Derbent is the second largest city in Dagestan.  Dagestan means the country of mountains.  There are 32 nationalities.  Dagestan is a small republic that is located in northern Caucasus, and it is one of the republics of Russia. Derbent means, "closed door."  It is 5000 years old and one of the oldest cities of the world.  It has very rich history.  There were a lot of wars in Derbent.  Kingdoms and countries wanted Derbent.  It is a crossroad.  The great silk way was going though Derbent.  It is located in a very good place in the Caspian plain (between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasian Mountains).  Derbent has a very old fort  called "Narin Kala."  (We can call it a castle.)  There lived khans (kings).  It is located on the mountain.  The walls of the city are on the northern and southern sides of the fort, and they go into the Caspian Sea.  This is a small portion of the wall (the view from the mountain).  But despite the years, the fort is still standing.  Now Narin Kala is restored, and there is a museum inside the fort.  The ford has three gates.  The city itself has four gates.  At that time the gates were closed every night and opened at the morning for the day.  All of those gates still exist, but noone uses them now.  They are in a city.  Everyone of the gates has its own name.  They are the landmarks of the city.  The picture above shows us one of the gates-the exit gate from the castle. 
    Today Derbent is a modern city.  Its population is 100,000 people.  The old part of the city is still there.  The new part is a modern city with a lot of tall buildings, schools, factories, museums, and parks.