The fortress of seven brothers and one sister, also known as Khuchninskaya, Yagdygskaya fortress, is part of the defensive system (the Caucasian Wall) that protected the local inhabitants of Dagestan from nomadic invasions. It was built in the 7th–8th centuries. It is a continuation of the Derbent fortress, whose construction spanned from the 6th to the 16th centuries. Both fortresses are made from the same building material – shell limestone.
The fortress is located one kilometer north of the village of Khuchni, the administrative center of the Tabasaran district, on a high steep hill above a gorge. The fortress is an irregular trapezoidal structure with massive rectangular projections at the corners. The thickness of the walls at the base is about two meters. The most convenient, gentle approach (access) to the fortress is from the north side. The southern and eastern parts of the hill have steep slopes down to the rivers. The fortress has two entrances: from the north and east sides. The main entrance is on the north side. It is flanked (covered) by two projections that allowed flanking fire on the enemy with longitudinal shooting to cover and protect their positions.
The average height of the walls is 8 meters; they taper (narrow) towards the top. There are loopholes on the southern, northern, and western facades, covered with flat stones. Both entrances are covered with massive, thick stone blocks measuring 50x120 cm. The walls are made of roughly hewn stone on lime mortar.
This fortification is still in good condition, with loopholes preserved. In old times, the fortress was two-storied. Over time, the first floor was almost completely buried in earth. The Arab author and geographer Ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadani, who lived at the turn of the 9th–10th centuries, wrote that out of 360 castles, 110 fortresses were "under Muslim control up to the lands of Tabarsaran." Ibn al-Faqih’s report refers not only to the Derbent line of fortifications but to the entire system of mountain gorge fortifications, including the fortress of the seven brothers and one sister.
According to the Arab geographer, historian, and traveler Al-Masudi (born in 896 in Baghdad in the Abbasid Caliphate, died in September 956 in Cairo), the Derbent defensive wall was extended to the fortification of Tabasaran and "all this served to protect against attacks by peoples adjacent to the mountains of Kabkh (the Caucasus), such as the Alans, Khazars, Turks, Serirs, and other tribes of infidels."
Information about this fortress is also found in other sources. For example, in 1928, architect Pakhomov surveyed the mountain wall and discovered the last fortress of this wall near the village of Rubas. His surveys showed that the walls stretch for 40 km, which corresponds to the distance from Derbent to the Khuchninskaya (Yagdygskaya) fortress.
According to the well-known archaeologist and scientist Vladimir Gerasimovich Kotovich (1925–1979), who conducted special research, the construction of this fortress dates back to the 6th–7th centuries.
About the legends of the fortress, seven brothers, and one sister
There are many legends about the fortress, the fate of the seven brothers and one sister. They are very contradictory.
Here is how the legend of the fortress of seven brothers and one sister is presented in the book "On the History and Culture of the Tabasaran People..." by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Magomed Gasanov: "...The brothers fiercely resisted foreign invaders, but in battle they were wounded, and the fortress was running out of food and drinking water. All the responsibilities related to fighting the enemy forces fell on the sister. Despite the unequal forces, the defense of the fortress continued, and the sister led the fight against the invaders. She dressed in the clothes and armor of the youngest brother, gathered the surviving warriors, and engaged in battle with the enemy forces, inspiring them to fight. However, as reinforcements arrived, the invaders grew in number. Only a handful of brave men remained in the sister’s detachment, ready to sacrifice their lives. The sister herself was covered in blood but showed no sign of weakness, urging her men to fight. However, her wounds took their toll, and losing consciousness, she fell from her horse. The invaders surrounded the detachment of brave mountaineers. When they removed the armor of the detachment leader, they were horrified by what they saw. The enemy had been fighting a beautiful girl – the brothers’ sister.
Soon she regained consciousness, and the invaders decided to take her to the shah. She realized she was a prisoner of the enemy and constantly thought about her warriors, her heroic brothers, worrying about them. She decided to die rather than surrender alive. When the guards were escorting her to the enemy camp, the sister grabbed a guard’s spear and ended her own life.”
Thanks to the courage of the seven brothers and one sister, Nadir Shah’s troops were unable to penetrate the settlements of upper Tabasaran.
There is another version: "Once upon a time, seven brothers lived in the fortress with their beautiful sister. It is said that the girl’s silky hair was so long that, wanting to fetch water, she tied a jug to her braids and lowered it into the river. The brothers were known as recognized heroes and skilled warriors who protected the surrounding villages.
Once, during one of the enemy sieges, the sister fell in love with the leader of the enemy army, who cunningly persuaded her to secretly pour salty water into the barrels of the brothers’ guns and the scabbards of their sabers to save the young men, whom the commander promised not only to spare but also to reward. However, after capturing the disarmed defenders of the fortress, the treacherous enemy broke his word. By his order, the brothers were executed one by one, and then the girl was killed, as it was believed that a sister who betrayed her brothers could not be loyal to anyone else and therefore deserved death. Her body was covered with a pile of stones by the Tabasaran villagers.
To this day, a stone mound stands by the road near the fortress. It is believed to be the grave of the unfortunate sister of the brave warriors. Every passing man throws seven stones onto the mound – as a sign of contempt for the traitor. Passing women throw a stone off the grave as a sign of respect for the power of love.”
Sources:
http://daglegenda.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-post_17.html
https://welcomedagestan.ru/placepost/krepost-semi-bratev/
