Throughout the centuries, the Dariali Gorge has held strategic significance as one of only two crossings of the Greater Caucasus mountain range (the other being the Derbent Pass). For this reason, it has been fortified since at least 150 BC. The Dzherakhov Fortress was founded in 1846. It was built in the shape of a square with two towers in opposite corners (the southeast and northwest). The fortification took its name from the nearby hamlet of Dzheirakh. This settlement, in turn, is named after Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (c. 583 – 639), an Arab commander of the Rashidun Caliphate (632 – 651), who led several raids into this area: names given by invaders to towns or geographical features often remained on maps. The ruins of the Dzherakhov Fortress can still be seen today on the right bank of the Terek River.
Dzherakhov Fortress
