Derbent Lighthouse, Derbent, Republic of Dagestan, Russia, 368600
Derbent Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Russia, located in the Dagestani city of Derbent. It is the same age as the Makhachkala lighthouse: both are over 1.5 centuries old.
The lighthouse is included in the list of protected monuments of Russia and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. Derbent, known as a seaport since very ancient times, has no mentions by ancient authors of such an important port attribute as a lighthouse. Russian ships first appeared near the Derbent fortress in the 1560s, when Russian troops made several campaigns on the western coast of the Caspian Sea.
Aiming to strengthen Russia's influence on the Caspian Sea and establish a Baltic-Caspian waterway to expand trade relations between Europe and the East, Peter I organized the Persian campaign of the Russian fleet in 1722–1723, as a result of which Derbent and Baku with their adjacent lands were annexed to Russia (Russian-Persian treaty of September 12, 1723).
After the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, Russia obtained the exclusive right to have a military fleet on the Caspian Sea, and Russian and Persian merchant ships could freely sail in all directions.
Only in the mid-18th century, with the development of maritime cargo transportation and the opening of regular postal-passenger steamer routes on the Caspian with calls at the Derbent port, did the need arise to build a lighthouse in Derbent.
The port began to develop rapidly. Wishing to further activate trade with Persia, the governor of the Caucasus, General Field Marshal Prince Vorontsov, ordered in 1850 to take measures to ensure the safety of navigation along the western coast of the Caspian Sea and, in particular, to build a lighthouse in the port of Derbent. Construction of the lighthouse began in 1851.
In 1853, the construction of the lighthouse, designed by Captain Savinichev, was completed. On January 16, 1853, the lighthouse was handed over to the assistant supervisor of the quarantine-customs post. The lighthouse began operating from May 1, 1853, lighting from evening to morning twilight.
Despite its "advanced" age, the Derbent lighthouse still reliably performs its functions. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The lighthouse is assigned to a keeper who manages all the duties alone. His responsibilities include daily inspection of the area and turning on the lights at the designated time. The keeper lives at the lighthouse, ensuring its uninterrupted operation.
Not far from the coast is one of the deepest places in the Caspian Sea — the Derbent Depression. Its depth is about 1 kilometer, and during strong winds dangerous waves rise over this area. The lighthouse uses special signals to warn ship captains to avoid this place.
The flashing period of the Derbent lighthouse is 4 seconds. Each lighthouse has a different period, specifically so that the ship's captain can determine which object is sending the light signal.
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Sverdlov Sanatorium, 2, Sverdlov Sanatorium, Leningrad Region, Russia, 198327
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