The fortress walls of Derbent were built during the era of Persian rule and is an outstanding monument to the fortification of ancient cities. Given the strategic importance of Derbent, which could close the only land passage from the North Europe to Persia, not only a powerful Naryn-Kala fortress was built here, but also Long fortress walls.
The Northern Fortress wall of Derbent was built in the 6th century AD, at the same time as the Naryn-Kala fortress. Its length from the fortress to the sea reaches 3 kilometers. The Northern wall protected Persia from nomads who came from the steppes of the Volga region, so it is fortified with 43 fortress towers. They are located at a distance of 60-70 meters from each other. The wall is made of large boulders, its height reaches 8 meters, and its width is 3.5 meters. The Persians made three gates in the Northern Wall.
A little later, in the 6th-7th centuries, the Southern Wall was built. Since Persia was in the south, which owned Derbent in those years, they built this wall less fortified. There were significantly fewer fortress towers here, and there are four gates.
Both fortress walls of Derbent are built parallel to each other in 300-350 meters. They descended from the hill where the Naryn-Kala fortress stands and stretched to the Caspian Sea. Ancient Derbent city was located between these walls. In those years, the fortress wall entered the sea area at 500 meters to protect the Old Port.
The northern fortress wall of the 6th century has remained almost unchanged to this day, except for the sea part. During the construction of the railway, it was completely demolished, not even ruins remained. Most of the Southern Wall of Derbent was demolished in the following centuries. Only a small section from the Fortress to Ismailov Street, 450 meters long, has been preserved. In some places houses were built into the Southern fortress Wall, windows were cut through the wall.
The Orta-Kapa Gate (the Middle Gate) is the most beautiful gate of Derbent that has survived to the present day. They are located on the Southern fortress Wall. The gates of Orta Capa were built in the 6th century. Other gates of the fortress walls of Derbent were rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries, and the gates of Orta-Kapa have survived to this day unchanged. This gate leads to the Juma Mosque.
