The City of Derbent and the Legend of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great was king of Macedonia and one of the greatest generals in history. He is presumed undefeated in battle. He conquered much of what was then the civilized world. As a Macedonian, Alexander worshipped the ancient Greek gods and was therefore a pagan. In India on the Beas River Alexander erected twelve altars to twelve Olympian gods. Alexander the Great even claimed deity for himself. The high priest of ancient Egypt also named him 'son of the gods'(Amon/Zeus). But, ironically Alexander the Great was often thought of by Muslims as a Prophet of Islam. As we know, Islam is a monotheistic religion.

There are several legend of Alexander the Great in the Quran. One of them is a story about Alexander building a great gate near the "rising place of the Sun," between two mountains, to preventing the Gog and Magog from invading the Earth (Qur'an 18:60-65). The verses state that Alexander the Great travelled the world in three directions, until he found a tribe threatened by Gog and Magog, who were of an "evil and destructive nature" and "caused great corruption on earth". The people offered tribute in exchange for protection.Thats why, Alexander constructed a great wall that the hostile nations were unable to penetrate. The Muslims believe that the wall will stop the invaders until the end time. This legend is also found at Judaism and Christianity tradition. But both of them look at Alexander not as a prophet.

This Gate was a mythical barrier and identified with the Caspian Gates of Derbent, Dagestan (The city is not to be confused with another town called Derbent, located in the southern part of Uzbekistan, Surkhondaryo province.). Another frequently suggested candidate is the wall at the Darial Gorge at Georgia.

The city of Derbent at the Republic of Dagestan, Russia,is the southernmost city in Russia, and the second most important city of Dagestan. Derbent is located on the seashore of the Caspian Sea. The name "Derbent" or "Darband" is Persian, originates from 6th century AD and literally means "Knot of gates" or "Lock of gates". Russians also called this place Derben' or Zheleznye Vrata (Iron Gate). This ancient city has been crucial for the control of the north-south passage on the west side of the Caspian Sea since the 1st millennium BCE. As a result of this geographic particularity the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. The value of that area as the "gate to the Caucasus" has never been doubted. An Archeologists have found structures over 5000 years old situated in the lands in and around Derbent.

Today, Derbent is a city with a population of over 90.000, the Azeris are the main ethnic group, followed by Lezgin and Tabasaran. The city is home to machine building, food (even a brewery and wineries), textile, fishing and fishery supplies, construction materials and wood industries. With UNESCO's classification of the Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress as a World Heritage Site in 2003, this city has a great potential for development of the tourism industry. Unfortunelly, travelling to the North Caucasus (include Dagestan) is not advised as the current situation there is extremely dangerous, due to ongoing conflicts within the region.