Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russian FederationMIR Trip Notes: Drive to Makhachkala
After a hotel breakfast, drive to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan.
Makhachkala has a population near 600,000 and was founded by the Russians as a fortress in 1844. A modern town on the Caspian Sea in middle of Dagestan, Makhachkala ha a lively beach scene.
Browse the city's open market, the most diverse in the region, and with the Dagestan Museum of Fine Art, presenting art and artifcacts from the people of Dagestan, as well as pieces by Russian and European artists.
Take some free time to shop or prepare for your flight tomorrow before gathering for a farewell dinner.
Meals: B, L, D
Jacques Hotel: Ulitsa Daniyalova A. D., 14, , Makhachkala, Russia, Phone: +7 872 270-01-82
Driving time: 2-3 hrs
It was 7:30 am breakfast and 8:30 am departure, but I was up at 5:30 am. I came downstairs to go for a beach walk and ran into Betty and Jim so I chatted for awhile, then walked a bit on the beach, took a few photos, sat looking at the sea for another bit, then went back in for breakfast joining Betty, Kay and Jim.
Our drive from Derbent to Makhachkala was mostly along the coast so you could see the sea.
Vlad was sitting in back of the minivan with Paul and me so I talked with him about various things and didn't spend too much time looking out of the window. We arrived at the hotel which is in the city center somewhere. I think Vlad said the city was 400,000 and a majority of Dagestanis live here. Derbent was only around 40,000. So our hotel is on the upper floors of the building and our luggage was dropped off and we made a bathroom break here. We also said goodbye to Brian and Bob who are leaving on an earlier flight. Both were gentlemen - considerate of others and good traveling companions.
After some discussion, the rest of us went off in the minivan for a trip to the Second Market and lunch. I loved the market - piles of fruit and vegetables are one of my favorite things. Vlad led us around and pointed out things of interest - the special herbs, the fresh fish. I asked about buying some urbech - the apricot seed butter like peanut butter and he found a stall with a nice lady who sold me a small and a large container. The large one will be my gift of appreciation to Anya. Kay and I looked at some polka dot dresses so we could wear them to our final dinner and were trying to decide on some at one stall when we were told it was time to go. Alas, another unfulfilled dream....
We had lunch at a very nice restaurant which had a museum of artifacts and served traditional Dagestani food. We had an apricot soup, three kinds of salads, three kinds of dumplings, 2 kinds of sausage.
It was a lot - we tried to taste everything but were soon stuffed and left loads of food on our table. The restaurant (Restaurant-Museum on Lermontova) was relatively new and beautifully decorated and the service was excellent.
Before lunch we visited the Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts that had a gallery of old artifacts and a gallery of paintings - but modern Dagestani and older Russian works - some about the famous military campaigns against Shamil. Then after lunch we went to the Ethnic Cultural Center that had an exhibit of traditional wear from some of the many ethnic groups in Dagestan. There were students painting in various media. Then there was a quite large gift shop with some nicer souvenirs. Kay had been wanting a spoon box such as we have seen in several museums before and she got one - a big one, all wrapped up for its trip to California. I was more interested in the silver jewelry and managed to find some I liked.
We had another conference in case anyone else wanted to go back to the hotel.
Betty wasn't feeling well so she, Rami and Jim had gone back after lunch. Everyone left was game to continue for another hour to walk along the boulevard, see some prominent statues, a new theater buildings, -some cats and kittens, and Vlad's favorite attraction - an abandoned building that someone had worked on to transform it into a kind of magic house with the appearance of extra floors etc. After that we got on the minivan and returned to the hotel, only to find the reception desk vacated and the door locked. Anya called the reception clerrk and he came imediately to give us our room keys. The rooms are modern and nice. I think Brian or someone was right about this being a business hotel. I am now sitting at a desk and typing this up. The wi-fi is strong but not password-protected so I will shut the computer down as soon as I am finished.
At 7 pm we will go off to a Georgian restaurant for our farewell dinner. I wrote a thank you note for Michel with his tip and have the jar of urbech for Anya.\
We went to a highly rated Georgian restaurant (Pirosmani) and it was definitely the best meal of the trip, but, of course, much too much food. There were three salads - all great, Caucasian pies of at least 3 types, 3 types of kebab and stuffed vegetables, including stuffed carrots. We had Georgian wine to complement the meal and all was good. I mostly talked with Kay, Betty and Jim - the 4 of us at one end of the table. Rami was next to me across from an empty seat so we tried to include him as well.
The owner of the Caucasian tour company joined us mid-meal. He looked very young - we thought he looked as if he were 18 yrs old or younger. It was a fabulous end to a fabulous trip.
Back at the hotel, I tried to say to goodbye to Kay and Betty, but missed Betty somehow - they were leaving at 9:30 pm. I managed to say good-by to some of the others, but missed Paul because he did not come to the dinner.
I managed to get to bed quite early - before 11 pm
MIR Web Site: Makhachkala
The capital of the Republic of Dagestan,
Makhachkala has a population near 600,000. It was founded by the
Russians as a fortress in 1844.
A modern city on the Caspian, Makhachkala is a cultural hub, and
has a lively beach scene, with resorts, health centers, and nightlife.
It has the most diverse open-air market in the region, and a great
Ethnic Culture Center, where you can buy jewelry and traditional
costumes.
2025-05-22