The cultural space of the city of Derbent

The long-standing polyethnicity and multi-religiosity of Derbent and the common features of civilization determined the unique cultural space of the city. The proximity of Derbent to Northern Azerbaijan created the polyethnic environment typical for cultural borderline. A set of historical and archeological sites, the ethnic and religious plurality, and the comfortable subtropical zone led to the uniqueness of the cultural space of Derbent. Folk music of the ethnic majority of the city (the Azerbaijanis, Lezgins, and Tabasarans) plays a special role in the cultural space of Derbent. The ethnic and musical tradition is an identifier of the musical and cultural space of Southern Dagestan in general. The research emphasizes the importance of ashug tradition and mugham as core factors integrating the South Caucasian peoples at the level of music culture. The penetration of mugham songs into Muslim adhan confirms the prominent role of the culture of the Arab East in the music content of Southern Dagestan. The current cultural practices aimed at spreading the authentic folk music of peoples of Southern Dagestan include a music festival. The study discusses the festival projects dedicated to the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Derbent.