Gunib village is one of the most interesting places in Mountainous Dagestan. In addition to the incredibly beautiful mountain landscapes, there are historical sights associated with the events of the Caucasian War and the capture of Imam Shamil. There are many hotels in Gunib village. Therefore, it can be a starting point for excursions in the surrounding area.
Dagestanis say: "Whoever has not visited Gunib has not been to Dagestan." Gunib Village is sometimes called a "Natural fortress". It is located on the slope of the Gunib plateau. Part of the village, which is called Lower Gunib, is located on a flat ledge of this plateau, but a significant part of the houses are located on a very steep slope. In some places, the rocky slopes are steep. The only road that runs along these houses up to the plateau is a very steep serpentine with a lot of bends.
The Gunib Fortress is the main historical attraction of the village of Gunib. Its construction began immediately after the capture of Imam Shamil in Gunib in 1859 and the end of the 40-year Caucasian War. The Russian governor decided to make Gunib a main base in mountainous Dagestan. The local Avar population was evicted, and a powerful fortress was built in Gunib. There is a Museum of Local Lore in Lower Gunib, where you can get to know the events of the Caucasian War more closely.
The highest mountain in Gunib is Mount Mayak. Its height reaches 2352 meters. From its top, you can see the Andalal Valley, where the abandoned ghost-village of Gamsutl is located. The water reservoir of the Gunib HPP is visible from the eastern side.
Excursions from Gunib
You need to plan 1-2 days for sightseeing of Gunib itself. Be sure to see the walls of the Gunib fortress, and if you want to walk to the Lighthouse Mountain. On the territory of the former fortress, there is now the Upper Gunib Botanical Garden, Tsar’s Glade, Gunib Waterfall, Shamil`s Pavillion. After visiting Gunib, plan excursions to the many attractions in the surrounding area.
The most interesting excursion from Gunib is a visit to the abandoned village of Gamsutl. It is located 25 kilometers away on the eastern slope of the Andalal Valley. It is often called "Dagestan Machu Picchu". On the opposite slope of the valley from Gamsutl is the Village of Chokh. It is one of the most beautiful highland villages of Dagestan. In different places of the Andalal Valley, you can see the Mountain Terraces of Dagestan. The era of their construction belongs to the ancient Maykop culture.
A long-distance excursion from Gunib is a visit to the Tobot Waterfall, the Karadakh gorge and the Village of Goor. These three attractions are located close to each other, but the distance from Gunib to Goor is 70 kilometers along a dirt road. The one-way journey time will be about 2 hours.
The history of Gunib and the Caucasian War
The Caspian coast of Dagestan and the city of Derbent became part of the Russian Empire under Peter I, in 1722, but the mountainous regions of Dagestan, inhabited by warlike mountaineers, and a century later did not obey the Russian tsar.
For the development of trade with Transcaucasia, the conquest of the Mountainous Caucasus was absolutely necessary. The only trade road ran along the Daryal Gorge through Georgia. Trade caravans could only pass here accompanied by a large number of soldiers, but this did not guarantee success, since the highlanders ambushed in narrow places and attacked unexpectedly.
In 1816, general Alexey Ermolov, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, was appointed governor of the Caucasus. Arriving in the Caucasus, he immediately started a war with the highlanders. In 1834, Shamil was elected Imam of Dagestan, who united disparate tribes. Under him, the war became fierce, especially when the so-called Murids appeared. They renounced their family and were ready to fight fanatically with the Russians without fear of death.
A few decades later, most of the mountain tribes turned away from the despotic Shamil and his Murids. They already just wanted a peaceful life. In 1858, after bloody battles, Shamil and the remnants of his army took refuge on the Gunib plateau. There were less than a thousand of them left. It was possible to leave the plateau only through the village of Gunib. Prince Baryatinsky, at the head of a 16-thousandth army, besieged the village on August 9, 1859, and on August 24 took it by storm. There were 50 people left alive in Shamil`s squad and further resistance no longer made sense. Imam Shamil accepted the offer of honorary captivity.
On August 25, 1859, he went down to the Upper Gunib, where Prince Baryatinsky`s Gazebo stood. Here Shamil surrendered, after that the Caucasian War, which the highlanders had waged for more than 40 years, ended. Emperor Nicholas I gave Shamil a house in Kaluga, where he lived the rest of his life. He and his sons received a monetary allowance and a noble title.
