Shara: Spring ritual planned for March 2018

• The performance was scheduled for March 2018 in Shara, in Laksky District.
• Its title means “Ritual to Welcome Spring.”
• The spring-awakening ritual involved gunpowder and wooden stakes; a large, flat stone with three depressions served as the ignition point.

The title identifies spring as the performance’s theme. The information refers to March 2018. If the ritual is a deciding factor in your travel plans, check whether it is scheduled for your travel year.

Gunpowder and wooden stakes were used in the spring-awakening ritual in Shara. A large, flat stone with three depressions served as the ignition point. These specific materials and the expressly identified ignition point give the ritual a vivid, place-specific dimension.

One example of the cultural heritage in the broader travel destination of the Republic of Dagestan is the Derbent Citadel. It contains archaeological remains of a bathhouse, several underground water reservoirs, a 5th-century Christian church, and an 8th-century mosque. Its historical layers thus span buildings from the early Christian period through the Middle Ages.

The fortifications can also be understood through their dimensions: the mountain wall runs 40 kilometers westward across the mountains and completely blocks the pass between the sea and the mountains. Steep slopes surround the citadel on three sides. The 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. Together with the medieval buildings of the old town, known as the Magalims, the fortifications form a cultural landscape.

A fortress wall with a round tower and two gates has been preserved in Gunib, in the broader travel destination of the Republic of Dagestan. 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 fortress wall to a tower. Another historical trace is the 107-meter-long Gunib Tunnel, carved through the rock in the 1860s. The wall, its named gates, and the tunnel offer different ways to explore the site’s architectural history.

Tobot Waterfall lies at an altitude of 1,690 meters, at the beginning of the Tsolotl Canyon on the Khunzakh Plateau. It is one of the highest waterfalls in the North Caucasus. Its exact drop is unknown; estimates range from 50 to 100 meters. The seasonal changes make its variations over time particularly vivid: Tobot carries the most water from May to July, while in winter it freezes and turns into a large icicle.

The mountain botanical garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences is located in Upper Gunib Nature Park. It contains rare and endemic plant species of the Caucasus and Dagestan. At the Sarykum Dune, metal walkways and the hiking trail “Put' mudroy cherepakhi” (“Path of the Wise Tortoise”) are among the features described. Not all of the dune is accessible to visitors, so check the current visitor rules before going. Karadakh Gorge offers a different landscape, with visitors able to walk through its unusual rock corridor. Here too, it is a good idea to check current access before visiting.

Make a note of the places that matter to you and compare the location of an accommodation with your own travel plans. This lets you tailor your selection to your planned visits without combining different regional themes into a single location offering.

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

What was scheduled in Shara for March 2018?

The theatrical performance “Obryad vstrechi vesny,” or “Ritual to Welcome Spring” in English, was planned. If you want to travel for the ritual, check whether it is scheduled for your travel year.

What materials were used in the spring-awakening ritual?

Gunpowder and wooden stakes were used. A large, flat stone with three depressions served as the ignition point.

When does Tobot carry the most water?

The waterfall carries the most water from May to July. In winter, it freezes and turns into a large icicle.

Is the entire Sarykum Dune accessible to visitors?

No, only part of the dune is accessible. Check the current visitor rules before your visit.

To the broader travel overview: Republic of Dagestan.