In 1851, a lithograph by Wilhelm Timm was published in the "Russian Art Leaflet" entitled "View from the window in the Derbent fortress, which was cut down by Peter the Great himself."
In 1701-1704, Russian troops defeated the Swedes and settled on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and the Neva River. Victories in the Northern War provided Russia with access to the Baltic Sea. In 1703, Tsar Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire. We all know well the lines of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin:
Nature here we are destined to
cut a window to Europe …
But not everyone knows that the great sovereign opened another window for the country - “to the East”, and this happened in the ancient city of Derbent.
Keys to the East
After the end of the Northern War, Peter I decided to make a trip to the western coast of the Caspian Sea. On July 18, 1722, he set out from Astrakhan on the so-called Persian campaign, in order for the benefit of the Russian Empire, having seized the Caspian Sea, to lay a trade route from Central Asia and India to Europe through Russia.
On July 20, a Russian flotilla of 274 ships entered the Caspian Sea and followed the western coast for a week. A little later, on August 23, Peter I, at the head of an army moving from Astrakhan, approached Derbent. This city had (and still retains) an important strategic importance, as it covered the coastal route along the Caspian Sea.
Promotional video:
The 130 miles of foot crossing proved to be a difficult test for the Russians. Horses died from lack of food, and people suffered from the heat. Pyotr Alekseevich himself suffered. The heat forced him to cut his long hair, which was later made into a wig for the emperor's wax figure, made by the sculptor Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
A verst from the city, the Russian sovereign and his army were met by a delegation led by the naib Imam Kulibek. Naib made a short, loyal speech, “fell on his knees and brought Peter two silver keys to the city gates,” and at the same time “fireworks were fired”. A participant in the campaign, Lieutenant-Commander Fyodor Soimonov, also recalled: "One of these keys … is still kept (on a wooden platter) in the Imperial Cabinet of Curiosities at the Academy of Sciences."
On the eve of the ceremonial entry into the city, the Russian sovereign ordered, after a difficult passage, to bring the troops into proper form, so that "beards were shaved, ties so that Saldats were cleaned and shirts and shirts so that they were white." Amid volleys of cannon salute and the sounds of military music, the emperor entered Derbent with a parade through the main northern gate - Kirkhlyarkapy. Part of the troops was stationed in the Indian and Armenian quarters, the main contingent was stationed outside the city, and the cavalry advanced to the Rubas River, which is 20 miles from Derbent.
Peter I spent several days in the city. He examined the Lower City, walked around the Upper City and traveled a lot along the seashore "to inspect the place where to build a harbor," and also met representatives of local rulers who came to him with a request to accept them into Russian citizenship. The tsar stayed at the house of the naib, who for the peaceful surrender of Derbent was appointed its ruler and head of the "native" army.
Facts and Legends
Already during the Persian campaign, legends began to form about Peter the Great's stay in Derbent. So, according to legend, an earthquake happened when Peter I approached the gate of Kirkhlyar-kapa, in connection with which the emperor said: "Nature itself makes me a solemn welcome and shakes the walls of the city in front of my power."
The king's visit to the citadel of Narynkala, towering over the city, gave rise to the legend that it was here that he cut through the “window to the East”. The emperor, as Lieutenant-General Vasily Potto later wrote, “in impatient anticipation of the flotilla sailing from Astrakhan (it came to Derbent five days after the arrival of Peter I, that is, on August 28, - author's note), he cut through one from the rooms there is a window from which an excellent view of the Caspian Sea, the city and its surroundings opens."
So it was or not, it is not known for certain. But, knowing the irrepressible nature of the tsar-reformer, it is quite possible to assume that he really cut the window to the East with his own hand.
Irina STREKALOVA
