Derbent Synagogue

Derbent has a small but ancient Jewish community, the Mountain Jews (Juhuro in their own language), who have lived in this part of the Caucasus since antiquity. Their synagogue in the old town is one of the most historically layered buildings in an already historically layered city. It remains in active use by the surviving Mountain Jewish community.

The synagogue is modest in appearance from the outside — the low-profile architecture typical of Jewish buildings in areas where ostentation was unwise — but worth seeking out. Derbent's religious plurality, with its mosque-converted-basilica, Armenian church, synagogue, and Russian Orthodox presence, is one of the things that makes this city unlike anywhere else in Russia.

things to do sight
A story
Derbent's Jewish community — the Mountain Jews (Juhuro) — have been here since antiquity, with some traditions tracing their presence to the Babylonian exile of the 6th century BC. They speak Judeo-Tat, a Persian-derived language, and maintained their community through Arab conquest, Mongol invasion, and Soviet anti-religious campaigns. The synagogue survived all of it.