Residents of Khuri in Daghestan’s Laksky district have recorded a video calling on the authorities to prevent an allegedly illegal lease of land containing an ancient fortress.
Their public appeal was addressed to the Head of Daghestan, Sergei Melikov, the Head of the Laksky district, Yusup Magomedov, the Minister of Culture, Zarema Butaeva, the inter-district prosecutor, Guseyn Alilov, and the head of the agency for the protection of cultural heritage, Makhach Musaev.
They have stated that the right to lease a 3.8-hectare plot for 35 years was sold for ₽44,000 ($530) in 2023, and that the land previously belonged to a single family.
They claim that the plot was formed with violations: houses located there were not registered in the Russian Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre, and Cartography because the land category had not been changed from agricultural to settlement land. In addition, more than 10 plots allocated to villagers back in the 1990s were put at risk due to the new lease.
According to the appeal, the villagers demand that the legality of the sale and ownership rights be checked, the land returned to the villagers, the fortress be protected as a cultural heritage site, and a historical museum opened within its walls.
The appeal does not specify the exact name of the fortress, but it is known that on the outskirts of Khuri stands a fortification erected during Russia's conquest of the North Caucasus. It was built there in 1843 and, after the end of the war, was used as the headquarters of a line battalion. The fortification had eight cannons installed, aimed at the village of Kumukh, which at that time was a stronghold of the supporters of Imam Shamil, who fought against the Russian imperial army. After the 1917 revolution, the building was used as the main hospital of the Laksky district, but it was later moved to Kumukh. Local newspaper Daghestani Truth (Daghestanskaya Pravda) has reported that the historic building is planned to be used as a training camp.
Khuri is an ancient Lak aul located in central Daghestan, 150 kilometres from Makhachkala. According to the 2010 census, it has about 150 houses and a population of no more than 500 people. The village lies at the foot of Mount Vatsilu, at an altitude of around 1,400–1,450 metres above sea level.
Local media noted that Khuri has an ancient mosque dating back to the 16th century (1572–1573) and old cannons dated to 1854.
In addition, near Khuri in the village of Kumukh, there is a 16th–17th century fortress, which in 2023 was recognised as a federal cultural heritage site. In September 2025, part of its fortress wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall.
At the time of publication, there had been no official public response from the authorities to the appeal.
Lela Jobava
