expressed in the form of corresponding belts, bordering the seashore and changing in the direction from the sea inland), are associated with geomorphological boundaries reflecting the time of the release of that or another part of the territory from waters, sea or river, delta.
Steppe vegetation. Desert forb-wormwood-cereal steppes are a landscape type of vegetation of the lower strip of foothills and ancient sea terraces of Dagestan ranging from 100 to 600-700 m above sea level. m. The main components of their herbage are fescue, feather grass, bearded vulture and Tauride wormwood. Mountain forb-cereal steppes occupy mainly dry southern, southeastern and southwestern slopes of the high foothills and the middle mountain belt. On the southern slopes of the steppe, they also enter the subalpine belt, up to 2500 m above sea level. m. and in some places higher. Under conditions of slightly better moisture, the steppe vegetation turns into meadow-steppe (in some places replaced by agricultural crops), and in very dry stony-rubbly places it is replaced by groups of upland xerophytes and bare, devoid of vegetation slopes.
Forest vegetation. The main forest-forming species are oak, represented by several species, oriental beech, Caucasian hornbeam, birch (several species), hook pine, poplar (hybrid). Lowland forests grow on the lowlands and mountain trails of Dagestan: in the valleys of the Samur, Gyulgeri-Chaya rivers, on the Tersko-Sulak lowland along the Sulak and its branches (on the islands and along the banks), as well as along the Terek and in the Aksai-Aktash interfluve. At present, as a result of the reduction of these forests, only small areas with a forest stand, heavily disturbed by felling, plowing, grazing, etc., have been preserved. The main species are oaks, hornbeam, hybrid poplar, birch bark, and elm.
Piedmont and mountain oak and oak-hornbeam forests of Dagestan grow in a discontinuous strip at altitudes from 500 to 800-1000 m above sea level. m. and are formed mainly by three types of oak: rocky, petiolate and Georgian. A significant part of the Dagestan oak forests is characterized by an abundance of fruit trees and berry bushes (plum, medlar, pear, apple, dogwood, hawthorn, wild rose). A significant part of low-stemmed forests is strongly xerophytized. In their undergrowth, sumac, skumpia, and sometimes dergitree are often found. Beech forests are not very common in Dagestan (their total area is no more than 20 thousand hectares). Large massifs with a predominance of oriental beech ( Fagus orientalis Lipsky) are found only in the western part of Dagestan, which has a more humid climate; smaller massifs are found in the southeastern foothills of Dagestan. Beech in Dagestan almost does not form pure forest stands. Usually, hornbeam, maple, linden, etc., are mixed in more or less. Birch forests in Dagestan usually accompany pine forests, being sometimes secondary, replacing the latter after they were cut down. Relatively large massifs are located in the upper reaches of the Andi and Avar Koisu, while in other areas birch forests are found in small areas along the northern wet slopes, mainly in inaccessible places. They are located at altitudes from 1500 to 2500 m above sea level. m., going slightly higher than pine forests, at the contacts with which they form mixed plantations. Birch in the Dagestan forests is represented by three species: warty birch, Litvinov's birch and Radde's birch, endemic to the eastern and central parts of the Main Caucasian Range. Of the other trees in the birch forests of Dagestan, there are Caucasian mountain ash, goat willow, oriental oak, aspen, gray alder, and others. Coniferous forests. The only coniferous forests in Dagestan are mountain pine forests formed by hook pine. Significant participation of junipers in the undergrowth ( Juniperus oblonga, J. depressa), as well as xerophytic plants in the herb-shrub layer, brings together some types of pine forests of Dagestan with groups of upland xerophytes. Pine forests are found in many places ranging from 1400 to 2300 m of absolute height, but their largest massifs are concentrated in the southwestern high mountain regions. Pine forests in the foothills descend to 250 m above sea level. m.
Groupings of upland xerophytes. Distinctive features of upland xerophytic vegetation are the strong sparseness and xeromorphism of the cover, as well as weak sodding of stony soil and screes. Together with dry mountain steppes, bare slopes with rare groups of upland xerophytes form the most typical landscape of dry interior Dagestan, which has been repeatedly described by various authors.
There are three types of combinations of upland xerophyte groups: with a predominance of junipers; with thickets of spirea or meadowsweet; with an abundance of tragacanth astragalus and with a bladder. Groups of haloxerophytes found on gypsum-bearing rocks are a special variant of xerophytic vegetation. They are characterized by endemic species - Salsola daghestanica(Tourcz) Lipsky and Gypsophila capitata M. V. (the latter is found in Eastern Transcaucasia). Thickets of hemixerophilous shrubs. These groups are closely related, on the one hand, to upland xerophytes, and, on the other hand, to more mesophytic woody and shrubby phytocenoses (especially the thickets of the dwarf tree). Continuous thickets of derzhidereva with the participation of other drought-resistant shrubs - buckthorn Pallas, as well as species of hawthorn, Caucasian honeysuckle, willow pear, often oak and other trees and shrubs with a grass cover of a dry steppe or meadow-steppe type, are found in many places in Dagestan. They grow on the piedmont plains and on the slopes of the foothills, often in places formerly covered with oak forests, with which they are connected by a number of transitions.
The basis for writing this page was the book by K. E. Akhmedkhanov - "Journey through Dagestan". - M.: Physical culture and sport, 1988. - 272 p., as well as information from the sites: http://www.lib.russia05.ru/lib_card/345/ and http://www.dagtourism.com/dagestan/ geography/. The description of natural complexes is given in the presentation of Dmitry Morgun and Elena Ilyina (in press)
- 11.11.2017
A large gold deposit has been discovered in the Dokuzparinsky district in the south of Dagestan. During research conducted in the mountains in the south of the republic, geologists found rocks containing minerals - satellites of the precious metal. The selected samples have already been sent for chemical analysis to confirm the presence of gold and silver. The exact reserves of the explored area are not yet known - according to experts, they can be more than a hundred tons of the precious metal. - 11.01.2017
At the end of January of this year, an exhibition will open in Makhachkala, demonstrating the best jewelry works of Dagestan masters. The event, which will present silver weapons, jewelry, dishes, souvenirs, will help to revive the traditional folk crafts and jewelry techniques of Dagestan. - 27.05.2014
In Dagestan, a tender was announced for prospecting for ore gold within the Kurush-Mazinsky ore field
The Department for Subsoil Use of the North Caucasian Federal District announced a tender for the performance of work to search for hard rock gold within the Kurush-Mazinsky ore field in the Republic of Dagestan. The initial price of the contract is one hundred and fifty million rubles. - 28.03.2014
State oil and gas company to be created in Dagestan
The administration of Dagestan announced the creation of the State Oil and Gas Company of the Republic of Dagestan. The corresponding decree was recently signed by Ramazan Abdulatipov - 20.02.2006
Mineral resource base of Dagestan
All these stones, collected as a result of various kinds of expeditions, are the pride of the Institute of Geology of the Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
General information
Geographical position
It is located in the northeastern part of the Caucasus, in the northern part of the republic there is a lowland, in the southern part there are foothills and mountains of the Greater Caucasus. The length of the territory from north to south is on average about 400 km, from west to east - about 200 km.
Hydrography
From the east, the territory of Dagestan is washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. The south of the republic is occupied by the mountains and foothills of the Greater Caucasus, in the north - the Caspian lowland begins.
Rivers
The rivers Terek and Sulak flow through the central part of the republic. There are 6255 rivers flowing in Dagestan (including 100 main ones, having a length of more than 25 km and a catchment area of more than 100 km, 185 small and more than 5900 smallest rivers), the largest of them are the Terek, Sulak, Samur, Rubas with tributaries. All rivers belong to the basin of the Caspian Sea, but only 20 of them flow into the sea.
Due to the dry climate, the north of Dagestan is poor in rivers. The available rivers are used for irrigation in summer and do not reach the sea.
The most abundant are mountain rivers, which, due to their rapid flow, do not freeze even in winter; they are characterized by comparative high water content and significant slopes.
Sulak is formed at the confluence of the Avar Koisu and Andi Koisu rivers, which originate in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus. The area of its basin is 15.2 thousand km². Sulak accounts for half of all hydropower resources in Dagestan; the Chiryurtskaya and Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power stations are located here.
The Samur is the second largest river in Dagestan. The area of its basin is 7.3 thousand km². When flowing into the Caspian Sea, the Samur breaks up into branches and forms a delta. It is planned to build three hydroelectric power stations on the river and on its main tributaries. The waters of the Samur are also used for irrigation purposes: irrigation canals have been drawn from the river to irrigate southern Dagestan and neighboring Azerbaijan.
Relief
Salta Gorge (Salty), Dagestan, April 1906.
Nature of Dagestan
The orography of Dagestan is peculiar: a 245-kilometer strip of foothills rests on transverse ridges that border Inner Dagestan in a huge arc. Two main rivers break out of the mountains - Sulak in the north and Samur in the south. The natural boundaries of mountainous Dagestan are: the Snegovoi and Andi ridges - up to the giant Sulak canyon, Gimrinsky, Les, Kokma, Dzhufudag and Yarudag - between Sulak and the Samur basin, the Main Caucasian ridge - in the southwest of both basins.
Inner Dagestan, in turn, is divided into a mid-mountain, plateau-like region and an alpine, high-mountain region.
One of the most picturesque republics of the Russian Federation is Dagestan. This name appeared in the seventeenth century and means "country of mountains." This is the land of reserves, a corner of amazing nature.
Diverse Dagestan
The geographical position of the Highland Dagestan is the northeastern slope of the Caucasus and the southwest. This is the most southern European part of Russia. The length in length is 400 km from north to south. Latitude - about 200 km. The coast lines of the Caspian stretch for 530 km. The border of the republic is two (in the north) and Samur (in the south). The population is heterogeneous and consists of many nationalities.
The territory itself is divided into three parts, the natural characteristics of which are very different from each other. 51% of the entire republic is lowland. The northwestern and southeastern ridges, which are separated by depressions and valleys, occupy 12% and are called the foothills. Alpine Dagestan is 37% of the republic. The mountainous territory is a transition from large plateaus to narrow peaks that reach 2500 meters.
Dagestan arc
Almost half of the republic - It is worth noting that most of the highlands of the meadow type. There are more than 30 peaks that have crossed the 4,000-meter mark. And dozens of mountains, the footage of which almost reaches this mark. The total area of mountains is 25.5 thousand km². Therefore, the average height of the republic is 960 meters above sea level. The highest mountain is Bazarduzu, its height is 4466 m.
The rocks, the basis of the mountains, are clearly divided into regions. The most common are black and dolomitic and alkaline limestones, sandstones. Snow Ridge, Bogos and Shalib are shale.
The foothills, 225 km long, cut into a transverse ridge, thus forming a stone wall that wraps around the inner highland Dagestan. It is there that the largest influx of guests-travelers.
The tourist routes of Dagestan pass through the mountains, which are the decoration of the region. Colorful peaks, picturesque ridges, a grid of mountain streams and passes of all levels of difficulty are the main places of pilgrimage for adventurers.
mountain weather zone
The climate of the republic depends on the soil zone. The territory where it is more than 1000 meters is mountainous. This area occupies about 40% of the entire territory of the republic. Despite the difference in the surface, the climate can be classified as temperate continental.
The high-mountainous Dagestan is characterized by striking temperature differences in indicators compared to the lowlands. At an altitude of 3000 meters, the temperature does not rise above 0 ° C throughout the year. The coldest month is January, its indicator fluctuates from -4 °С to -7 °С. There is little snow, but it can cover the ground throughout the year. The warm month is August. Summers are cold on the peaks, but warm in the valleys.
Precipitation is uneven. Most of the rain falls from May to July. Thunderclouds pass frequently. Downpours can drag on for several weeks. Precipitation fills the rivers, and they demolish bridges and wash out paths.
river system
The relief of high-mountainous Dagestan contributed to the emergence of a dense network of rivers. About 6255 rivers flow on an area of 50,270 km². But here it is worth noting that most of them have a length of over 10 km. High-mountainous Dagestan gave rise to the two largest rivers of the republic. Sulak breaks out of the mountains in the north, and Samur - in the south.
Different peoples used to call Sulak "sheep's waters" or "rapid streams". Its length is 169 km. This is the owner of the largest canyon in Russia. Its length is about 50 km. The maximum depth is 1920 meters. The Samur was formerly known as the "Chveher River". This is the second river of Dagestan. Its length is 213 km.
In general, 92% of all rivers are mountainous, the remaining 8% flow in the lowlands and in the foothills. The average current speed is 1-2 m/s. In floods, the speed increases. Rivers are replenished mainly with melt water. The exception is the river Gyulgerychay.
Each of the rivers belongs to the Caspian basin, but only 20 of them flow into the sea. Before the Caspian, deltas are formed, which annually change their directions.
Wealth of the mountainous region
Dagestan is divided into three geographical zones, each of which has its own characteristics.
The foothills are a place of chestnut and mountain-forest soils. On wide plateaus and slopes, mountain chernozem is found. There are steppe, forest and meadow mountain lands.
The lowlands are used for agricultural purposes. The mountainous area is replete with forest plantations (more than 10% in total). The forest is made up of oaks. In the southern regions, a purely beech-hornbeam forest. Birch and pine trees are found in the interior. The plateau is a pasture for flocks. The poorest part of the mountains are the peaks. Only cold-resistant mosses and lichens survive there.
The living nature of high-mountainous Dagestan is unique. Dagestan tur, noble Caucasian deer, roe deer, bezoar goat live in this territory, there are leopards. Many researchers are amazed at the world of birds. Ulars, kekliks, alpine jackdaws and eagles consider the highlands the best place to live.
Ecology and nature conservation
The pride of the region is nature reserves and natural parks. Every year more and more territories are under state protection. The wealth of the earth needs protection and care. Preserving the uniqueness of flora and fauna is the main task of the current government.
But today there are serious environmental problems in high-mountainous Dagestan. The biggest one is dirty sources of drinking water. Harm is caused by human activity. Once clean rivers are drowning in a mountain of household waste. Mineral theft and deforestation are no less harmful. The air is polluted by factories and plants. Poor waste management system.
The biggest danger for these magnificent places is the negligent attitude of local residents to nature. Do not forget that the whole of Dagestan is located on a mountainous territory. Indiscriminate deforestation leads to the fact that the slopes are destroyed. Every year the process of erosion only intensifies. Therefore, the country may soon completely change its appearance or even disappear.
DAGESTAN (Republic of Dagestan), subject of the Russian Federation. Located in the south of the European part of Russia. In the east it is washed by the Caspian Sea. Includes Tyuleniy, Chechen, Nordovy Islands and others. On the territory of Dagestan, near Mount Ragdan (on the border with Azerbaijan) - the southernmost point of the Russian Federation (41 ° 47 'north latitude, 47 ° 47 ' east longitude). Part of the Southern Federal District. The area is 50.3 thousand km 2. The population is 2640.9 thousand people (2006; 1063 thousand in 1959, 1802 thousand in 1989). The capital is Makhachkala. Administrative-territorial division: 41 districts, 10 cities, 19 urban-type settlements.
Government departments. The system of public authorities is determined by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Constitution of the Republic of Dagestan of 2003 (as amended in 2006). State power is exercised by the President, People's Assembly(parliament), the government, other bodies of state power formed in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic. The head of the republic, its highest official is the president, empowered by the parliament on the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation for a period of 4 years. The president heads the executive branch and forms the government.
The highest legislative (representative) body is the People's Assembly, elected by the people according to the majority system of representation, consisting of 72 deputies for a term of 4 years.
N. A. Mikhaleva.
Nature. Relief. The territory of Dagestan is located in the extreme south of the East European Plain and the northeastern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. The coastline of the Caspian Sea is poorly dissected, in the northern part of Dagestan - the Kizlyar and Agrakhan bays, the Agrakhan peninsula. In the north of Dagestan, in the southwestern part of the Caspian lowland, a significant part of the territory is located below sea level; the relief is represented mainly by flat and slightly sloping alluvial-accumulative lowlands - Terek-Kuma and Terek-Sulak. In the west of the Tersko-Kuma lowland in the Nogai steppe, large massifs of loose coastal and delta loose sands are widespread, the area of which increased by more than 3 times during the 20th century. The relief of the Tersko-Sulak lowland is complicated by hollows, manes, steppe saucers, mounds. The delta of the Terek River is extensive with channels of modern and dead branches and channels, numerous lakes. To the south of the city of Makhachkala, along the foothills of the mountains, the Primorskaya Lowland stretches in a narrow strip with sandy beaches 100-400 m wide and a series of sea terraces at an altitude of -20 to 200 m. .
The southern part of Dagestan is dominated by mountainous terrain. The foothills of the Greater Caucasus are represented by structural denudation ridges (height up to 1200 m) of northwestern and southeastern strike, dissected by wide valleys and basins, and mesas (Buinakskoe plateau). The low-mountain and mid-mountain relief of the so-called Intramountain, or Limestone, Dagestan combines limestone plateaus (Gunib), structural-denudation monoclinal ridges (Salatau, Les), flat-arched ridges (Andiysky, etc.), separated by erosion basins (Botlikhskaya, Irganaiskaya), canyon-like river valleys, including the Sulak Canyon, one of the deepest in the world. The extreme southeast (High-mountainous Dagestan) is occupied by erosional mid-mountains and alpine-type highlands up to 4466 m high (Mount Bazardyuzyu is the highest point of Dagestan) of the systems of the Lateral Range (the Bogossky, Nukatl, Kyabyaktepe ridges) and the Main, or Watershed, ridge, separated by intermountain basins.
Sulak Canyon.
The processes of deflation, salinization, swamping are active on the plains, on the coast - abrasion and abrasion-accumulative processes, in the mountains - weathering, landslide, scree, mudflow and avalanche processes, erosion, landslides (for example, the largest Mochokhsky landslide, descended on 18.7. about 3 million m3). Seismic collapses are known (for example, near the village of Ashilta in the Untsukulsky district, the volume is 200 thousand m 3). Karst is developed in the mountains (caves, large karst cavities, etc.).
Geological structure and minerals. The territory of Dagestan is mostly located within the fold-cover system of the Greater Caucasus of the Alpine-Himalayan mobile belt, with the exception of the Terek-Kuma lowland, which is located in the southeastern part of the Scythian young platform, which has mainly a Paleozoic folded base overlain by a cover of Meso-Cenozoic terrigenous-carbonate precipitation. The Tersko-Sulak and Primorskaya lowlands are localized in the eastern part of the Terek-Caspian foredeep of the Greater Caucasus, filled with Oligocene-Neogene molasse, the depth of the basement under which reaches 10-12 km. The foothills and the so-called Intramountain, or Limestone, Dagestan (a zone of the northeastern slope of the Greater Caucasus) are composed of shelf terrigenous-carbonate deposits of the Upper Jurassic - Eocene (clays, sandstones, marls, limestones), crumpled into gentle brachymorphic folds. Within the High Mountain Dagestan (axial zone - anticlinoria of the Lateral and Main, or Dividing Ranges), an intensely deformed black shale formation of the Lower and Middle Jurassic is developed. Mountainous Dagestan is an area of high seismicity. Of the major seismic events, earthquakes are known in 1830 (magnitude 6.3; intensity 8-9 points) and in 1971 (magnitude 6.6; intensity 8-9 points).
The most important mineral resources of Dagestan are oil and natural combustible gas (deposits near the cities of Makhachkala, Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk and on the shelf of the Caspian Sea). There are known deposits of pyrite-polymetallic ores (Kizil-Dere, etc.), ores of strontium, tin, tungsten, mercury, bismuth, as well as native sulfur, gypsum, oil shale, coal and brown coal, natural building materials (sands, clays, gravel , limestones, marls, dolomites, etc.). Numerous sources of various mineral waters(over 250, including Talga, Rychalsu, Akhty, etc.), on the basis of which balneological resorts are organized. Deposits of thermal waters (Makhachkala, Izberbash, Kizlyar).
Climate. Natural conditions are favorable for the life of the population. The climate is continental, dry in the northern part, with cool winters (average January temperatures from -2.5 to -5.2 ° C) and hot summers (average July temperatures 24-25 ° C), in the Primorskaya lowland - with warm, humid winters (average January temperature 0.8-1°С) and dry warm summers (average July temperature 24°С), in the mountains - with short cool summers (average July temperature up to 5°С) and long cold winters (average January temperature up to -12°C). Precipitation per year on the plains from 200 mm in the northern part to 400 mm in the southern part of Dagestan, in the mountains 400-1200 mm. Most of the territory is characterized by a spring-summer maximum of precipitation, for the Primorskaya lowland - an autumn-winter maximum. Droughts, dry winds, sand and dust storms are frequent on the plains.
There are 127 glaciers in Dagestan, mostly cirque, with a total area of 41.3 km 2, mainly in the basin of the Sulak River, on the Bogossky Range (the largest is Belengi, about 3 km long), in the Bazardyuzyu massif (Murkar, Tilitsir). Over the past 100 years, the area of glaciers in Dagestan has decreased by almost 2 times.
Inland waters. The rivers of Dagestan (6225 rivers, most of which are shorter than 10 km, with a total length of 18346 km) belong to the Caspian Sea basin, mainly to the systems of the Sulak rivers (Andiyskoye Koysu, Avar Koysu, Karakoysu, etc.), Samur (Akhtychay, etc.), Terek . The density of the river network ranges from 0.37 km/km2 in the plains to 1 km/km2 in the mountains. The rivers of Dagestan are characterized by spring-summer or spring floods with floods in the warm season, mainly snow, to a lesser extent ground and rain feeding. Many lowland and foothill rivers dry up in summer. For the needs of irrigation, a dense network of canals has been created. The total average long-term runoff of rivers is 21 km 3, a significant amount of solid runoff is characteristic (500-3600 t / km 2), which causes high turbidity of watercourses. The hydropower potential of the rivers of Dagestan is 55.2 billion kWh, for the purposes of hydropower and irrigation, more than 20 reservoirs have been built (the total volume is over 3 km 3), including the Chirkeyskoye (2.78 km 3) on the Sulak River. There are over 100 lakes (mostly small) with a total area of 150 km 2, in the flat part there are mainly floodplain, estuary, suffosion lakes, on the coast - lagoon-marine, including relict salt (Big Turali), solonchaks. In the mountains - glacial, tectonic (Khala-Khor), dammed (Mochokh), karst lakes.
Soils, flora and fauna. The plains are dominated by grass-wormwood and wormwood-saltwort semi-deserts with fragments of meadow-marsh-steppe and dry-steppe complexes on light chestnut solonetsous, brown desert-steppe and underdeveloped sandy soils. Solonetzes and solonchaks are widely represented. In the south, closer to the foothills, forb-wormwood-cereal dry steppes are developed on chestnut soils. The Terek and Sulak deltas are characterized by floodplains with reed-bog vegetation, estuary meadows, floodplain forests on alluvial-meadow and meadow-bog soils of varying degrees of salinity. Forests occupy 7.8% of the area of Dagestan. The meadow-forest landscapes of the Samur river delta are peculiar (sedge bark, oak, hornbeam forests with lianas on alluvial meadow-forest non-calcareous soils), along the periphery giving way to shrub (from derzhitree) communities and dry steppes. Altitude zonality is expressed in the mountains. Piedmont fescue-feather grass and bearded steppes on chestnut soils with areas of shiblaks on brown soils are gradually replaced by predominantly secondary forest-steppes (oak-hornbeam sparse forests in combination with grass-forb meadow steppes) on chernozem-like soils, at an altitude of over 600 m - broad-leaved (oak-beech - hornbeam) forests on burozems, partially replaced by secondary steppe grass-forb meadows. At an altitude of 1700-1800 m, subalpine and alpine meadows prevail on mountain meadow soils. In the regions of Intramountainous Dagestan, due to the aridity of the climate, forb-cereal steppes with upland xerophytes and subalpine steppe meadows on chernozem-like soils are widespread. Subalpine (up to 2500 m) and alpine (up to 2800-3000 m) meadows dominate in High Dagestan, and sparse subnival vegetation is higher up.
The fauna of Dagestan includes 90 species of mammals (bezoar goat, jungle cat, etc.), over 300 species of birds (Caucasian snowcock, pink and curly pelicans, etc.), 40 species of reptiles (Caucasian agama, etc.), 5 species of amphibians ( common newt, common spadefoot, etc.), 75 species of fish (including sturgeons). The flora includes 1250 species of higher plants, including 278 species of trees and shrubs. For 2003, 79 species of plants and fungi known on the territory of Dagestan (yew berry, high juniper, Eldar pine, etc.), 60 species of vertebrates (Transcaucasian snake, Mediterranean turtle, etc.) are included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
The ecological situation is acute and moderately acute, which is due to pollution of the air and water environment, soil degradation due to the development of adverse exogenous processes, depletion of natural forage lands due to overgrazing, etc. Emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere amount to 26 thousand tons, water intake is 3186 million m 3 ( 2003). There are siltation of reservoirs, reduction of small rivers, degradation of forests, the area of which has decreased by more than 2 times in the 20th century, depletion of the biological resources of the Caspian Sea. The landscapes in the areas of oil extraction and ore minerals are disturbed.
The system of protected natural areas of Dagestan is represented by the Dagestan Reserve (within its limits there is the barkhan Sarykum - one of the highest sand massifs in Europe), 13 reserves (mainly landscape and zoological), the natural park "Samur relic forest", numerous (over 300) natural monuments (Saltinskaya gorge, etc.).
M. A. Petrushina.
Population. The most numerous people of Dagestan are Avars, they make up 29.4% (2002, census). Other indigenous peoples of Dagestan: Andean peoples (1.2%), Tsez peoples (0.4%), Dargins (16.5%), Laks (5.4%), Lezgi peoples (Lezgins - 13%, Tabasarans - 4 .2%, Aguls - 0.8%, Rutulians - 0.8%, Tsakhurs - 0.3%), Kumyks (14.1%), Nogais (1.4%), Mountain Jews ("Tats" - 0 .03%). Russians make up 4.6%, Azerbaijanis - 4.2%, Chechens - 3.3%, Armenians - 0.2%, Tatars - 0.1%, Ukrainians - 0.1%.
Positive natural population growth is characteristic: the birth rate (15.9 per 1000 inhabitants, 2004, one of the highest in the Russian Federation) exceeds the death rate (6.0 per 1000 inhabitants); infant mortality is high (16.1 per 1000 live births). The proportion of women is 51.8%. The proportion of the population younger than working age (under 16) is 28.7%, older than working age 10.8%. Average life expectancy is 72.7 years (one of the highest in Russia; men - 68.7, women - 76.6). Since 2003, a migration outflow of the population has been characteristic (23 per 10 thousand inhabitants), mainly within North Caucasus(about 63% of emigrants) and to other regions of the Russian Federation (over 36%). The average population density is 52.1 people / km 2; the most densely populated are the central part of Dagestan and the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea. Urban population 42.7% (2006; 29.6% in 1959; 43.6% in 1989). Large cities (2006, thousand people): Makhachkala (466.3), Khasavyurt (125.0), Derbent (106.2), Kaspiysk (81.2), Buynaksk (61.5).
G. I. Gladkevich.
Religion. According to official figures, about 90% of the population of Dagestan is Muslim; about 5% are Orthodox; on the territory of Dagestan there are also small communities and parishes of various Protestant denominations, Catholic, Old Believer parishes, Armenian-Gregorian parish, Jewish communities (2005).
On the territory of Dagestan, Islam is represented by two main currents: Sunnis - about 87% of the population and Shiites-Imamits (Isnaashari) - about 2.5-3% of the population (about 20 Shiite communities, mainly in Derbent, as well as in the cities of Makhachkala, Kizlyar, Buynaksk and Khasavyurt). A feature of Dagestan is the significant influence on its territory of Sufism, which is no longer widespread in the north-west of the Caucasus. At the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century, branches (virds) of the Sufi brotherhoods Naqshbandiya, Shaziliyya and Kadiriya were resumed in Dagestan. Sufi groups control most of the Muslim educational institutions in Dagestan. There are more than 1670 mosques on the territory of Dagestan.
Orthodoxy in the territory of Dagestan is traditionally practiced by Russians. Since 1998, the territory of Dagestan has been part of the Baku-Caspian diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The diocese unites 2 deaneries (Makhachkala and Kizlyar), has 14 parishes (2006). Sunday schools operate at the Holy Assumption Cathedral in Makhachkala and the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious in Kizlyar.
V. O. Bobrovnikov.
Historical essay. The oldest traces of human activity on the territory of Dagestan are the Darvagchay sites (south of Dagestan) discovered in 2003-05, attributed to the early Ashelian (800-600 thousand years ago), indicating a possible direction of migration from Africa to Eurasia. Finds dating back to the late Ashel (150-80 thousand years ago) are known. The Mousterian era is represented by short-term and cave (Kurmala-kada) sites; some finds are attributed to the late Paleolithic (Wurm glaciation). In the Mesolithic, based on the materials of the settlement Chokh et al., the Chokh culture, close to the cultures of the Southern Caspian region, is distinguished, with the traditions of which in the Neolithic the appearance of agriculture and cattle breeding, stone dwellings, and flat-bottomed ceramics are associated. In the Eneolithic (5th-4th millennium BC), stationary settlements with round stone buildings (Ginchi) and seasonal sites are known, the culture of which reflects contacts with Transcaucasia (painted pottery) and Central Ciscaucasia. In the early Bronze Age (end of the 4th - 3rd millennium BC), the northeastern variant of the Kuro-Araxes culture spread, which in the Middle Bronze Age (end of the 3rd - 1st half of the 2nd millennium BC) ) replaces a number of local groups, including those reflecting steppe influences (seaside, Prisulak, Velikent complex, Ginchin culture), on the basis of some of them, the Kayakent-Kharachoev culture is formed. Monuments of the turn of the Bronze and Iron Ages are classified as "northern" and "southern" cultural groups (Zindak and Mugergan cultures according to O. M. Davudov), whose traditions can be traced later, along with evidence of close contacts with the Scythians. It is assumed that one of the routes of the Scythian campaigns to Asia Minor passed through Dagestan. An early Iron Age sanctuary (Khosrekh) has been discovered. Numerous multi-temporal petroglyphs and bronze anthropomorphic sculpture are known.
Monuments of the 3rd century BC - 4th century AD are distinguished in the Albanian-Sarmatian period, which includes the emergence of cities (Derbent, Urtseki, Targu, etc.); the south of the territory of Dagestan was part of Caucasian Albania, the burial grounds of the Terek-Sulak steppe belonged to the Sarmatians. By the end of the 4th century, the Huns became the most important force in the North Caucasus, and the subject population also participated in their military activities. A rich tomb in Iragi, which testifies to ties with the Black Sea region and the international "fashion" of the elite of the 5th century, the Palasasyrt burial ground, etc., belongs to this time. from invasions from the north. In the last third of the 6th century, the North Caucasus became part of the Turkic Khaganate, then the Khazars became the leading force here. The identification of specific monuments with many peoples known from written sources is a subject of discussion. In the early Middle Ages, a number of monuments of the previous time continued to exist and new ones arose, some of them are identified with cities known from written sources (Semender, Belenjer, etc.). A peculiar culture also developed in a number of regions of mountainous Dagestan.
According to ancient authors, the territory of Dagestan was inhabited by Huns, Savirs, Muscats (Muskuts), Tavaspars, Tskhavats, Chigbs, Hels, Kasps, Khechmataks, etc. In the mountainous part of Dagestan there were independent state formations: Shandan, Filan, Karakh, Lakz, Tabasaran. The fierce struggle between the Caliphate and the Kaganate for dominance in the Eastern Caucasus in the 7th-10th centuries ended with the victory of the Caliphate. By the 11th century, Filan and Karakh lost their independence and fell under the rule of other formations of Dagestan, Lakz and Tabasaran disintegrated. Derbent, Gumik (since the 11th century), Kaitag, Serir (10-11th centuries), Zerekhgeran (10-11th centuries) have intensified. In the 8th-12th centuries, paganism in most regions of Dagestan was replaced by Islam and Christianity [the Georgian church in the village of Datuna, the remains of churches in Khunzakh have survived to our time; found monuments of Albanian and ancient Georgian (including in the Avar language) writing]. In 1220, the Mongol-Tatar troops passed through the mountainous regions of Dagestan, in 1239 they occupied Derbent. In the 14th century, the troops of the Horde khans Uzbek and Tokhtamysh, as well as the Central Asian ruler Timur, invaded Dagestan. By the 15th century, Christianity was universally supplanted by Islam. Medieval residential and tower complexes (including those with petroglyphs), mosques have survived to our time.
Dish. Ceramics, glaze, underglaze painting. 14th-15th century. Collections of the Institute of the History of Language and Literature of the Dagestan Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Makhachkala).
Due to the geographical location of the region, where the interests of Persia and the Ottoman Empire clashed, Dagestan became the object of a struggle between them. On the territory of Southern Dagestan, power was established alternately by one or another state, from the beginning of the 17th century - Persia.
In the course of historical development in Dagestan, 2 main systems of socio-political structure have developed: feudal ownership and unions of rural communities. In the 16th - early 17th century, there were 7 actually independent feudal possessions in Dagestan: the Avar Khanate, Derbent, the Kazikumukh Khanate, Kaitag, Tabasaran, the Tyumen Khanate, the Tsakhur Khanate. In the middle of the 17th century political position Dagestan has changed. As a result of the fragmentation of feudal estates, their number increased from 7 to 19. The basis of the economy of the peoples of Dagestan in the 16-17 centuries was agriculture, animal husbandry, handicraft production, domestic and foreign trade. On the plain and in the foothills of Dagestan, grain crops (wheat, barley, oats, etc.) were grown, which were sold in mountainous Dagestan and in Russian fortresses on the Terek River. Acute shortage of land and the inability to provide for themselves through agriculture encouraged the highlanders to engage in crafts. In the mountain zone, wool and metal crafts have received the greatest development; in the foothills - carpet weaving, the production of tools and products made of wood, linen fabrics, etc.; in the coastal part - breeding of silk worms and silk weaving (raw silk was sent to Russian cities and Europe).
In 1723, as a result of the Persian campaign of 1722-23, the coastal part of Dagestan was included in the Russian Empire, but according to the Ganja Treaty of 1735, it was ceded to Persia. The mountainous part of Dagestan was actually independent, although both the Ottoman Empire and Persia made claims to it. In 1742 Dagestan was invaded by Nadir Shah. In 1796, in connection with the invasion of Agha Mohammedkhan Qajar, the coastal part of Dagestan was annexed to the Russian Empire, but in 1797 the Russian troops were withdrawn. According to the Peace of Gulistan in 1813, Dagestan became part of the Russian Empire. In the 1830s, the population of the mountainous part took the side of Shamil, and this territory became the scene of hostilities during the Caucasian War of 1817-64. Part of the khanates of Dagestan was liquidated by Shamil and included in the Imamat. The power of the feudal lords in them was restored as the Russian troops advanced. The flat part of the territory of Dagestan in 1840 was included in the Caspian region (until 1846), in 1846-60 it was part of the Derbent province. In 1860 the Dagestan Oblast and the Zakatala Okrug were formed, which included both the plains and the mountainous regions of Dagestan. Part of the inhabitants of Dagestan moved to the Ottoman Empire, this movement was encouraged by the Russian government.
At the Extraordinary Congress of the Peoples of Dagestan on November 13, 1920, the autonomy of Dagestan was proclaimed. On January 20, 1921, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a decree on the formation of the Dagestan ASSR from the Dagestan region. By this decree and the decrees of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of November 16, 1922 and January 4, 1923, the Khasavyurt district, the Kizlyar and Achikulak districts of the Terek province were annexed to Dagestan. By the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee dated 22.2.1938, the Achikulak, Kayasulinsky, Kizlyarsky and Shelkovsky regions were transferred from Dagestan to the Stavropol Territory. In 1944-57, Dagestan included Vedensky, Nozhai-Yurtovsky, Sayasanovsky, Cheberloevsky districts, part of Kurchaloevsky, Sharoevsky, Gudermessky districts of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1957, the Shelkovskaya district was excluded from Dagestan, and the Krainovsky, Kizlyarsky, Tarumovsky, Karanogaysky districts, and the Kizlyarsky district were included.
In the middle - the 2nd half of the 20th century, Dagestan turned into an industrial-agrarian republic. Industry is represented by such industries as electric power, fuel, engineering and metalworking, etc. On 26.7.1994, a new constitution was adopted, the State Council was declared the highest executive body (it consisted of representatives of 14 titular peoples), the Dagestan ASSR was renamed the Republic of Dagestan.
I. O. Gavritukhin, A. V. Skakov (archeology); A. I. Osmanov.
economy. Dagestan is part of the North Caucasian economic region. The value of agricultural products is twice that of industrial products. In the country's economy, the republic is distinguished by the harvest of grapes (about 25% in Russia, 2004) and vegetables (4.9%), the production of cognacs (18.9%), champagne and sparkling wines (11.4%), the number of sheep and goats ( 24.1%).
In the structure of GRP (2003,%), the share of agriculture is 28.3, trade and commercial activities for the sale of goods and services 18.0, non-market services 17.1, industry 12.9, construction 9.8, transport and communications 7.5 , other industries 6.4. The ratio of enterprises by forms of ownership (by the number of organizations, 2004,%): private - 58.3, state and municipal - 37.2, public and religious organizations (associations) - 0.2, other forms of ownership - 4.3.
The economically active population is 1090 thousand people, of which 75.8% are employed in the economy. Sectoral structure of employment (%): agriculture - 25.1, trade and public catering - 14.1, education - 13.9, industry - 10.0, transport - 8.3, healthcare - 7.2, construction - 5 ,4, housing and communal services - 2.7, culture and art - 2.1, etc. The unemployment rate is about 25%. Cash income per capita 6.8 thousand rubles per month (July 2006, 68% of the average for the Russian Federation); about 34% of the republic's population has incomes below the subsistence level.
Industry. The volume of industrial production is 10.8 billion rubles (2004). In the industry structure industrial production(%) the leading role belongs to the food industry - 32.7, the share of the electric power industry - 21.9, the fuel industry - 19.8, mechanical engineering and metalworking - 13.4, the building materials industry - 5.6, chemical and petrochemical - 2.9 , light - 0.9, etc.
They produce (table 1) oil and gas (gas condensate-oil fields Dimitrovskoye, Agachbulak near Makhachkala and Ozernoye near the city of Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk, developed by the oil company Rosneft-Dagneft, etc.); (2007) exploration and preparation for oil production on the shelf of the Caspian Sea (Inche-Sea field, 5-6 km from the coast) is underway. The Makhachkala oil refinery operates.
Dagestan fully provides itself with its own electricity (Dagenergo). Almost all electricity is produced by hydroelectric power plants; the largest are Chirkeyskaya (on the Sulak River, with a capacity of 1,000 MW) and Irganai (since 1998; on the Avarskoye Koysu River, with a capacity of 400 MW).
The main products of mechanical engineering are various ship, aviation and electrical equipment, diesel engines, instruments, computers, grinding machines, equipment for the food industry, etc. A significant part of the industry's enterprises manufactures products for the defense industry. Leading enterprises: KEMZ Concern (Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant; including single-seat aircraft, household appliances, woodworking machines), Dagdiesel (Kaspiysk; diesel engines), Gadzhiev Plant (Makhachkala; including steering gears for ships, pumps) , "Aviaagregat" (Makhachkala; airfield equipment and ground handling facilities for aircraft, components for aircraft), "Eltav" (Makhachkala; bipolar, field-effect transistors, integrated circuits, fuel units), "Dagtelekoms" (Makhachkala; including sound recording equipment ), "Electrosignal" (Derbent; electronic equipment), Research Institute "Sapphire" (Makhachkala; including automatic radio direction finders, direction finding systems-simulators for testing on-board navigation equipment), "Factory Mechanics Plant" (Kaspiysk; digital control devices, automation equipment etc.), Dagelektromash (Makhachkala; electric welding equipment), a separator plant (Makhachkala), a grinding machine plant (Der bent).
Chirkeyskaya HPP.
Chemical industry enterprises produce phosphoric acid (Dagfos, Kizilyurt), varnishes, paints (paint and varnish factory, Makhachkala), various polypropylene pipes (Musharaka plant, Buynaksk), etc. Leading glass industry enterprises: fiberglass factories (Makhachkala) , "Dagsteklo" (Dagestan Lights; facing tiles, glass pipes, window glass, etc.).
The main products of the building materials industry are prefabricated reinforced concrete (Dagstroyindustriya and Makhachkala DSK plants, Makhachkala; Dagyugstroy, Derbent; Aist, Kizilyurt, etc.), bricks (Silicate, Makhachkala). Limestone is being mined (Derbent), mineral building materials (near the city of Izberbash).
The light industry is represented by the textile, knitwear, clothing and footwear industries, and the production of carpets. Main centers: Makhachkala (“Dagtekstil” - knitted fabric, hosiery; “Caspian Manufactory” - including harsh gauze), Derbent (sewing, wool spinning, carpet factories, etc.), Buynaksk (shoe and knitwear factories), Kizlyar (clothing factory), Dagestan Lights (carpet factory); in the villages of Khiv (Khiv region) and Khuchni (Tabasaran region) - the production of carpets.
Folk art crafts are developed: metal processing, including the production of souvenir weapons, giftware, jewelry (“Kubachi Art Plant”, the village of Kubachi, Dakhadaevsky District), civilian cold steel and souvenir weapons (enterprise “Kizlyar”, Kizlyar), ceramics (village Balkhar, Akushinsky district), wooden products inlaid with metal, bone, mother-of-pearl (an art factory in the village of Untsukul), chasing on copper (Gotsatlinsky art plant in the village of Bolshoy Gotsatl, Khunzakh district).
Cognac service. Village of Kubachi. 1971. Master G. B. M. Magomedov.
The food industry specializes in the processing of grapes, the production of high-grade grape, sparkling and champagne wines and cognacs. Leading enterprises: Kizlyar brandy factory, Derbent factory of sparkling wines, Derbent brandy plant, Izberbashsky and Kaspiyvinir wineries (Makhachkala), etc. Fish processing is also developed (Fishing commercial company Port-Petrovsk - live and frozen fish, canned fish and flour; the Glavny Sulak fish processing plant; Dagrybkhoz - including fish balyk products; all in Makhachkala) and the production of various canned food (factories in Derbent, Buynaksk - including juices, jams, jams, compotes ; in Kizlyar - canned meat, fruits, vegetables; in Gergebil, Botlikh districts, etc.). There are a confectionery factory (Izberbash), a dairy plant (Makhachkala), the Dagestankhleboprodukt corporation (Makhachkala; including flour, cereals, animal feed, bakery products), a butter factory and a meat processing plant Golden Calf (Kizlyar). Bottling of mineral waters is being carried out (Deneb and Start factories in Makhachkala, etc.).
The leading industrial center of Dagestan is Makhachkala; other large centers - Buynaksk, Derbent, Kizlyar, Kaspiysk, Izberbash.
Agriculture. The value of gross agricultural output is 21.9 billion rubles (2004), including 51% of crop production. The area of agricultural land is 3313.8 thousand hectares (65.8% of the area of the republic), of which about 15% is arable land. In terms of the share of pastures in the structure of agricultural land, Dagestan occupies one of the first places in the North Caucasus, and one of the last in terms of the share of arable land. The degree of plowing of the territory decreases from north to south (70% of arable land falls on the plains, 20% - on the foothills, 10% - on the mountains). Possibilities for expanding the area of arable land are limited; in the flat part of Dagestan, land unsuitable for cultivation is intensively drawn into circulation. In the foothill and mountainous parts, convenient lands have been developed almost completely, arable land is represented by small scattered terraced fields. In some areas, artificial irrigation is used.
Viticulture is developed (the largest arrays of vineyards are concentrated in the lower reaches of the Terek and Sulak rivers, as well as in the foothills in the east of Dagestan), fruit growing (apricots, cherries, apples, peaches, plums, etc.; the largest horticultural areas are located in the valleys of the Samur and Gyulgerychay rivers , Andiyskoye Koysu, Avar Koysu, Karakoysu; in the southeast of the Primorskaya lowland, pomegranates, figs, persimmons, almonds are grown) and vegetable growing (together with gourds, it occupies 19.2% of the sown area). They also grow cereals (48% of the sown area; winter wheat and barley, corn for grain, rice), fodder (30.8%; including alfalfa), potatoes and industrial crops, mainly sunflower (Table 2).
The traditional branch of specialization of animal husbandry - sheep breeding, is developed almost everywhere (fine-wool - in the northern plains of Dagestan, distant pasture - in the southern mountainous part). Meat and dairy (in the southern part) and meat (mainly in the east) cattle breeding, goat breeding, poultry breeding (tables 3, 4), fur farming (in the western part of Dagestan - Kazbekovsky district, as well as fur farming in Kaspiysk), horse breeding (in the northern part and southwestern regions), fish farming (in the north of Dagestan, in the Nogai region, and in the southeast, in the village of Magaramkent). Donkeys, mules (in the Botlikh region), spotted deer (in the Kazbek region) are bred in the western and southwestern regions.
About 72% of agricultural land belongs to the lands of agricultural organizations, peasant (farmer) households occupy 3.7%, in the personal use of citizens - 3%. Agricultural organizations produce 40% of grain, households produce about 93% of potatoes, 90% of vegetables, 86.5% of livestock and poultry for slaughter, 82.2% of milk, 47% of grain.
Transport. Road transport provides most of the domestic freight and passenger traffic. The length of paved roads is 7461 km (2004). The highway of federal importance - "Kavkaz" (Krasnodar - Grozny - Makhachkala - border with Azerbaijan) passes through the territory of Dagestan. The length of railways is 516 km. The main railway lines are: Moscow - Grozny - Gudermes - Makhachkala - the border with Azerbaijan - Baku and Makhachkala - Kizlyar - Astrakhan (the Kizlyar - Karlanyurt railway line was built in the late 1990s). Main cargoes: oil, oil products, grain, building materials, various equipment, etc. Maritime transport provides most of the external freight traffic. The main seaport is Makhachkala (cargo turnover of about 4.5 million tons and over 200 TEU containers); the only ice-free Russian port on the coast of the Caspian Sea). Main cargoes: mineral construction materials, grain, oil cargoes, etc.; ferry and container transportation. The main oil pipeline Baku (Azerbaijan) - Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Territory, length 274 km), the main gas pipelines Mozdok (North Ossetia) - Kazi-Magomed (Azerbaijan, length 297 km) and Makat (Kazakhstan) - North Caucasus (length about 130 km). International airport in Makhachkala.
G. I. Gladkevich.
V. S. Nechaev.
Education. cultural institutions.
In the education system of the Republic of Dagestan there are (2006) 519 preschool institutions(over 50 thousand pupils), over 1600 general educational institutions (over 426 thousand students), 24 primary vocational education(over 3 thousand students), 27 secondary specialized educational institutions (17 thousand students). There are 96 educational institutions of culture and art, including 41 music schools, 13 children's art schools, 42 art schools; Republican House of Folk Art (1937). The system of higher education includes 6 state universities (about 31,000 students), including Dagestan University (founded in 1931 as a pedagogical institute; modern name since 1957), Pedagogical University (1931), Agricultural Academy (founded in 1932 as a fruit-growing institute), medical Academy(1932), Dagestan Technical University (founded in 1972 as a polytechnical institute, modern name since 1995), Institute of National Economy of the Government of the Republic of Dagestan (1991) - all in Makhachkala; branches of the Moscow State Law Academy, the University of the Russian Academy of Education, etc. Among the scientific institutions are the Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1991); includes over 10 scientific institutions, including the Institute of Physics named after Kh. I. Amirkhanov, the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography, the Institute of Language, Literature and Art named after G. Tsadasa, the Scientific Association "IVTAN". Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (1993); Caspian Zonal Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, scientific and production association "Dagagrovinprom", etc. There are 1031 libraries, 1070 club institutions. There are 15 museums in Dagestan, including the Dagestan State United Historical and Architectural Museum in Makhachkala (founded in 1923 as a museum of local lore, modern name since 1977); 14 branches, including the Literary and Memorial House-Museum of S. Stalsky (1950; the village of Ashaga-Stal, Suleiman-Stalsky District), the Museum of Military Glory in Makhachkala, museums in Buynaksk, Khasavyurt, Kizlyar, as well as in the villages of Terekli-Mekteb, Tsada, Kayakent, Karabudakhkent, Akhty; Derbent Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve (1988), Republican Museum of Fine Arts (1958) in Makhachkala.
Mass media. In the Republic of Dagestan, according to the Federal Service for Supervision of Compliance with Legislation in the Sphere of Mass Communications and the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of the Russian Federation (“Rosokhrakultura”), 431 mass media are registered and registered (2004), including 249 newspapers, 40 magazines and 6 news agencies. The print media include 179 republican and 70 city and regional media. Among the mass media a special place is occupied by publications in national languages.
The newspapers Novoye Delo (27.7 thousand copies), Truth (18.6 thousand copies), Makhachkala News (17.3 thousand copies), Lezgi Gazeta (14.6 thousand copies) have the largest circulation. , "Youth of Dagestan" (14.2 thousand copies), "Zaman" (13.4 thousand copies), "Dagestanskaya Pravda" (10.2 thousand copies).
About 80 municipal and commercial television and radio studios are registered in Dagestan (in addition to all-Russian television companies and the Dagestan State Television and Radio Company, which broadcasts throughout the republic). There are 8 cable TV networks. Each region has or is creating its own television and radio broadcasting base. At the same time, there remains an acute problem of creating in the republic its own broadcasting channel, which provides signal coverage of the entire territory of Dagestan. The main printing facilities for book, magazine and newspaper production are state or municipal property. The share of the non-state sector in the total number of printing enterprises is 19%.
Literature. The literatures of the peoples of Dagestan are developed in the Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Lezgin, Lak, Nogai, Tabasaran, Tat, and Russian languages. Since the 7th century, the culture of Dagestan has been influenced by the Arab-Muslim tradition. In the 10th century, genres of spiritual literature in Arabic, Turkic (Turks) and Persian became widespread: hagiographic monuments (“History of Abu Muslim”), chronicles (“Derbent-name”, “History of Derbent and Shirvan”), mawlids (about the life prophet Muhammad), edification, etc. Since the 18th century, Ajam, a writing system based on Arabic graphics, has been established in the Avar, and later in other literatures. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, the influential Arabic-speaking tradition gradually gave way to poetic creativity in national languages (Kumyks Mama Gishi from Enderei, Yusup Kadi from Yakhsay; Tabasarans Kaluk Mirza, Gadzhi-Said Zirdyagsky; Nogais Sarkynbay Krymly, Ismail Mazharly; Tats Ilishagha ben Shomoila , Livi ben Misha Nagdim and others). Ashug poetry, which was closely connected with folklore, was popular.
In the second half of the 19th century, national literatures were formed. Strengthening the personal beginning, attention to social problems distinguish the poetry of the Avars Chanki from Batlaich, Ali-Gadzhi from Inkho, Mahmud from Kakhab-Roso; Kumyk Irchi Kazak; Dargins Omarly Batyray, Mungi Ahmed; Lezgin Etim Emin; lachki Shaza from Kurkli. A significant role in the formation of prose genres was played by the essays of the Dagestan enlighteners: “The Kumyk's story about the Kumyks” by D.-M. Shikhalieva (1848), "How the Laks Live" by A. Omarov (1870), "The Tale of an Eyewitness About Shamil" Gadzhi-Ali (1873), "Among the Highlanders of Northern Dagestan" G.-M. Amirov (1873), "From the Dagestan customs" by A. Mamedov (1892) and others.
In the literature of the early 20th century, acute social problems prevail, journalistic intonations intensify, and calls are made to update the traditional way of life: the poem “The Complaint of the Caucasian Mountains” by the Kumyk M. Alibekov (1905), the story “Poor Habibat” by the Kumyk N. Batyrmurzaev (1910), etc. In 1902, the first printing house in Dagestan was founded in Temir-Khan-Shura. The tribune of progressive democratic views was the magazine in the Kumyk language - "Tang-Cholpan" ("Morning Star", 1917-18). The author of the first Dagestan drama ("Tinkers", 1914) is a Lak playwright and public figure G. Saidov. The military theme is raised in the lyrical poem "Mariam" by Mahmud (1915), a classic of Avar poetry. The theme of revolutionary transformation was reflected in the works of the Avars G. Tsadasa, Z. G. Gadzhiev, R. Dinmagomaev, Laks A.-K. Zakuev, Lezgin S. Stalsky, Kumyk Yu. Gereev, Dargin R. Nurov, founder of the Dargin satire A. Iminagaev (“Labor of the Mulla”, 1934). In the 1930s, the genre of the novel was formed: “Heroes in Fur Coats” by the Avar Dinmagomayev (1933), “Fishermen” by Tat M. Yu. Bakhshiev (1933), “Broken Chains” by Lezgin A. Fatakhov (1934); dramaturgy develops (Lak M. Charinov, Avar B. Malachikhanov, Tabasaran A. P. Jafarov, Tats M. Shalumov and Yu. Semyonov, Lezgin G. Gadzhibekov, Dargin Nurov, Kumyk A.-P. Salavatov). The work of the Laks E. M. Kapiev (lyrical collection Stone Carving, 1940), a translator of folklore and poems by Danish poets, and the compiler of the first poetic anthologies, stands out. Literary criticism was developing (G. Gadzhibekov, K. K. Sultanov, and others). In post-war prose, an important place is occupied by the stories of the Avars M. Sulimanov, M. A. Magomedov, the Kumyk A. Adzhamatov, the Tat Kh. D. Avshalumov; novels by Kumyk I. Kerimov. The contribution to children's literature was made by the Avar 3. Gadzhiev, the Dargin R. M. Rashidov, the Kumyk M.-S. Yakhyaev. A new stage in the development of the literature of Dagestan is associated with the work of the Avar R. G. Gamzatov, who became the most significant figure in Dagestan literature of the 2nd half of the 20th century.
At the end of the 20th century, the genre of the novel (historical, epic, lyrical-philosophical, etc.) developed intensively; increased attention to moral and ethical issues, the psychological multidimensionality of character. Among the writers: Avars F. G. Alieva, M. G. Gairbekova, Adallo, O.-G. Shakhtamanov, M. Akhmedova; the Dargins R. M. Rashidov, A. A. Abu-Bakar, Magomed-Rasul, Kh. M. Aliev; Kumyks A. Adzhiev, Sh. Alberiev, B. Magomedov; Lezgins I. Huseynov, A. U. Saidov, R. Gadzhiev, A. Kardasha; Laks M. Magomedov, B. Ramazanov, M.-Z. Aminov; Tabasarans M. Shamkhalov, M. Mitarov, Sh. Kazieva; taty K. Kukullu, B. Safanov, M. M. Dadashev; Nogais of Kadriya (K. O. Temirbulatova), I. S. Kapaev.
K. K. Sultanov.
Architecture and fine arts. From the early Middle Ages, the ruins of the Hunnic city of Varachan (the settlement of Urtseki near the city of Izberbash: defensive walls, baths, pagan temples), the Khazar capital Semender (near the village of Tarki) have survived. The stone walls and fortresses of the grandiose (over 40 km long) Derbent defensive system date back to the 6th century, blocking the Caspian passage - the main caravan route from southeastern Europe to Western Asia. Relations with the countries of the East influenced the architecture of Derbent, in which clear stylistic periods can be traced: the defensive construction of the 6th century is associated with Sasanian Iran, the architecture of the 8th-9th centuries - with the Arab-Muslim culture (Juma Mosque), the 14th-15th centuries - with the influence Shirvan. The early penetration of Christianity from Albania is evidenced by the ruins of churches in the Upper Chirkey settlement (the Khazar city of Belenjer) and in Derbent (all 6-8 centuries), the later (10-14 centuries) influence of Georgia is evidenced by small 1-nave churches (in the village of Datuna, 10-12 centuries). In the mountainous regions of Dagestan, many defensive structures made of rough-cut stone have been preserved: round and square towers for various purposes (watchtower in the village of Khorej, 16-17 centuries), fortresses (near the villages of Khuchni, Akhty, Kumukh, Kharba-Guran).
For centuries, mainly folk architecture developed in Dagestan, and each of the many peoples (or groups of peoples) has its own characteristics. At the same time, common features are also strongly expressed, due to the common historical fate and mutual influences. Settlements-auls are usually located in hard-to-reach areas; in mountain villages, the terrace-like composition of dense buildings resembles a single stepped structure (Kubachi, Chokh). Residential houses of the 18th-19th centuries have been preserved (in the mountainous and foothill regions - made of stone, in the southern part of the Primorskaya Lowland - adobe), rectangular in plan, with flat roof. In old houses, the main attention was paid to interior design (stucco and stone fireplace decorations, figured wooden poles, etc.); in the 19th and 20th centuries, the decoration of the façade (arched portals, figured stone and wooden details, carved frames of windows and doors) played an important role. Mosques in auls (Kalakoreish, Karakyure, Richa, all 11-13th centuries; Tsakhur, Kumukh, 14th century) are usually rectangular stone structures with a flat roof resting on carved wooden pillars in the interior; in front of the main facade is a gallery. Minarets are round in plan (in the villages of Richa, Mishlesh; both are from the 13th century) or square (in the villages of Shinaz, Rutul). Stone domed mausoleums (usually square in plan) with a closed arch (in the village of Duldug, 1682-83) or a dome (in the village of Khutkhul, 1807-08), bridges (wooden and stone arched), and architectural design of springs are widespread.
In the 19th century, the influence of Russian architecture penetrated Dagestan: buildings in the Empire style were created (a guardhouse in Derbent, 1828), fortresses (in the village of Akhty, the Burnaya fortress), the cities of Petrovsk-Port (now Makhachkala), Temir-Khan-Shura (now Buynaksk). In Soviet times, new cities (Kaspiysk, Izberbash, Khasavyurt, Kizilyurt) and workers' settlements arose; construction is underway in the spirit of constructivism (post office, 1920s), using oriental motifs (Government House, now the Dagestan State Agricultural Academy, 1927-28, architect I.V. Zholtovsky), in the 1930s-50s - using classical forms and details (Dagestan Hotel, 1938-39, architect G. Grimm; all in Makhachkala). Among the significant buildings of the 2nd half of the 20th century are the buildings of the Russian Drama Theater and the Republican Library named after A. S. Pushkin in Makhachkala (1980s).
The earliest monuments of fine and decorative arts on the territory of Dagestan: Eneolithic ceramics - painted and black-polished with relief and in-depth ornament; numerous rock carvings dating back to the Bronze Age, mostly engraved, (near the village of Kapchugay, 2nd-1st millennium BC; images of this type were created until the 20th century); bronze cast figurines of people and animals (Verkhnechiryurt burial ground). The generalized stone figures of leopards and lions from the Derbent fortress, openwork bronze buckles from the Bezhta burial ground, and jewelry from the burial ground near the village of Agachkala date back to the 6th-10th centuries. Since the early Middle Ages, vertical carved tombstones have been common (in the villages of Kalakoreish, Akusha, and others). Woodcarving is widespread (doors of mosques in Kalakoreish, Tpige). From the 11th-13th centuries, numerous stone reliefs and bronze cauldrons with similar Sasanian images of animals, people, hunting scenes, etc. were created in the village of Kubachi. With the intensification of Islamization, geometric and floral ornaments began to prevail in the art of Dagestan, often including inscriptions. In the Middle Ages, many mountain villages turned into highly specialized handicraft centers. Kubachi are known for jewelry and weapons, richly decorated with niello, engraving, notch (see Kubachi metalworking); Gotsatl - copper chased products; Balkhar - unglazed ceramics with engobe painting (see Balkhar ceramics); Untsukul - wooden products with silver notch and bone inlay, mother-of-pearl. In many areas, pile and lint-free carpets have long been woven, mats have been woven, and patterned socks have been knitted. Each area has its favorite drawings, colors, composition. Carpet weaving developed everywhere (a number of factories were created, and a school of carpet weaving has existed in Derbent since 1931). Among the masters of folk art are A. M. Abdurakhmanov, I. A. Abdulaev, R. A. Alikhanov, B. G. Gimbatov, G. M. Kishev, G. M. Magomedov, G. M. Chabkaev.
E. E. Lansere, who taught drawing in Temir-Khan-Shura in 1918-19, provided great assistance in the education of national artistic personnel (among his students were the artist M. A. Dzhemal and the sculptor Kh. N. Askar-Sarydzha). Since the 1920s, the painters H.-B. Musaev, Dzhemal, Yu. A. Mollaev, M. Yunusilau, D. A. Kapanitsyn, N. A. Lakov; in the 1950-70s - easel painters A. I. Avgustovich, V. V. Gorchakov, Kh. M. Kurbanov, O. B. Omarov, muralist I. D. Bolshakov, graphic artists S. M. Salavatov , G. P. Konopatskaya, V. N. Gorkov, K. A. Murzabekov, A. N. Sharypov, sculptors Askar-Sarydzha (monument to M.-A. Dakhadaev in Makhachkala, 1971), A. I. Gazaliev, A M. Yagudaev. In the 1980s, a new generation of artists emerged: E. M. Puterbrot, I.-Kh. Sup'yanov, Zh. V. Kolesnikova, S. S. Batyrov, I. O. Huseynova.
S. O. Khan-Magomedov (architecture).
Tombstones in the village of Urkarakh.
Music. The folklore, represented by the traditions of more than 30 peoples, is characterized by a number of common features: the predominance of solo singing with instrumental accompaniment, the presence of similar instruments, a common fast dance in size 68 (outside Dagestan it is called "Lezginka"), etc. The central figure of the professional epic tradition is - ashug (dalaila-usta, yirchi, kochonakh, shair).
In the 1920s, the first musical and ethnographic expeditions took place, collections of songs and dances of the peoples of Dagestan began to be published. The founder of Dagestan professional composer music is G. A. Gasanov (the first national opera "Khochbar", 1937). Among the composers: N. S. Dagirov, S. A. Agababov, S. A. Kerimov, Z. M. Gadzhiev, K. M. Shamasov, M. K. Kasumov; the composer and conductor M. M. Kazhlaev (the first Dagestan ballet The Goryanka, 1968), the composer Sh. R. Chalaev (the opera Highlanders, 1970) work outside the republic. Masters of national performing culture: singers - B. Muradova, P. Nutsalova, A. Ibragimova, M. Shcherbatova, R. Gadzhiyeva, I. G. Batalbekova, B. A. Ibragimova, M. Gasanova; instrumentalists - U. Abubakarov, K. Magomedov.
There are several musical and drama theaters in Dagestan (see the Theater section), in 1999 the Opera and Ballet Theater was opened in Makhachkala. The State Philharmonic works.
Theatre. In the 1910s and 1920s, amateur drama circles arose in various villages, on the basis of which professional theaters were later formed. In Dagestan they work: in Makhachkala - the Republican Russian Drama Theater named after M. Gorky (1925), the Kumyk Music and Drama Theater (1930, since 1955 named after A.-P. Salavatov), the Lak Musical Drama Theater (1935, since 1952 named after E . Kapiev), the Avar Music and Drama Theater (founded in the village of Khunzakh in 1935, named after G. Tsadasa since 1951), the Puppet Theater (1941), the Opera and Ballet Theater (1999); in Derbent - the Azerbaijan Drama Theater (1930), the Lezgi Music and Drama Theater named after S. Stalsky (1938), the Tabasaran Drama Theater (2001), the Tat Theater (1962); in Izberbash - Dargin Music and Drama Theater named after O. Batyray (1961). Among the figures of theatrical art of Dagestan different years References: A. A. Magaev, Z. N. Nabieva, M. A. Abdulkhalikov, P. Kh. Khizroeva, B. M. Inusilov, N. M. Ibragimov, N. M. Aliev, G. I. Isaev.
In 1935, A. Abakarov, Y. Tadzhikurbanov, M. Zagirbekov and S. Kurbanov, natives of the Lak village of Tsovkra, created a professional group "4 Tsovkra" in Makhachkala, which developed the traditions of the original art of tightrope walkers. Since 1947, after the division of the team, there have been two independent groups: "Dagestan tightrope walkers" and "Tsovkra".
Dagestan carpet. Fragment. Around 1900. O. B. Omarov. "Kulinki". 1975. Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts (Makhachkala).
In 1984, the Museum of the History of Theaters of Dagestan was opened in Makhachkala. The Republic also has the Song and Dance Ensemble of Dagestan, the Lezginka Dance Ensemble, the Dance Ensemble of the Peoples of the Caucasus “Youth of Dagestan”.
Lit .: Baklanov N. B. Architectural monuments of Dagestan. L., 1935. Issue. one; Sultanov K. Poets of Dagestan. Makhachkala, 1959; Dagestan folk songs. M., 1959; Saidov M. Dagestan literature of the XVIII-XIX centuries. in Arabic. M., 1960; Figures of the musical art of Dagestan. Makhachkala, 1960; Debirov P. M. Stone carving in Dagestan. M., 1966; he is. Wood carving in Dagestan. M., 1982; History of Dagestan: In 4 vols. M., 1967-1969; Yakubov M. A. Essays on the history of the Dagestan Soviet music. Makhachkala, 1974. Vol. 1: 1917-1945; Voronkina N. P. art Soviet Dagestan: pages of history. Makhachkala, 1978; Atlas of the Dagestan ASSR. M., 1979; Art of Dagestan / Comp. D. M. Magomedov. M., 1981; Gamzatov G. G. Literature of the peoples of Dagestan in the pre-October period. Typology and originality of artistic experience. M., 1982; Kotovich VG Problems of cultural-historical and economic development of the population of ancient Dagestan. M., 1982; Essays on the history of Soviet art in Dagestan, 1917-1941. M., 1987; Markovin V. I. Roads and paths of Dagestan. 2nd ed. M., 1988; he is. Rock carvings of the foothills of Dagestan. M., 2006; Gazimagomedov M. G. Folk art crafts of Dagestan. Makhachkala, 1988; Ancient and medieval architecture of Dagestan / Comp. M. S. Gadzhiev. Makhachkala, 1989; Gadzhiev M. G. Early agricultural culture of the North-Eastern Caucasus. M., 1991; Monuments of ancient art of Dagestan / Comp. L. B. Gmyrya. Makhachkala, 1991; Eldarov M. M. Natural monuments of Dagestan. Makhachkala, 1991; Abakarov A.I., Davudov O.M. Archaeological map of Dagestan. M., 1993; Gmyrya L. B. Caspian Dagestan in the era of the great migration of peoples. Makhachkala, 1993; Ismailov M. I., Eldarov E. M. Modern environmental problems of Dagestan. Makhachkala, 1994; Physical geography of Dagestan. M., 1996; Gadzhiev M. G., Davudov O. M., Shikhsadov A. R. History of Dagestan from ancient times to the end of the 15th century. Makhachkala, 1996; Khan Magomedov S. O. Architecture of Dagestan. M., 1998-2005. Issue. 1-6; The Republic of Dagestan. Administrative structure, population, territory (60s of the 19th century - 90s of the 20th century). Makhachkala, 2001; Gadzhiev M.S. The ancient city of Dagestan. M., 2002; Nabieva U.N. Cultural geography of Dagestan. M., 2002; History of Dagestan from ancient times to the present day: In 2 vols. M.; Makhachkala, 2005; Khaibulaev S. Poetic Chronicle of the Caucasian War. Makhachkala, 2005.
The Republic of Dagestan (RD) is located in the eastern part of the North Caucasus. Internal administrative borders: in the north - with Kalmykia, in the northwest - with the Stavropol Territory, in the west - with Chechnya. External state borders - with Georgia and Azerbaijan; in the east, the territory is washed by the Caspian Sea, which gives the republic access to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran.
After the collapse of the USSR, Dagestan became a border republic, but the borders with Georgia and Azerbaijan have not yet been delimited. The administrative border with Chechnya during the hostilities in the neighboring republic (1994-1996), and especially after their completion, turned into a "front line" between Chechen bandit formations, on the one hand, and units of the internal troops of Russia and the Dagestan police, on the other .
The capital of Makhachkala is a large ice-free military and commercial seaport on the Caspian Sea. The distance from Makhachkala to Moscow is 2166 km.
Dagestan is the largest republic in the North Caucasus in terms of territory and population. This is the southernmost region of Russia, which is of strategic importance.
According to the nature of the relief, the territory is divided into two parts: southern and northern. Southern Dagestan is mountainous, its territory is occupied by the ridges of the Greater Caucasus (altitudes up to 4480 m above sea level), and the northern regions of the republic are flat - the Nogai steppe and the Tersko-Sulak lowland. The climate on the plain is continental, warm and dry, with average temperatures in January -3.6 o C, and in July +23.5 o C; there is little precipitation, 300-400 mm per year. In the seaside zone, along the Caspian, the climate is milder and more humid, in the mountains it depends on the height of the area. The main rivers of Dagestan - Terek (downstream), Sulak, Samur and Kuma - are used for irrigation and hydropower. On the plain, large areas are occupied by fertile chernozem and dark chestnut soils, favorable for agriculture. More than 60% of the land is located on the slopes of the mountains. Valuable tree species grow in the mountains - oak, beech, hornbeam. The forest area is insignificant - only 8% of the territory.
Agricultural land in Dagestan accounts for 66% of the total area (3.37 million hectares), of which pastures - 70% (2.6 million hectares), and arable land - only 15% (527 thousand hectares). The rest is hayfields, perennial plantings. The flat lands account for 46% of all agricultural land, and more than 60% of natural fodder lands are concentrated here for the autumn-winter keeping of sheep driven from mountainous areas. Foothill and mountain zones occupy more than 3 million hectares. There are now 9.32 hectares of arable land per inhabitant of Dagestan, which is three times less than the average for Russia.
In general, the lack of convenient land areas (not only for agricultural purposes) is the most acute problem of Dagestan. In connection with the intensive migration of residents of mountainous regions to the plain, there are almost no free plots left in its rural zone. This often causes contradictions and even conflicts between the inhabitants of the Caspian lowland and the highlanders-migrants.
An important resource of Dagestan is the Caspian Sea - the largest of the closed water bodies of the planet. The coastline within the republic stretches for 360 km - from the mouth of the river. Kuma to the southern borders with Azerbaijan. The shelf zone is actively used for industrial fishing. Caspian salmon is recognized as the best in the world; five species of sturgeon fish are found here: sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, spike and sterlet. The sea provides 9/10 of the world's black caviar production.
The natural and climatic conditions of Dagestan are exceptionally favorable for horticulture, viticulture, vegetable growing, as well as for the development of sanatorium treatment, recreation and tourism.
Main minerals: oil, gas, gas condensate, various mineral building materials (quartz sand, clay, gypsum, marl, limestone, dolomite, etc.), rock crystal, facing stones.
Of the ore minerals that do not yet have an industrial value, a copper-pyrite deposit has been explored in Kizil-Dere (in the south, in the mountains) with copper reserves of more than 1 million tons, zinc - 25 thousand tons, sulfur - 14 million tons. A deposit of celestine "Blue Stones" (celestine is a mineral of strontium) in the Sergokalinsky region was discovered and preliminary explored. Strontium oxide reserves in the deposit are estimated at 94 thousand tons.
There are reserves of molding sands for metallurgy - the Ekibulak deposit - 57 million tons. The sands are also suitable as glass raw materials.
It should be emphasized that within the limits of the North Caucasus, Dagestan is the region with the least industrially developed mineral resource base. Until now, various building materials and other types of products are imported into the republic from outside, the production of which could be established locally from its own raw materials, but subject to better development of existing deposits. However, it is difficult to do this due to the fact that many deposits are located in high mountainous regions and are remote from the main consumers.
Oil has the greatest industrial value. Currently, about 360 thousand tons of oil (together with gas condensate) and 670 million cubic meters are produced in the republic. m of gas per year (1998). Dagestan accounts for only 0.12% of the total Russian oil production. Oil production is declining from year to year, many wells are mothballed due to their depletion.
Great prospects for the development of the oil and gas industry are associated with the discovered commercial oil and gas reserves in the waters of the Caspian Sea, as well as in the 10-mile zone of the Caspian Sea. Forecasts regarding oil and gas production in the plains and foothills of Dagestan are also quite optimistic.
Exploration of the Dimitrovskoye gas field, the largest in the North Caucasus, is currently underway. Now about 70% of the gas consumed in Dagestan is provided by its own resources, and in recent years its production has been increasing. It is planned that by 2005 the Republic of Dagestan will completely switch over to independent gas supply.
The oil resources of the shelf zone are of particular importance: at the present stage of geological exploration, the total oil reserves on the Dagestan shelf of the Caspian Sea, according to various estimates, range from 130 to 500 million tons. the winning companies were determined, which were granted this right for 25 years: Geotermneftegaz and the Caspoil consortium, which includes JSC Dagneft, the Canadian company KonArgo and CJSC Caspiy-2.
In terms of hydropower resources, Dagestan ranks first in the North Caucasus, but the use of this potential is only about 20%.
The region's recreational resources are also of particular value. Numerous mineral springs and mud, combined with a healing climate, beautiful landscape and warm sea create excellent conditions for relaxation and treatment. The most famous are: the resort "Talgi", located in a mountain valley with hydrogen sulfide healing springs; the sanatorium "Kaspiy", where diseases of the organs of movement and the nervous system are treated with the help of iodine-bromine brines from a local source; sanatorium "Kayakent", specializing in the treatment of diseases of the organs of movement and skin diseases with the help of therapeutic peat mud from a unique local lake.
Numerous reserves of geothermal waters have been discovered in the republic, but they are poorly developed: this resource potential is used by only a quarter. Thermal waters extracted from depths of 1-1.5 km are used today for heating and hot water supply of Makhachkala, Izberbash, Kizlyar, and a number of villages.
