The Datuna temple is located in the Valley of the Avar Koisu River, which is adjacent to the Khatan-Bugeb-kkal gorge, which means Sunday Gorge. It was built in the 10th century, when the Kingdom of Sarir was located on the Khunzakh plateau. Its state religion was Christianity, and the Datuna Temple is the only surviving monument of that era.
The kingdom of Sarir was founded in the 6th century by the Huns, who migrated to the Khunzakh plateau due to the outbreak of the Arab war with the Khazar Khaganate. The capital of Sarir was the village of Hunzakh, founded more than two thousand years ago on the edge of the Tsolotlinsky Canyon. In the 7th century, the Arabs captured Derbent, and from there the spread of Islam in Dagestan began. However, the rulers of the kingdom of Sarir, under the influence of missionaries from Georgia and Armenia, adopted Christianity as the state religion.
In the 9th-10th centuries, the power of the Kingdom of Sarir reached its peak. It became independent from the Khazar Khaganate and pursued an active policy of conquest. The Datuna temple was built at this time. Georgian missionaries built many temples on the Khunzakh plateau and its surroundings, but they have not survived to this day. In the 11th century, the Kingdom of Sarir collapsed due to internal contradictions, after that Islam was finally established in Dagestan.
The Datuna temple was built by Georgian craftsmen. It has one nave (hall). The dimensions of the church are 6 x 9 meters, height – 8 meters. The temple is built of local sandstone with a golden hue. Restorers note that there used to be a dome above it. The ancient frescoes have not been preserved, as local shepherds lit bonfires here. Now the soot from the bonfires has been washed away, and the locals have whitewashed the temple inside.
Since the 13th century, Christian worship services have not been conducted in the Datuna temple. However, the temple was not destroyed, as it is located in a gorge far from populated areas. During the Caucasian War, some Cossacks defected to Imam Shamil. He ordered the resumption of services for them at the Datuna Temple, but they were conducted for a short period of time.
The Datuna temple is convenient to visit when you go to the abandoned villages of Old Goor and Old Kahib. The temple is located near the village of Datuna. After passing the village of Datuna, after 2 km you will see a small parking lot and a sign "Datuna Temple". It is located 400 meters from the road in the picturesque gorge of the Andikhtlar River.
