Country Russia Administratively subordinated to Town of Kizlyar Area 32 km² | Federal subject Republic of Dagestan Urban okrug Kizlyar Urban Okrug Local time Thursday 4:00 AM | |
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Administrative center of Kizlyarsky District, Town of Kizlyar Administrative center of Kizlyar Urban Okrug, Kizlyarsky Municipal District Weather 3°C, Wind S at 3 km/h, 97% Humidity | ||
Kizlyar (Russian: Кизля́р) is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the border with the Chechen Republic in the delta of the Terek River 221 kilometers (137 mi) northwest of Makhachkala, the capital of the republic. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 48,984.
Contents
- Map of Kizlyar Dagestan Republic Russia
- History
- Administrative and municipal status
- Demographics
- Economy
- Twin towns and sister cities
- Notable people
- References
Map of Kizlyar, Dagestan Republic, Russia
History
The first reference to Kizlyar dates back to 1609, although some historians associate the place with Samandar, the 8th-century capital of Khazaria. In 1735, the Russian government built a fortress in Kizlyar and laid foundations for the Caucasus fortified borderline. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Kizlyar was one of the trading posts between Russia and the Middle East and Central Asia. During this period, the population was largely Armenian and Russian. In 1796, there were 2,800 Armenians and 1,000 Russians living in Kizlyar.
In January 1996, the local airbase was raided by the Chechen separatists in the course of the Kizlyar raid, which claimed the lives of seventy-eight Russian soldiers.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Kizlyar serves as the administrative center of Kizlyarsky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is, together with one urban-type settlement (Komsomolsky) and one rural locality (the railway crossing loop of No. 17), incorporated separately as the Town of Kizlyar—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the Town of Kizlyar is incorporated as Kizlyar Urban Okrug.
Demographics
As of the 2002 Census, the town's ethnic composition was as follows:
Economy
In the early 19th century, Kizlyar became a center of viticulture and wine making. The local "cognac factory" (Кизлярский коньячный завод) produces a variety of alcoholic beverages but specializes primarily in a regional variant of brandy, marketed throughout Russia as "cognac". Kizlyarka is a type of grape vodka produced in Kizlyar. Kizlyar is also known for traditional knife, dagger, and saber making.
Twin towns and sister cities
Kizlyar has sister city relationships with: