Kizlyar, Fortress town in Dagestan, Russia.
Kizlyar is a garrison town in the Terek River delta in northern Dagestan in Russia. The built-up area spreads around the old fortress walls and sits at a road junction between Makhachkala and Stavropol.
The Russian army built the fort in the 1730s to guard the southern border against raids from the Caucasus mountains. The settlement grew into a trading center for wine and brandy from the surrounding vineyards during the 19th century.
The town name likely comes from a Turkic word for a young girl and reflects centuries of mixed traditions along the frontier. Orthodox churches and mosques now stand side by side in the streets and show how different communities have shared this space over time.
The brandy distillery sits near the center and offers guided tours through the aging cellars with large wooden barrels. Craft workshops sell hand-forged blades and other metalwork in small shops around the old town core.
Knife making has a long tradition here and many families pass down their forging techniques through generations. Some workshops engrave the blades with motifs from local legends and decorate the handles with bone or horn.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
