The Khunzakh fortress is located on the eastern side of the Tsolotlinsky Canyon, near the Tobot Waterfall. It was built in 1867 after the end of the Caucasian War. It was important for the Russian authorities to build fortresses in key places in Dagestan. The Khunzakh fortress became the largest citadel built in the 19th century in the Caucasus.
In those years, there was a small village of Arani in this place, so the citadel was initially called the Arani Fortress. Khunzakh was located on the opposite, western side of the Tsolotlinsky Canyon. Nowadays, the territory of Khunzakh has increased significantly. The village of Arani has actually become a part of it, so the fortress is now more often called the Khunzakh fortress.
The capture of Imam Shamil took place during the storming of the Village of Gunib on August 25, 1859. Thus ended the Caucasian War, which lasted for more than 40 years. The Highlanders waged a guerrilla war and the Russian governors needed fortresses with military garrisons that could suppress the uprising. The Fortress in Gunib has been preserved to this day. There are also ruins of abandoned fortresses in Karadakh, near Botlikh and others. However, most fortresses were created to repel attacks, and the Khunzakh fortress is a large garrison where soldiers lived permanently.
The territory of the Khunzakh fortress is 3 hectares. There were barracks for soldiers, warehouses of uniforms and ammunition, an infirmary, and a church. In general, it was a full-fledged military town with everything necessary for an autonomous life. Officers and their families lived in houses inside the fortress. On September 13, 1871, Emperor Alexander II stayed in a small two-story mansion in the Khunzakh fortress during his visit to Dagestan.
The Khunzakh fortress has the shape of an irregular square with a wall length of about 200 meters. The corner parts of the fortress are fortified with powerful buildings with numerous loopholes for firing guns. There were also positions for cannons here. The outer walls are lined with large stones.
Currently, various organizations are still located in the fortress, but the condition of the buildings is so bad that reconstruction is required. So far, these works have not begun, although it was announced that money would be allocated for reconstruction. The fortress is included in the lists of cultural heritage sites of Russia.
