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On September 4-5, Derbent hosted the second part of the orientation seminar for the team finalists of the Open International Competition for the Development of a Master Plan for Derbent Urban District, the Republic of Dagestan, during which the participants visited the city which future they are going to design and held a number of meetings, vital for work on the project.

The representatives of the consortia spent two full days in the city, overviewing its districts and suburbs, visiting the major tourist attractions and having a conversation with Khizri Abakarov, the mayor of the city, the representatives of the public, business, culture, religion and sports of Derbent.

The first ‘working day’ of the representatives of the team finalists started at 8:30 with an overview of the southern and northern parts of Derbent, which are supposed to become the cornerstones of the further development of the city. After that the participants visited the well-maintained part of the city embankment - the coast of the Caspian. The international curator of the contest, Eduard Moreau, founder of Orchestra Design studio, urbanist, architect, specialist in the sphere of sustainable development, arrived in Derbent specially to take part in the program.   

The agenda also contained a visit to the major historical and cultural sites of the city: the ancient Naryn-Kala fortress, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the oldest Juma mosque in the CIS, city moguls and the historical center. The whole day Isa Magomedov, head of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Derbent, and Alexander Kudryavtsev, head of the department of archeology and regional history, dean of IF SSU, showed the contestants around the city.

The intense programme culminated in a discussion of the prospects for the development of the historical part of the city as well as the limitations, connected with the heritage sites, located in Derbent. The discussion was held in the House of Peter I, another historically and culturally important place of the city. 

The second day has turned to be ‘expert’, as it was full of various meetings. The day started with the communication with Khizri Abakarov, the head of the Administration of the city district ‘Derbent city’. ‘I am grateful to all the specialists who put their knowledge and energy into the development of Derbent. The result of their work should become a powerful impetus for the prosperity of our city. I would like past and present to be intertwined in Derbent, so that people could plunge into ancient history, become a part of the culture and traditions of Derbent and at the same time have the opportunity to relax in the modern part of the city with entertainment complexes. It’s crucial for us that the historical part of the city retains its authenticity, and the new part becomes an innovative center,’ pointed out the mayor of the city. 

The day has continued with a meeting held by Nezir Huseynov, the Chairman of the Committee on Architecture and Urban Planning of the Republic of Dagestan. It was attended by the representatives of the city Department of Land and Property Relations and the Office of Architecture and Urban Planning. Isa Magomedov, the main architect of Derbent, described the current state of the urban planning in the city, which should not fail to be taken into account in the work. 

Furthermore, the finalists spoke to the delegates from the departments of healthcare, culture, education, physical education and sports, met with the Public Council of the competition, discussed the economic peculiarities of the master plan being developed together with the representatives of the Derbent Department of Economics and Investments, as well as the delegates from the city business community. Eduard Moreau, the international curator of the competition, spent these two days in Derbent together with the finalists and actively participated in the past events and discussions.