Discover Makhachkala: Museums and City History

• The Russia—My History Multimedia Historical Park is located at 31G Imam Shamil Avenue.
• The park is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; last admission is at 6:30 p.m. Check the latest visitor information before your visit.
• The National Museum named after Alibek Takho-Godi is located at 31 Danialova Street.
• The Central Juma Mosque has one main dome and four semi-domes and is designed in the classical Turkish architectural style.

The National Museum of the Republic of Dagestan named after A. Takho-Godi offers a broad overview of different fields of art and knowledge through its collections. In total, they comprise around 190,000 items, including paintings and sculptures, works of decorative and applied art, ethnographic collections, ancient manuscripts, and archaeological finds. The collections also include bladed and firearms, as well as jewelry. This range brings together art, everyday culture, and archaeological evidence, without limiting a museum visit to a single subject.

The main museum is housed in a 19th-century merchant’s house. The National Museum named after Alibek Takho-Godi is listed at 31 Danialova Street. The Museum of the History of Dagestan’s Theatre has a narrower focus: it explores the origins and development of theatre in the Republic of Dagestan. Its collection includes stage design and costume sketches, theatre posters, photographs, manuscripts by well-known theatre figures, stage costumes, and stage sets. Visitors interested in productions will find different objects here than in a collection focused on archaeology or ethnography.

The Russia—My History Multimedia Historical Park is located at 31G Imam Shamil Avenue. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; admission is available until 6:30 p.m. If you’re planning a visit to the park, check the latest visitor information in advance and keep the last admission time in mind.

On November 15, 2022, marking the city’s 165th anniversary, the Makhachkala Museum of City History opened the exhibition “Makhachkala. 1948 /Al'bom fotosnimkov po gorodskomu stroitel'stvu 1948 g. Makhach-Kala/”. The exhibition focused on photographs, documents, plans, and maps relating to urban development in 1948. Combining visual material with planning documents draws attention to the city’s architectural development. The opening date ties the exhibition to a specific historical occasion.

The Central Juma Mosque is designed in the classical Turkish architectural style. Its main dome is surrounded by four semi-domes. This arrangement gives the structure a clear form: a large dome forms the center, with smaller semi-domes around it. Visitors interested in architectural forms can consider this specific feature alongside the city’s historical and museum-related themes.

The main museum of the National Museum of the Republic of Dagestan named after A. Takho-Godi is also associated with a historic building type: it is housed in a 19th-century merchant’s house. In Makhachkala, these different ways of engaging with the past sit side by side—through collection objects, urban development, theatre, and a historic building.

A distinct regional perspective takes you to the Republic of Dagestan. The citadel of Derbent contains archaeological remains of a bathhouse, several underground water reservoirs, a 5th-century Christian church, and an 8th-century mosque. Together, Derbent’s fortifications and the medieval buildings of the old town, known as magalims, form a cultural landscape.

The dimensions also give a sense of the site: the mountain wall runs 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 massive 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. These regional examples place Makhachkala’s city museums in a broader cultural context without replacing their own subjects.

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

When is the Multimedia Historical Park open?

The park is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Last admission is at 6:30 p.m. Check the latest visitor information before your visit.

What does the Museum of the History of Dagestan’s Theatre cover?

It explores the origins and development of theatre in the Republic of Dagestan. The collection includes theatre posters, photographs, manuscripts, stage costumes, and stage sets, among other items.

Which domes characterize the Central Juma Mosque?

One main dome is surrounded by four semi-domes. The mosque is designed in the classical Turkish architectural style.

For the broader travel overview: Republic of Dagestan.