Kyrkhlyar
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| Kyrkhlyar | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Details | |
| Established | 7th century |
| Location | |
| Country | Russia |
| Coordinates | 42°03′45″N 48°17′00″E / 42.06250°N 48.28333°E |
| Type | Public |
| Style | Muslim cemetery |
The Kyrkhlyar (Azerbaijani: forty) is an old and revered cemetery in the city of Derbent, a city in the Russian Republic of Dagestan.[1] The oldest active Muslim cemetery in Russia.[2][3]
It is located less than a kilometer north of the gates of Kyrkhlyar-Kapy. The cemetery is enclosed by a two-meter-high two-tiered fence of well-hewn stones, apparently rebuilt several times. There is an entrance portal on the north side of the fence.[4]
The Kyrkhlyar is part of the northern city cemetery. The cemetery consists of two rectangles adjacent to each other with long sides with large and small compartments. There are 40 ancient chest-shaped tombstones,[5][2] in the large compartment there are three rows, and the smaller compartment consists of one row. Tombstone sarcophagi up to 3.2 meters (10.4987 ft.) long, 80 centimeters (31.4961 in.) high, 70 centimeters (27.5591 in.) wide and 10-12 centimeters (3.94 in.-4.72 in.) thick. Inside the large compartment there is a small rectangular structure 185 centimeters (72.8346 in.) high. The structure ends with a dome and also has an arched niche for sacrifices.[4]
