Makhachkala.

History

The city grew out of the Petrovskoye fortification, founded in 1844 and named after Peter the Great; before that, the old port town of Anji stood here in Kumyk lands. In 1857 the settlement became a town called Petrovsk-Port. The railway arrived in 1894, linking it with Vladikavkaz and Baku. In 1921 Petrovsk was renamed Makhachkala after the revolutionary Makhach Dakhadaev and made the capital of the Dagestan ASSR. In 1970 the city came through a strong earthquake.

Culture & traditions

Makhachkala is the scientific and cultural centre of multi-ethnic Dagestan, home to universities and a regional research centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences with around twenty departments. It is the region's media hub, where papers such as Dagestanskaya Pravda are published. City landmarks include a working lighthouse and the Grand Mosque.

Sport

The city is famous for combat sports: UFC lightweight champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev train here. The football club Dynamo plays at its own 15,200-seat stadium, and Anzhi is another well-known club.

Practical information

Uytash Airport serves the city with flights to other Russian cities. A daily train from Moscow takes about two nights, and trains also run to other cities; the Makhachkala commercial seaport works year-round. The climate is semi-arid, with mild winters, warm dry summers and about 390 mm of precipitation a year. Late spring and early autumn are the pleasantest times to come.

What to see

• Makhachkala Lighthouse — a working lighthouse and city symbol
• Grand Mosque — the main mosque of Dagestan's capital
• Caspian shore — the sea right within the city
• Seaport — the year-round sea gateway of the former Petrovsk-Port