Kurla between the Riverbank and the Mountain Slope

• Kurla lies in the eastern part of the district, on the right bank of the Kazikumukhskoye Koysu and 6 km from the district center.
• The village is situated on the slope of the mountain popularly known as Machchayna-Zunttu.
• In the 19th and early 20th centuries, residents grew white radishes as well as carrots.
• According to local residents, a gravestone in one of the cemeteries bears the year 1307 AD.

Kurla is also situated on the slope of the mountain popularly known as Machchayna-Zunttu. The distance of 6 km refers to the district center. Together, these details help locate Kurla within the district and describe the landscape in which the village lies.

It is helpful to distinguish these reference points: the riverbank, the mountain slope, and the distance to the district center describe different aspects of Kurla’s location. The mountain’s name is a local designation; it adds to the geographical description without replacing the river or the district center as a reference point.

Carrots and “q'yala q'aya,” or white radishes, are recorded as crops grown by Kurla’s residents in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This period is part of the village’s history. The specific name for the radish makes this detail vivid and distinguishes it from a general description of cultivation.

Another local detail concerns a gravestone in one of the cemeteries. According to local residents, a gravestone at the grave of a man named Agachavli bears the year 1307 AD. This information refers to the year inscribed on the gravestone, so it should be distinguished from a date for the village or its founding.

The Republic of Dagestan also offers a broader cultural context for planning a trip. Inside the citadel in Derbent are archaeological remains of a bathhouse, several underground water reservoirs, a 5th-century Christian church, and an 8th-century mosque. Derbent’s fortifications, together with the medieval buildings in the Old Town known as the Magalims, form a cultural landscape.

Derbent’s mountain wall extends 40 kilometers westward across the mountains, completely blocking the pass between the sea and the mountains. Steep slopes surround the citadel on three sides. Its stone walls are 2.5 to 3.2 meters thick, more than 700 meters long, and 10 to 15 meters high. Nine of the original 14 gates remain. At the citadel, visitors can appreciate both the scale of the complex and its position between the sea and the mountains.

Gunib also has historic fortifications. A wall with a round tower and two gates survives: the lower gate is called the Baryatinsky Gate, and the upper one the Shamil Gate. A path leads from the Shamil Gates along the three-kilometer-long wall to a tower. The 107-meter-long Gunib Tunnel was cut through the rock in the 1860s. These examples differ in scale and form: in Derbent, the citadel and long mountain wall define the landscape, while in Gunib the surviving wall, its gates, and the tunnel take center stage.

The Tobot Waterfall lies at an elevation of 1,690 meters, at the beginning of Tsolotl Canyon on the Khunzakh Plateau. It is one of the highest waterfalls in the North Caucasus. Its exact height is unknown; estimates range from 50 to 100 meters. The water flow changes over the course of the year: Tobot carries the most water from May to July, while in winter it freezes and turns into a large icicle. As a result, the experience described varies significantly by season.

The mountain botanical garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences is located in the Upper Gunib Nature Park and features rare and endemic plant species from the Caucasus and Dagestan. On an excursion to the Chirkey Hydroelectric Power Plant, visitors can stand at the foot of the dam. At the Karadakh Gorge, a walk leads through an unusual rock corridor.

The Sarykum Dune area is part of the Dagestan Nature Reserve; not all of the dune is open to visitors. Metal walkways lead onto the dune, and the hiking trail is called “Put' mudroy cherepakhi” (“Path of the Wise Turtle”). Check the current visitor rules before visiting. The trail, walkways, and access restrictions are separate details: the route described does not mean that visitors can enter the entire dune.

Discover more destinations: Shara, Bryansk, Izberbash, Sovetskoye, Derbent, Khasavyurt, Makhachkala and Kizlyar.

How far is Kurla from the district center?

Kurla is also located on the right bank of the Kazikumukhskoye Koysu and on the slope of the mountain locally known as Machchayna-Zunttu.

What crops did Kurla’s residents grow in the past?

Carrots and “q'yala q'aya,” or white radishes, are recorded for the 19th and early 20th centuries.

What year is associated with the gravestone in Kurla?

According to local residents, a gravestone in one of the cemeteries at the grave of a man named Agachavli bears the year 1307 AD.

When does Tobot carry the most water?

In the Republic of Dagestan, Tobot Waterfall carries the most water from May to July. It freezes in winter; its exact height is unknown and is estimated at 50 to 100 meters.

Go to the broader travel overview: Republic of Dagestan.