In medieval times, the best home security system was to build your house high atop a steep mountain peak. The Khans who ruled what is presently Dagestan, Russia, undoubtedly knew this. As the conquesting Ottomans of the 16th century threw their weight around the region, the Khans probably saw sense in fortifying themselves and their families on the summits of the arid Caucasus Mountains.
Mimicking the ruins of Machu Picchu on the peaks of the Peruvian Andes, the ancient mountain fortress in Dagestan called Gamsutl lies between the Caspian and Black Seas. It dates back at least 1,600 years. It could be even 5,000 years old. While Machu Picchu was abandoned in the 16th century, Gamsutl thrived right into the 20th century.
On Mount Gamsutlmeer, about 4,650 feet above sea level, men used the cliff sides as one wall of the stone homes that they built straddling the jutting summit. The steep cliffs made Gamsutl easy to defend. The village, which looks like a swallow’s nest tucked amid the stony spires, has a name that tells an ancient story. Translated from the language of its traditional Avar inhabitants, Gamsutl means “at the foot of the Khan’s fortress,” denoting that he once lived here for protection. Another ancient village lying at its feet still exists today. That’s where the Khan’s army stayed. Reportedly, the stronghold was never conquered.
The village of Gamsutl was almost lost to history. Though made of stones and bound by clay, with beams covered with earth and straw, the buildings atop the mountain are actually refurbishments built in the 1800s. The older dwellings are no more. There were about 300 structures here at one time, housing as many as 3,000 people.
As recently as the 1900s, Gamsutl thrived. It had its own schools, grocery store, hospital, and maternity clinic. Even a traveling cinema came to town to show movies. But by the 1960s, increased mobility and opportunities in society caused change. Nearby cities and towns looked more attractive to the people of Gamsutl than living on a mountaintop. Especially for the young, remote village life quickly lost its luster.
Around that time, the number of people living in Gamsutl dwindled. With Makhachkala, Dagestan’s largest city, only three hours away, they moved to pursue better livelihoods and more practical lifestyles. Yet some of the old timers who grew up in Gamsutl stayed, though the village population shrank drastically. In 2002, only 17 inhabitants remained. By 2010, that number fell to 10. Soon, Gamsutl had only one local left, Abdulzhalil Abdulzhalilov, who was born here. He stayed, gardening and keeping bees until the end of his life.
Before he died in 2015, Abdulzhalilov readily welcomed tourists to his remote mountain hometown. He was covered by television stations and had granted himself the title “Mayor of Gamsutl.” Now an abandoned ghost village frequented only by tourists, the once thriving and impregnable Gamsutl is one of Dagestan’s biggest tourist attractions.
