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{{Infobox Russian city
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|ru_name=Дербент
|loc_name1=Dərbənd
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|loc_name2=Кьвевар
|loc_lang2=Lezgian
|loc_name3=Дербенд
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{{Infobox World Heritage Site
|WHS=Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent
|Image=[[File:Derbent wall.jpg|250px|Wall of the Derbent citadel&nbsp;— One if not the largest extant Sassanid fortification(s) in the world.]]
|State Party=[[File:Flag of Russia.svg|22px]] Russia
|Type=Cultural
|Criteria=iii, iv
|ID=1070
|Region=[[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe]]
|Year=2003
|Session=27th
|Link=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1070
}}
'''Derbent''' ({{lang-ru|Дербе́нт}}; {{lang-fa|دربند}}; {{lang-az|Dərbənd}}; {{lang-lez|Кьвевар}}; {{lang-av|Дербенд}}), formerly [[romanization of Russian|romanized]] as '''Derbend''',<ref>{{Cite EB9|wstitle=Derbend|volume=7|page=105}}</ref> is a [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] in the [[Republic of Dagestan]], Russia, located on the [[Caspian Sea]], north of the [[Azerbaijan]]i border. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second-most important city of Dagestan. Population: {{ru-census|p2010=119,200|p2002=101,031|p1989=78,371}}

Derbent occupies the narrow gateway between the [[Caspian Sea]] and the [[Caucasus Mountains]] connecting the [[Eurasian steppes]] to the north and the [[Iranian Plateau]] to the south.

Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE.<ref>[http://www.islamdag.info/story/1616 Derbent - Russia’s oldest city: 5,000 and counting] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515031716/http://www.islamdag.info/story/1616 |date=May 15, 2012 }}</ref> Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms. In the 19th century, the city passed from [[Qajar Iran|Iranian]] into [[Russian Empire|Russian]] hands by the 1813 [[Treaty of Gulistan]].<ref>Timothy C. Dowling [https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA728&dq=russo+persian+war+1804-1813&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QnOXVJXpCcz7UPevhPAK&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=russo%20persian%20war%201804-1813&f=false ''Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond''] p 728 ABC-CLIO, 2 dec. 2014 ISBN 1598849484</ref>

==Etymology==
Derbent is derived from modern {{Lang-fa|دربند|lit=Barred gate|translit=Darband}} (''dar'' “gate” + ''band'' “bar,” lit., “barred gate”), referring to the adjacent pass. It is often identified with the [[Gates of Alexander|legendary Gates of Alexander]]. The Persian name for the city came into use at the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century&nbsp;AD, when the city was re-established by [[Kavadh I of Persia|Kavadh&nbsp;I]] of the [[Sassanid]] dynasty of Persia<!-- Do not link to the disambiguation page, "Persian Empire"; link to a specific iteration of this topic -->, but Derbent was probably already in the Sasanian sphere of influence as a result of the victory over the [[Parthians]] and the conquest of [[Caucasian Albania]] by [[Shapur I]], the second shah of the [[Sassanid]] Persians.<ref name="DARBAND 1" /> Since antiquity, the value of the area as the gate to the Caucasus has been understood and exploited, and Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant [[fortress]] in the world. 

In Arabic texts the city was known as, ({{Lang-ar|باب الأبواب|lit=Gate of Gates|translit=Bāb al-Abwāb}}), or simply al-Bāb

==History==
[[File:Derband.jpg|thumb|View of the city from the citadel of Naryn-Kala, 1910s]]
Derbent's location on a narrow, three-kilometer strip of land in the [[North Caucasus]] between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus mountains is strategic in the entire [[Caucasus]] region. Historically, this position allowed the rulers of Derbent to control land traffic between the [[Eurasian Steppe]] and the [[Middle East]]. The only other practicable crossing of the Caucasus ridge was over the [[Darial Gorge]].

===Persian rule===
[[File:Главный вход в цитадель Нарын-Кала.jpg|thumb|Derbent is renowned for its Medieval fortress, a [[UNESCO]] world heritage site.]]
[[File:Derbent winter.jpg|thumb|Picture of Derbent's fortress during winter.]]
A traditionally and historically [[Iran]]ian city,<ref name="books.google.nl">Michael Khodarkovsky. [https://books.google.com/books?id=VRJYt-79jPUC&pg=PA47&dq=derbent+is+a+persian+city&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBWoVChMI_8nwr-2HxgIVCpQsCh2aXADC#v=onepage&q=derbent%20is%20a%20persian%20city&f=false "Bitter Choices: Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus"] Cornell University Press, 12 mrt. 2015. ISBN 0801462908 pp 47–52</ref> the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century&nbsp;BC; the site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century&nbsp;BC. Until the 4th century&nbsp;AD, it was part of [[Caucasian Albania]] which [[Albania (satrapy)|was a satrap]] of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid Persian]] Empire, and is traditionally identified with Albana, the capital.<ref name="DARBAND 1">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/darband-i-ancient-city|title=DARBAND (1)|accessdate=29 December 2014}}</ref> The modern name is a [[Persian language|Persian]] word (دربند ''Darband'') meaning "gateway", which came into use in the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century&nbsp;AD, when the city was re-established by [[Kavadh I of Persia|Kavadh&nbsp;I]] of the [[Sassanid]] dynasty of Persia<!-- Do not link to the disambiguation page, "Persian Empire"; link to a specific iteration of this topic -->,<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Derbent |volume=8 |page=64}}</ref> however, Derbent was probably already into the Sasanian sphere of influence as a result of the victory over the Parthians and the conquest of Caucasian Albania by [[Shapur I]], the second shah of the [[Sassanid]] Persians.<ref name="DARBAND 1"/> In the 5th century Derbent also functioned as a border fortress and the seat of a Sassanid [[marzban]].<ref name="DARBAND 1"/>

The {{convert|20|m|ft|sp=us|adj=mid|-high}} walls with thirty north-looking towers are believed to belong to the time of Kavadh's son, [[Khosrau I of Persia|Khosrau I]], who also directed the construction of Derbent's fortress.<ref name="The Jews of Khazatia">Kevin Alan Brook. [https://books.google.com/books?id=hEuIveNl9kcC&pg=PA126&dq=derbent+sassanid+fortress&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI7o-_nb3JAhWB_XIKHZNeB-MQ6AEILzAD#v=onepage&q=derbent%20sassanid%20fortress&f=false "The Jews of Khazatia"] Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 27 sep. 2006. ISBN 978-1442203020 p 126</ref>

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XshAEMLqzmAC |title=Saracen Strongholds 1100-1500: The Central and Eastern Islamic Lands |last=Nicolle |first=David |date=2009-09-22 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=9781846033759 |language=en}}</ref> Some say that the level of the Caspian was formerly higher and that the lowering of the water level opened an invasion route that had to be fortified.<ref name="Robert H. Hewsen 2001, page 89">Robert H. Hewsen, ''Armenia: A historical Atlas'', 2001, page 89</ref> The chronicler [[Movses Kagankatvatsi]] wrote about "the wondrous walls, for whose construction the Persian kings exhausted our country, recruiting architects and collecting building materials with a view of constructing a great edifice stretching between the Caucasus Mountains and the Great Eastern Sea." Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the [[Sassanid empire]]. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the [[Christianity|Christian]] faith in the Caucasus.

During periods when the Sasanians were distracted by war with the [[Byzantine–Sasanian wars|Byzantines]] or protracted battles with the Hephthalites in the eastern provinces, the northern tribes succeeded in advancing into the Caucasus. The first Sasanian attempt to seal off the road along the Caspian seacoast at Darband by means of a mud-brick wall has been dated in the reign of [[Yazdegerd II]] (438–457 AD).<ref name="DARBAND 1"/>

Movses Kagankatvatsi left a graphic description of the [[Third Perso-Turkic War|sack of Derbent]] by the hordes of [[Tong Yabghu]] of the [[Western Turkic Khaganate]] in 627. His successor,{{citation needed|date=July 2010}} [[Böri Shad]], proved unable to consolidate Tong Yabghu's conquests, and the city was retaken by the Persians, who held it as an integral domain until the [[Muslim conquest of Persia|Muslim Arab conquest]].

As mentioned by the ''[[Encyclopedia Iranica]]'', ancient Iranian language elements were absorbed into the everyday speech of the population of Dagestan and Derbent especially during the Sassanian era, and many remain current.<ref name="DAGESTAN">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dagestan|title=DAGESTAN|accessdate=11 June 2015}}</ref> In fact, a deliberate policy of “[[Persianisation|Persianizing]]” Derbent and the eastern Caucasus in general can be traced over many centuries, from Khosrow I to the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid]] shahs [[Ismail I]], and [[Abbas I of Persia|ʿAbbās the Great]].<ref name="DAGESTAN"/> According to the account in the later "Darband-nāma", after construction of the fortifications Khosrow I “moved much folk here from Persia”,<ref>Saidov and Shikhsaidov, pp. 26-27</ref> relocating about 3,000 families from the interior of Persia in the city of Derbent and neighboring villages.<ref name="DAGESTAN"/> This account seems to be corroborated by the [[Al-Andalus|Spanish Arab]] Ḥamīd Moḥammad Ḡarnāṭī, who reported in 1130 that Derbent was populated by many ethnic groups, including a large Persian-speaking population.<ref>Bol’shakov and Mongaĭt, p. 26</ref>

===Arab conquest===
In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs, who called it the Gate of Gates (''Bab al-Abwab''),<ref>{{cite book |last=Hoyland |first=Robert G. |title=In Gods Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zvmKBAAAQBAJ |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |page=113}}</ref> following [[Muslim conquest of Persia|their invasion of Persia]]. They transformed it into an important administrative center and introduced [[Islam]] to the area. The impression of antiquity evoked by these fortifications led many Arab historians to connect them with [[Khosrow I]] and to include them among the seven wonders of the world.<ref name="DARBAND 1"/> The Darband fortress was certainly the most prominent Sasanian defensive construction in the Caucasus and could have been erected only by an extremely powerful central government.<ref name="DARBAND 1"/> Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the [[Silk Route]], the fortress was contested by the [[Khazars]] in the course of the [[Khazar-Arab Wars]]. The Sassanids had also brought Armenians from [[Syunik (historic province)|Syunik]] to help protect the pass from invaders; as Arab rule weakened in the region at the end of the ninth century, the Armenians living there were able to establish a kingdom, which lasted until the early years of the thirteenth century.<ref>See {{hy icon}} Sedrak Barkhudaryan, “Դերբենդի հայ-աղվանական թագավորությունը” (“The Armenian-Caucasian Albanian Kingdom of Derbend”). ''[[Patma-Banasirakan Handes]] ''. № 3, 1969, pp. 125-147.</ref><ref>{{hy icon}} [[Matthew of Edessa]]. ''Ժամանակնագրություն'' (''Chronicle''). Translated by [[Hrach Bartikyan]]. Yerevan: Hayastan Publishing, 1973, pp. 151-152, 332, note 132a.</ref>

Excavations on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea, opposite to Derbent, revealed the [[Great Wall of Gorgan]], the eastern counterpart to the wall and fortifications of Derbent. Similar [[Sassanian]] defensive fortifications there—massive forts, garrison towns, long walls—also run from the sea to the mountains.

The Caliph [[Harun al-Rashid]] lived in Derbent and brought it into great repute as a seat of the arts and commerce. According to Arab historians, Derbent, with population exceeding 50,000, was the largest city of the 9th century Caucasus. In the 10th century, with the collapse of the Arab Caliphate, Derbent became the capital of an emirate. This emirate often fought losing wars with the neighboring Christian state of [[Sarir]], allowing Sarir to manipulate Derbent's politics on occasion. Despite that, the emirate outlived its rival and continued to flourish at the time of the [[Mongol]] invasion in 1239. In the 14th century, Derbent was occupied by [[Timur]]'s armies.

===Shirvanshah era===
The [[Shirvanshah]]s dynasty existed as independent or a [[vassal]] state, from 861 until 1538; longer than any other dynasty in the [[Islamic world]]. They were renowned for their cultural achievements and geopolitical pursuits. The rulers of Shirvan, called the Shirvanshahs, had attempted, and on numerous times, succeeded, to conquer Derbend since the 18th Shirvanshah king, [[Afridun I]], was appointed as the governor of the city. Over the centuries the city changed hands often. The 21st Shirvanshah king, [[Akhsitan I]], briefly reconquered the city. However, the city was lost once again to the northern [[Kipchaks]].

After the Timurud invasion, [[Ibrahim I of Shirvan]], the 33rd Shirvanshah, managed to keep the kingdom of Shirvan independent. Ibrahim I revived Shirvan's fortunes, and through his cunning politics managed to continue without paying tribute. Furthermore, Ibrahim also greatly increased the limits of his state. He conquered the city of Derbend in 1437. The Shirvanshahs integrated the city so closely with their political structure that a new branch of the Shirvan dynasty emerged from Derbend, the Derbenid dynasty. The Derbenid dynasty, being a cadet dynasty of Shirvan, inherited the throne of Shirvan in the 15th century.

In the early 16th century the kingdom of Shirvan was conquered by [[Shah Ismail]] of the Safavid dynasty. As Shah Ismail incorporated all the Shirvan possessions, he also inherited Derbend.

===Russian annexation===
Derbent stayed under [[History of Iran|Iranian]] rule, while occasionally briefly taken by the [[Ottoman Turks]] such as in 1583 after the [[Battle of Torches]] and the [[Treaty of Istanbul (1590)|Treaty of Istanbul]], till the course of the 19th century, when the Russians occupied the city and wider Iranian-ruled swaths of Dagestan.<ref name="Swietochowski Borderland">{{cite book |last=Swietochowski |first=Tadeusz |authorlink=Tadeusz Swietochowski |year=1995 |title=Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition |pages=69, 133 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FfRYRwAACAAJ&dq=Russia+and+Iran+in+the+great+game:+travelogues+and+orientalism |isbn=978-0-231-07068-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=L. Batalden |first=Sandra |year=1997 |title=The newly independent states of Eurasia: handbook of former Soviet republics |page=98 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WFjPAxhBEaEC&dq=The+newly+independent+states+of+Eurasia:+handbook+of+former+Soviet+republics |isbn=978-0-89774-940-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=E. Ebel, Robert |first=Menon, Rajan |year=2000 |title=Energy and conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus |page=181 |edition= |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-sCpf26vBZ0C&dq=Energy+and+conflict+in+Central+Asia+and+the+Caucasus |isbn=978-0-7425-0063-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Andreeva |first=Elena |year=2010 |title=Russia and Iran in the great game: travelogues and orientalism |page=6 |edition=reprint |publisher=Taylor & Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FfRYRwAACAAJ&dq=%3DRussia+and+Iran+in+the+great+game:+travelogues+and+orientalism |isbn=978-0-415-78153-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Çiçek, Kemal |first=Kuran, Ercüment |year=2000 |title=The Great Ottoman-Turkish Civilisation |edition= |publisher=University of Michigan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5VpAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Great+Ottoman-Turkish+Civilisation&dq=The+Great+Ottoman-Turkish+Civilisation |isbn=978-975-6782-18-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ernest Meyer, Karl |first=Blair Brysac, Shareen |year=2006 |title=Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia |page=66 |publisher=Basic Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ssv-GONnxTsC&dq=Tournament+of+Shadows:+The+Great+Game+and+the+Race+for+Empire+in+Central+Asia |isbn=978-0-465-04576-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1070|title=Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent|accessdate=29 December 2014}}</ref>

Being briefly taken by the Russians as a result of the [[Russo-Persian War (1722–23)|Persian expedition of 1722–23]] by [[Peter the Great]], the 1735 [[Treaty of Ganja]], formed by [[Imperial Russia]] and [[Safavid Iran]] (''de facto'' ruled by [[Nader Shah]]), forced Russia to return Derbent and its bastion to Iran. In 1747, Derbent became the capital of the [[Derbent Khanate]] of the same name.

During the [[Persian Expedition of 1796]], Derbent was stormed by Russian forces under General [[Valerian Zubov]], but the Russians were forced to retreat due to internal political issues,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3bt9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3&dq=Persian+Expedition+of+1796+derbent&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vbCgVMbuApHearWMgYgH&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Persian%20Expedition%20of%201796%20derbent&f=false|title=Alexey Yermolov's Memoirs|accessdate=29 December 2014}}</ref> making it fall under Persian rule again. As a consequence of the [[Russo-Persian War (1804-1813)]] and the resulting [[Treaty of Gulistan]] of 1813, Derbent and wider [[Dagestan]] were forcedly and irrevocably ceded by [[Qajar Iran]] to the [[Russian Empire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA729&dq=derbent+treaty+of+gulistan&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8rKgVNWJC9LvaO3XgbAJ&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=derbent%20treaty%20of%20gulistan&f=false|title=Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond ...|accessdate=29 December 2014}}</ref> For background see [[Russian conquest of the Caucasus#Caspian Coast]].)

In the 1886 population counting of the [[Dagestan Oblast]], of the 15,265 inhabitants Derbent had, 8,994 (58,9%) were of [[Iran]]ian descent ({{lang-ru|персы}}) thus comprising an absolute majority in the town.<ref>[http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rndaghestan.html ''НАСЕЛЕНИЕ  ДАГЕСТАНА ДАГЕСТАНСКАЯ  ОБЛАСТЬ  (1886 г.)'' Retrieved 29 October 2015]</ref>

==Geography==
The modern city is built near the western shores of the [[Caspian Sea]], south of the Rubas River, on the slopes of the [[Tabasaran Mountains]] (part of the Bigger [[Caucasus mountains|Caucasus]] range). Derbent is well served by public transport, with its own harbor, a railway going south to [[Baku]], and the Baku to [[Rostov-on-Don]] road.

To the north of the town is the monument of the Kirk-lar, or forty heroes, who fell defending Dagestan against the Arabs in 728. To the south lies the seaward extremity of the [[Caucasian wall]] (fifty metres long), otherwise known as [[Alexander's Wall]], blocking the narrow pass of the Iron Gate or [[Caspian Gates]] (''Portae Athanae'' or ''Portae Caspiae''). When intact, the wall had a height of {{convert|29|ft|m|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} and a thickness of about {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} and, with its iron gates and numerous watch-towers, defended [[Persia]]'s frontier.<ref name="EB1911"/>

===Climate===
<div style="width:70%;">
{{Weather box
|location=Derbent
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|Jan record high C=17.0
|Feb record high C=25.0
|Mar record high C=18.0
|Apr record high C=24.0
|May record high C=31.0
|Jun record high C=41.0
|Jul record high C=38.0
|Aug record high C=40.0
|Sep record high C=34.0
|Oct record high C=27.0
|Nov record high C=23.4
|Dec record high C=19.0
|year record high C=41.0
|Jan high C=5.0
|Feb high C=4.3
|Mar high C=7.5
|Apr high C=13.2
|May high C=19.4
|Jun high C=24.6
|Jul high C=27.9
|Aug high C=27.5
|Sep high C=23.3
|Oct high C= 16.7
|Nov high C = 11.6
|Dec high C = 7.7
|year high C = 16.0
|Jan mean C = 2.7
|Feb mean C = 2.0
|Mar mean C = 5.0
|Apr mean C = 10.2
|May mean C = 16.1
|Jun mean C = 21.4
|Jul mean C = 24.7
|Aug mean C = 24.2
|Sep mean C = 20.0
|Oct mean C = 13.8
|Nov mean C = 9.2
|Dec mean C = 5.3
|year mean C = 13.2
|Jan low C = 0.6
|Feb low C = -0.2
|Mar low C = 2.8
|Apr low C = 7.4
|May low C = 12.7
|Jun low C = 17.7
|Jul low C = 21.3
|Aug low C = 20.7
|Sep low C = 16.6
|Oct low C = 10.9
|Nov low C = 6.7
|Dec low C = 3.1
|year low C = 10.3
|Jan record low C = -14.0
|Feb record low C = -10.9
|Mar record low C = -14.0
|Apr record low C = 0.1
|May record low C = 1.9
|Jun record low C = 10.0
|Jul record low C = 12.9
|Aug record low C = 9.0
|Sep record low C = 6.0
|Oct record low C = -1.0
|Nov record low C = -3.9
|Dec record low C = -12.0
|year record low C = -14.0
|Jan precipitation mm = 13.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 21.2
|Mar precipitation mm = 19.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 12.0
|May precipitation mm = 16.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 17.4
|Jul precipitation mm = 33.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 16.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 26.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 34.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 17.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 29.4
|Jan precipitation days = 15.3
|Feb precipitation days = 15.3
|Mar precipitation days = 10.2
|Apr precipitation days = 7.6
|May precipitation days = 5.8
|Jun precipitation days = 2.8
|Jul precipitation days = 2.9
|Aug precipitation days = 6.6
|Sep precipitation days = 7.7
|Oct precipitation days = 10.1
|Nov precipitation days = 10.6
|Dec precipitation days = 10.0
|source 1 =  climatebase.ru<ref name="climatebase">{{cite web
|url = http://climatebase.ru/station/37470/ | title = Climatebase| accessdate =June 8, 2012
}}</ref>
|date=June 2012
}}
</div>

==Administrative and municipal status==
Within the [[subdivisions of Russia#Administrative divisions|framework of administrative divisions]], Derbent serves as the [[administrative center]] of [[Derbentsky District]], even though it is not a part of it.<ref name="Ref294">Law #16</ref> As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the '''[[City of federal subject significance|City]] of Derbent'''—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the [[administrative divisions of the Republic of Dagestan|districts]].<ref name="Ref294" /> As a [[subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions|municipal division]], the City of Derbent is incorporated as '''Derbent Urban Okrug'''.<ref name="Ref416">Law #6</ref>

==Demographics==
The main ethnic groups are ([[Russian Census (2002)|2002 Census]]):<ref>[http://www.government-rd.ru/dagestan/karta/regions/derbent Правительство РД — Дербент — Муниципальные районы и городские округа<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rndaghestan.html|title=население дагестана|publisher=|accessdate=June 9, 2015}}</ref>
*[[Lezgian people|Lezgins]] (32.6%)
*[[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijanis]] (31.7%)
*[[Tabasaran people|Tabasarans]] (6.4%)
*[[Dargwa people|Dargins]] (5.5%)
*[[Russians]] (5.0%)
*[[Aghul people|Aghuls]] (2.9%)
*[[Rutul people|Rutuls]] (0.7%)

===Jewish community===
{{main article|Mountain Jews}}
Jews began to settle in Derbent in ancient times. During the Khazars' reign, they played an important part in the life of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5098-derbent|title=DERBENT - JewishEncyclopedia.com|publisher=|accessdate=June 9, 2015}}</ref> The Jewish traveler [[Benjamin of Tudela]] mentions Jews living in Derbent in the 12th century, and  Christian traveler Wilhelm of Rubruquis writes about a Jewish community  in the 13th century. The first mention of Jews in Derbent in modern times is by a German traveler, Adam Olearius, in the 17th century.

Derbent's Jewry suffered during the wars in the 18th century. Nadir Shah of Persia forced many Jews to adopt Islam. After the Russian conquest, many Jews of rural Dagestan fled to Derbent, which became the spiritual center of the [[Mountain Jews]]. The Jewish population numbered 2,200 in 1897 (15% of total population) and 3,500 in 1903. In 1989, there were 13,000 Jews in the city, but most emigrated after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]]. In 2002, there were 2,000 Jews with an active synagogue and community center.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05114.html|title=Derbent - Jewish Virtual Library|publisher=|accessdate=June 9, 2015}}</ref>
The chief rabbi of Derbent,  Obadiah Isakov, was badly injured in an assassination attempt on July 25, 2013, sparking concerns of further acts of [[anti-Semitism]] targeting the Jewish community.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://izrus.co.il/diasporaIL/article/2013-07-26/21826.html|title=После покушения на раввина евреи Дагестана живут в страхе|publisher=|accessdate=June 9, 2015}}</ref> In 2016, the Jewish population was down to 1,345.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/world/europe/derbent-as-russias-oldest-city-think-again-moscow-says.html?_r=0 Derbent as Russia's Oldest City? Think Again, Moscow Says]</ref>

==Economy and culture==
The city is home to machine building, food, textile, fishing and fishery supplies, construction materials and wood industries. It is the center of Russian [[brandy]] production. The educational infrastructure includes a university as well as several technical schools. On the cultural front, there is a Lezgin drama theater (named after S. Stalsky). About two kilometers ({{convert|2|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) from the city is the vacation colony of Chayka (Seagull).

The Soviet novelist [[Yury Krymov]] named a fictional motor tanker after the city in his book ''[[Yury Krymov#Tanker "Derbent"|The Tanker "Derbent"]]''.

===Citadel of Derbend===
[[File:Крепость Нарын-Кала. Дербент.jpg|thumb|Sassanid [[Fortress Naryn-Kala]].]]
Derbent resembles a huge museum and has magnificent mountains and shore nearby, and therefore possesses much touristic potential, further increased by [[UNESCO]]'s classification of the citadel, ancient city and fortress as a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2003; however, instability in the region has retarded development.

The current fortification and walls were built by the Persian [[Sassanian Empire]] as a defensive structure against hostile nomadic people in the north, and continuously repaired or improved by later Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms until the early course of the 19th century, as long as its military function lasted. The fortress was built under direction of the Sassanid emperor [[Khosrau I|Khosrow (Chosroes) I]].<ref name="The Jews of Khazatia"/>

A large portion of the walls and several watchtowers still remain in reasonable shape. The walls, reaching to the sea, date from the 6th century, [[Sassanid dynasty]] period. The city has a well-preserved citadel (Narin-kala), enclosing an area of {{convert|4.5|ha}}, enclosed by strong walls. Historical attractions include the baths, the cisterns, the old cemeteries, the caravanserai, the 18th-century Khan's mausoleum, as well as several mosques. The oldest mosque is the Juma Mosque, built over a 6th-century Christian basilica; it has a 15th-century [[madrassa]]. Other shrines include the 17th-century Kyrhlyar mosque, the Bala mosque and the 18th-century Chertebe mosque.

==Notable people==
*[[Shahriyar of Derbent]], Sasanian commander
*[[Bella Nisan]], ophthalmologist
*[[Igor Yusufov]], politician
*[[Israel Tsvaygenbaum]], artist
*[[Mushail Mushailov]], artist and teacher
*[[Sergey Izgiyayev]], poet, playwright, and translator of Mountain Jewish descent
*[[Suleyman Kerimov]], businessman, investor, and politician
*[[Tamara Musakhanova]], sculptor and ceramist
*[[Yagutil Mishiev]], writer

==Twin towns and sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}

Derbent is [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|AZE}} [[Ganja, Azerbaijan|Ganja]], [[Azerbaijan]]<ref name="Azerbaijan twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.azerbaijans.com/content_1719_en.html|title=Twin-cities of Azerbaijan|accessdate=2013-08-09|work=Azerbaijans.com}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Yakima, Washington|Yakima]], United States
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Hadera]], Israel
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kronstadt]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Pskov]], Russia

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed-hover" widths="180px" heights="180px" >
File:Церковь Святого Всеспасителя (Дербент).jpg|The old Armenian Church, now used as a venue and Museum
File:Церковь в Дербенте.png|Russian Orthodox Church of the Intercession
File:Мемориал скорбящей матери. Дербент.jpg|Memorial of the grieving mother
File:Стена цитадели Нарын-Кала. Дербент.jpg|Walls of the [[Naryn-Kala|Citadel]]
File:Школа № 15 в Дербенте.png|School number 15
File:Vladimir Putin and Ramazan Abdulatipov (2015-11-03) 02.jpg|Putin visiting an exhibition dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of Derbent in the State Historical Museum
</gallery>

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|da|adm|law}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|da|mun|list}}
*''Some text used with permission from [http://www.travel-images.com www.travel-images.com]. The original text can be found [http://www.travel-images.com/azerb.html here].''
*M. S. Saidov, ed., Katalog arabskikh rukopiseĭ Instituta IYaL Dagestanskogo filiala AN SSSR (Catalogue of Arabic manuscripts in the H.L.L. Institute of the Dāḡestān branch of the A.N. of the U.S.S.R.) I, Moscow, 1977.
*Idem and A. R. Shikhsaidov, “Derbend-name (k istorii izucheniya)” (Darband-nāma. On the history of research),” in Vostochnye istochniki po istorii Dagestana (Eastern sources on the history of Dāḡestān), Makhachkala, 1980, pp.&nbsp;564.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120515031716/http://www.islamdag.info/story/1616 Derbent - Russia's oldest city: 5,000 and counting]
*[http://www.towns.ru/towns/derbent_en.html History and attractions of Derbent]
*[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dagestan History of Derbent and the millennia old historical and cultural relations it has with Iran.]
*[http://www.islamdag.info/story/1761 A mosque. A prison. And a mosque again. Derbent - the oldest Djuma-mosque in North Caucasus.]
*[http://www.makewebmap.com/city.php?kod=2340244-ru Pictures of Derbent]

{{Republic of Dagestan}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Russia}}
{{Iranian Architecture}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2011}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Dagestan]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Dagestan]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Caspian Sea]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Russia]]
[[Category:Forts in Russia]]
[[Category:Sassanian fortifications]]
[[Category:Sasanian cities]]
[[Category:Constructions made by Iran in the Caucasus]]
[[Category:Caucasus]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Russia]]
[[Category:Antisemitism in Russia]]