Akhtyn Museum of Local Lore

Clay jugs

In the 1930s, considered exemplary, the Akhtyn secondary school No. 1 took second place in the All-Union competition. After that, the school director Nurudin Daglarov decided to create a school museum of local lore. In 1937, the exhibits of the school museum were transferred to the building of the Akhtyn Juma Mosque, currently operating at that time, which was given over to collective farm warehouses. The collection of exhibits in the mosque was established as a museum, and Nurudin Daglarov was appointed its director. Thus, the museum was the second in Dagestan after the museum in Makhachkala. For 25 years of management of Nurudin Daglarov, the museum fund amounted to 3,000 exhibits. In 1963, he was succeeded by his son Fikret Nurudinovich Daglarov as director. Since 1991, the director of the museum has been his son, Akhmed Fikretovich Daglarov. In the same year, dramatic moments in the history of the museum began.

Exposition "Life of the Highlanders"

In connection with the collapse of the USSR, it became possible to revive the Akhtyn Juma Mosque, the building of which was occupied by the museum. It was proposed to close the museum, however, through the efforts of the director and staff, the museum continued to exist in the building of the former district committee of the CPSU. In Soviet times, the museum was often visited by tourists from all over the USSR, as well as delegations from Eastern Europe. Nowadays, the museum stores more than 12 thousand exhibits. ^[2]

The museum contains various exhibits and expositions representing historical development, cultural identity, geographical features and flora and fauna of Akhtynsky and neighboring areas from the Stone Age to the present day. Museum materials are collected in ten rooms, three storage facilities, in the corridors and foyer on two floors of the building. Tours begin from the first room on the ground floor. The hall begins with a photo exhibition “My Lezgistan” with photographs of villages and landscapes of South Dagestan. In addition to this, there are stuffed animals and ancient fossils, geographic exhibits and information about the Akhtyn district and Dagestan.

In the foyer there is a cannon of the beginning of the 19th century of Tula production, an exposition of flora and fauna of the Akhtyn region, paintings. Then follows the historical hall, which has incorporated a collection of manuscripts, ancient coins, elements of architecture, various types of weapons. The hall contains mock-ups of the Akhtyn fortress , the Derbent Naryn-Kala , primitive people, the life of a mountain sakli, tools, skeletons of ancient animals, female jewelry.

Further, on the second floor there is a hall dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet era. The hall contains military maps, documents, portraits of personalities, and other exhibits. Then follows the culture hall, containing portraits and life attributes of prominent natives of the Akhtyn and other Lezgi districts, as well as antiques that have come out of the everyday life of local residents.

The museum collects old, unnecessary things for people to preserve. After the hall of culture follows the sports hall. A lot of people from the village of Akhty have great achievements in the field of sports. The hall contains photographs, cups, certificates and other items belonging to athletes. Excursions end in the last - the cultural hall. The exhibits of the hall give an idea of ​​culture and life, the national color of the Lezgi people. Among other things, the hall contains traditional women's costumes of the peoples of Dagestan, various models and an art gallery describing events, traditions and customs, Lezgin's worldview. ^[3]

Nowadays, the museum is going through hard times. Due to funding difficulties, it is impossible to complete the necessary work on the overhaul of the museum building. A particular problem is the lack of premises, due to which many exhibits, being in warehouses, are not shown to the public.

• Photogallery of the Akhtyn Museum of Local Lore