a town of Persia, and capital of the province of Daghestan, and also of a small principality of the same name. It is situated in the province of Schirvan, on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, and contains about 650 houses, and 4000 inhabitants, who are Armenians, Mahomedans, Jews, and Russians. It is built in the form of a parallelogram, and extends on a declivity from the very margin of the shore west to the foot of a lofty mountain, and is considered as the gate of Persia, its name signifying an impassable place, or, more strictly, a door locked. It is surrounded by strong walls, rising out of the sea, and defended by about sixty towers; and the highest part of the hill or rock is crowned by the citadel, which, however, is at too great a distance either to protect the city or to cover the harbour. Part of the celebrated wall of Gog and Magog, said to have extended to the Black Sea, is still to be seen near this fortress. It is of great solidity, and runs in a western direction over high and inaccessible mountains. Many of the stones used in the construction of the walls are cubes of six feet, but the ramparts are so narrow that cannon are only mounted on the towers, and the entrance to the town is through a single antique iron gate. The town was formerly supplied with water by magnificent aqueducts built by the Arabs; but these are now in ruins, and the inhabitants are under the necessity of using water from wells, so that the supply afforded is barely sufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants. It has little trade, owing to the poverty of the surrounding countries, but very fine saffron is cultivated in the neighbourhood. The harbour is one of the worst on the Caspian Sea. It had formerly a quay, which is now sunk under water. Derbend is a place of great antiquity; the celebrated caliph Haroun-al-Raschid lived here at different times, and brought the town into great repute, by promoting commerce and the arts. In the convulsions of this part of Asia it has frequently changed masters. It was taken possession of by the Russians in 1722, who retained possession of it until 1735, when it was restored to the Persians. In the war with Persia which commenced in 1796, it surrendered to the Russians, and has ever since remained in their possession.

Long. 48° 58' E. Lat. 41° 52' N.