Ancient abandoned village of Gamsutl, Republic of Dagestan, Russia.

Gamsutl has an aura of mystery. It has been called ‘Machu Picchu of Dagestan’, a “dead city”, a high-altitude prison and a place brought to ruin by cholera. Over its centuries-old history, the Avar village has become shrouded by myths, both plausible and fantastic. And, it goes without saying that, like many of most beautiful places in North Caucasus, it is situated far from civilization.

Village propped high at peak of Mount Gamsutlmeer in Dagestan, Russia, this abandoned ancient village is one of oldest settlements in region. In Gunibsky district of Dagestan lies Mount Gamsutlmeer, and at an altitude of roughly 1418m above sea level resides the village of Gamsutl. This made village easy to defend and, in its centuries-old history, it was never conquered by a single army.

The exact age of village is unknown. According to one theory, it was founded by Avar khans (Avars are one of indigenous peoples of North Caucasus and most numerous ethnic group in present-day Dagestan). Khan who founded Gamsutl lived with his family on top of mountain, build his kingdom fortified from his enemies. Eventually, a community evolved around the structure, while his army settled on the slopes below. In Avar language, ‘Gamsutl’ means “at the foot of the khan’s fortress”. According to another theory, the aul (village) was some sort of place of confinement for offenders. “But there is not a single existing scholarly monograph on Gamsutl,” says Zaur Tsokholov, organizer of first excursions to abandoned aul. 

Locals believed that aul was at least 1600 years old. Researchers have found evidence of an even earlier date of foundation: In vicinity of village, they came across a tombstone with an inscription in Old Persian that was about 2200-2000 years old. It is likely that aul had been inhabited by other ethnic groups, something borne out by some inscriptions in Persian on walls of houses.

According to researchers, ruins of village resemble swallows’ nests. Houses are partly carved out of rock. And if the uneven surface prevented construction of a house, rock was chipped away and used as building material. Roofs of houses were covered with beams, and earth and straw were piled on top. Heavy rain used to partly wash away roofs and they had to be repaired regularly. Walls of houses are held together with clay and they deteriorate easily. Moreover, houses in Gamsutl appear, at first sight, to be 1000s of years old. But, majority of surviving buildings date back to early 19th Century CE.

Even a few decades ago, Gamsutl was still inhabited. Village had its own school, a kindergarten, a grocery store, a hospital and a maternity clinic. However as times changed, more opportunities for better livelihoods in other towns and cities  residents, particularly young people, only started leaving village in significant numbers in 1970s-1980s, to seek work in capital of Dagestan (journey time to Makhachkala is just 3 hours) and because of village’s inaccessibility, it just became too impractical to live in such a remote location. 

But, a number of elderly residents, nevertheless, remained to live out their years there. In 2002, there were 17 inhabitants and, by 2010, number had fallen to just 10. One of them was Abdulzhalil Abdulzhalilov, who was even born in village. Once a month, he would go down to buy groceries, collect his pension, get latest news and drop by library. In Gamsutl, he kept bees and, in his free time, worked on a book he was writing about religion and greeted tourists. He is said to have given himself the title of “Mayor of Gamsutl’.

In 2015, village’s last remaining resident, Abdulhalil Abdulhalilvov, passed away. Today, 70 abandoned homes are all that remain of this ancient stronghold. 

In last few decades, “ghost village” in mountains has been one of Dagestan’s main tourist attractions.