The Kurganzol Fortress as it is called is located east of Derbent in Uzbekistan, ... this is the activity of Alexander in building the iron wall as a barrier to the entry of scythian gog magog tribe (yakjuj and makjuj in al-qur'an). Think Again, Moscow Says" -- New York Times, "How has Russia’s oldest mosque stood for 1,300 years?" Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. They also constructed the Juma Mosque, the oldest mosque in Russia, in 734 CE over the remains of an old Christian basilica. Web. It is also believed that it was in Derbent that Alexander played his wedding with Roxana, a Bactrian Princess. And this passageway in the mountains is called the Iron gate, and there is no other passageway in the whole area but this one. The best result they achieved was 4th place in Zone 2, Subgroup 2 of the Soviet Second League in 1969. The southern region of Uzbekistan is fascinating for its ancient monuments, natural attractions and cultural heritage. II, p. 111, Vol. ‘Bring me blocks of iron.’ They did so till, when he had levelled up the space between the two mountain sides, he said, ‘Now blow with your bellows.’ They blew till, when he had made it red as fire, he said, ‘Bring me molten copper that I may pour it thereon.’ This ancient fortress, during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, was under the control of the Caucasian Kingdom of Albania, which acted as a buffer state between the Romans and the Persians. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Books In Persian, Derbent is formed from the compound of “dar,” meaning “gate,” and “band,” meaning “knot” or “barrier.”. Sea Gate, the Russians as Derben, i.e. One of the most mysterious places, perhaps, in all of Central Asia – the famous mountain pass - Iron gate, located in the Baysun district on the territory of the village of Derbent. These walls also extend nearly 500 m (1640 ft) into the Caspian sea itself to protect Derbent’s harbor. Although it was taken once by the Ottoman Turks in 1583 CE following the Persian defeat at the Battle of Torches during the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578-1590 CE), it remained in Persian hands until 1813 CE when the Russians occupied and annexed Derbent and Dagestan. There was, however, a brief period of 12 years in which the Russians occupied Derbent from 1723-1735 CE. The Khazars - allied to the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Heraclius (r. 610-641 CE) during the Third Perso-Turkic War (627-629 CE) - attacked and seized Derbent in 627 CE. Similar Sassanian defensive fortifications there—massive forts, garrison towns, long walls—also run from the sea to the mountains. The main attraction - the fortress complex of Derbent. "Derbent." A.D., and remains of the Caucasian Wall (also called Alexander's Wall), built by the Persians in the 6th cent. The Iron gate has been repeatedly mentioned in written sources of Chinese, Central Asian, and Arab historians and geographers.In 630, Xuanzang described in his notes the gorge as a defensive passage covered with iron and locked with a double-leaf gate. Unknown February 24, 2018 at 5:39 AM. It was the Greek historian Herodotus who first mentioned Derbent's unusual geographical features in his writings about Scythian activities in the Near East; however, archaeologists working in the 1970s CE have shown that the hilltop on which Derbent's citadel now rests has been settled since the 8th century BCE. Categories of Revolutionary Military Policy, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, Bonner, M. "Al-KhalÄ«fa Al-Mará¸Ä«: The Accession of HÄrÅ«n Al-RashÄ«d. And there is no other passage to enter the lands of Samarkand except through it; nor can the inhabitants of the Samarkand Empire enter the lands of India except through this passage. Under Persian Safavid rule (1501-1736 CE), Derbent lay close to the frontier region with the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Sadly, one of the southern walls was destroyed in the late 19th century CE. Dhu l-Qarnayn directs them to bring pieces of iron, which are melted in a fire to form a wall that can neither be scaled nor pierced, barring the way between two cliffs. Orchards and vineyards are cultivated. Derbent can claim to be the oldest occupied city in Russia, and it is the southernmost Russian city, lying only 50 km (31 miles) from the border with Azerbaijan. The Great Wall of China or Gog and Magog wall? Iron Gates of Sogdiana. Break Free of the Iron Wall. For several millennia, the mysterious Surkhandarya has attracted the attention of conquerors, travelers and explorers. Another Chinese chronicle tells of a city, a temple and an Iron gate that got its name because of it’s color and iron. Derbent contains two walls that are located approximately 300-400 m apart and extend nearly 4 km (2.5 miles) from the mountain citadel to the Caspian Sea. Derbent is situated on the shore of Caspian Sea, at a spurs of Tabasaran Mountains - a part of Great Caucasus. Construction of the current citadel, fortified walls, and city walls began c. 570 CE at the request of Shah Khosrow I (531-579 CE) who is widely remembered by Persians today as one of their greatest rulers. as a bulwark against northern invaders, survive. Derbent, Baysun, Kashkadarya region, Uzbekistan VII, pp. Throughout its ancient and medieval history, Derbent was only one of two crossings through the Caucasus mountain range, and the city attracted the attention of foreign merchants traversing the famed Silk Road as well as the notice of great military powers. For the district in Konya Province, Turkey, see Derbent, Konya. 4) The wall which is in the westerly direction to the third in the region of the Caucasus. “C” shaped scrolls 2. 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. A strategic fortress at the Iron Gates was established by the Persians in the late 5th or early 6th cent. In addition, Rui Gonzales de Clavijo mentioned another Iron gate that was located closer to the village of Derbent. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Iron Gate. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. During the wall’s construction in the late 6th century CE, the Sasanians employed dry brickwork and made blocks on lime mortar. ". Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Derbent remained relatively prosperous as it changed hands from the Arabs to the Seljuk Turks to the Azeris to the Mongols and Timurids, and back to the Persians over the course of seven centuries. “S” shaped scrolls 3. Following to Transoxiana to receive Amir Timur, in his" Diary of a journey to Samarkand to the court of Timur " (1403-1406) gave a detailed description of his journey through the gate: "The next day, Monday, we rested at the foot of a high mountain, on the top of which stood a beautiful cruciform building, elaborately made of brick, with many patterns made up of colored tiles. The citadel contains a number of important archaeological remains, ancient and medieval structures, and even an Islamic bathhouse. Derbent’s old district contains mosques, elegant old homes, and the ruins of a medieval caravanserai. In the Middle ages, the pass occupied an important strategic place, as it was followed by numerous trade caravans and troops. Derbent is renown for its citadel (“Naryn-Kala” or “Dagh Bary” in Persian) and its imposing walls that date from the 6th century CE. A total of nine out of the original 14 ancient gates survive. This clearly shows that even up till the third century of Hijrah the Muslim scholars regarded this wall of the Caucasus as the wall of Zul-Qarnain. In the middle of this passage there is the village piled above him at the top of a high mountain. 2) The wall in Central Asia near Bukhara and Tirmiz in a place called Derbent. Cast Iron panels (many different designs) 6. From there they arrived at Derbent and saw the wall. It played professionally in 1966–1970, 1992 and 1995–1996. It is said that when other powerful nations will come to an end, the Chinese will rise and invade the whole world, eating humans. The gates were a popular subject in medieval travel literature, starting with the Alexander Romance in a version from perhaps the 7th century. UNESCO declared Derbent's citadel, ancient city, and defensive walls to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 CE. Tradition also connects it to the Great Wall of Gorgan (Red Snake) on its south-eastern shore. Wiener, James B. Derbent thus was an essential area in the management of the flow of peoples moving to and from the Caucasus. The modern name, a Persian word meaning “iron gates,” came into use in the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century, when the city was refounded by Kavadh of the Sassanian dynasty of Persia. People have long recognized the strategic importance of the area in and around Derbent. The wall of Darial Pass which is between Gorgia and southern Russia in the Caucasus mountain range. (AIBidayah Vol. Although we stock standard sizes and popular styles, scrolls can b… Last modified October 01, 2018. It is near another Derbend in Central asia, Hissar District, about 150 miles south-east of Bukhara. Derbent prospered for over 1,500 years under Persian, Arab, Turkish, Azeri, Mongol, Timurid, and Russian rule due to its position on the Silk Road and geostrategic importance as the gateway to the Caucasus. There is no iron gate there now, but there was one in 7 th century when the Chinese traveler Hiouen Tsiang saw it on his journey to India. A high stone wall ran down from the city towards the seashore, raising an impassible barrier across the road to Iran and the Roman Empire. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 01 Oct 2018. An impressive mountain wall acted as a line of defense, spreading over a remarkable 40 km (25 miles) in a westward direction away from Derbent and through the Caucasus Mountains. The city’s population swelled to about 50,000, and the celebrated Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-809 CE) even lived in Derbent for a short duration. Derbent is renown for its citadel (“Naryn-Kala” or “Dagh Bary”... Derbent can claim to be the oldest occupied city in Russia, and... Construction of the current citadel, fortified walls, and, "Derbent as Russia’s Oldest City? The Arabs referred to Derbent as Bab-al-Abvab, i.e. He holds an MA in World History with a particular interest in cross-cultural exchange and world history. Our forged steel scrolls and panels are available in the following styles: 1. It played professionally in 1966–1970, 1992 and 1995–1996. Indeed the high wall was so thick that a cart could be driven along its top. Their emergence, which is one of the signs of the Hour. Derbent is situated quite close to the head of the Samur River, the Rubas River, and the Sukhodol River within the Caucasus Mountain range. James is a writer and former Professor of History. The famous Arab geographer Al-Yaqoubi tells about a 9th-century city in Sughd and also mentions this passage. Probably after 508, though the date is disputed, the long fortification walls at Besh Barmak and Šīrvān/Gil’ginchaĭ were constructed in a combination of mud brick, stone blocks, and baked bricks; as they probably served as models for the massive rebuilding of the fortifications at Darband (Khan-Magomedov, 1979, p. 40), their construction serves as a terminus post quem for the latter. Derbent’s ancient city, citadel, wall, and other constructions cover an area of around 10 ha, extending additionally outward some 200 ha from there as a buffer zone. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Curiously, Alexander the Great, has been traditionally associated with Derbent and its fortress; he is said to have ordered the construction to defend his newly conquered lands in the south from the barbarians to the north, but there is no substance to this legend. 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