The artist Magomedzerif Gadzhiev painted the landscape “Akhty Village” in 2010. The painting depicts one of the largest villages in Dagestan: it is famous for its thousand-year history, extensive apple orchards, hot springs, ancient buildings and bridges. The mountain peaks of Bazarduzu and Shalbuzdag are visible from any point of Akhty.
There are 11 large bridges in the village and many small ones thrown over ditches and ravines. Two of them were built at the beginning of the 20th century. Magomedzerif Gadzhiev depicted them in his painting.
The foreground of the work is occupied by a two-arch reinforced concrete bridge that connects the two halves of the village: the Kuzay and Guney sides. The local citizens collected the money for its construction themselves. The project was developed in 1915 by specialists of the Belgian-Italian architectural firm “Giors and Debernardi”.
The second bridge depicted in the painting bears the name of the architect who built it — Idris Yunusov. This structure appeared in Akhty in 1936. There is a local legend that Yunusov decided to build a bridge because of resentment against the authorities, who invited foreign architects. He wanted to prove that Dagestan masters are in no way inferior to Italian and Belgian ones. Idris Yunusov’s bridge is the highest in Akhty.
The painting depicts a stone staircase that leads from the river to the Akhty Juma Mosque — the main temple of the village. It was founded about 1300 years ago by the Arab commander Abu Muslim al-Maslama. At the end of the 19th century, the temple was rebuilt. Nowadays it is one of the five active mosques in the village.
The Lezgian artist Magomedzerif Gadzhiev was born in Akhty in 1952. For many years he lived in Karachay-Cherkessia where he taught painting, joined the republican branch of the Union of Artists and received the title of Honored Artist of the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic. Magomedzerif Gadzhiev’s students won prizes at republican, all-Russian and international competitions. The artist traveled abroad several times, including exhibiting his works in Paris. Then Gadzhiev returned to his native Akhty village and organized a children’s studio school there, where he still teaches young artists the basics of fine art.
There are 11 large bridges in the village and many small ones thrown over ditches and ravines. Two of them were built at the beginning of the 20th century. Magomedzerif Gadzhiev depicted them in his painting.
The foreground of the work is occupied by a two-arch reinforced concrete bridge that connects the two halves of the village: the Kuzay and Guney sides. The local citizens collected the money for its construction themselves. The project was developed in 1915 by specialists of the Belgian-Italian architectural firm “Giors and Debernardi”.
The second bridge depicted in the painting bears the name of the architect who built it — Idris Yunusov. This structure appeared in Akhty in 1936. There is a local legend that Yunusov decided to build a bridge because of resentment against the authorities, who invited foreign architects. He wanted to prove that Dagestan masters are in no way inferior to Italian and Belgian ones. Idris Yunusov’s bridge is the highest in Akhty.
The painting depicts a stone staircase that leads from the river to the Akhty Juma Mosque — the main temple of the village. It was founded about 1300 years ago by the Arab commander Abu Muslim al-Maslama. At the end of the 19th century, the temple was rebuilt. Nowadays it is one of the five active mosques in the village.
The Lezgian artist Magomedzerif Gadzhiev was born in Akhty in 1952. For many years he lived in Karachay-Cherkessia where he taught painting, joined the republican branch of the Union of Artists and received the title of Honored Artist of the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic. Magomedzerif Gadzhiev’s students won prizes at republican, all-Russian and international competitions. The artist traveled abroad several times, including exhibiting his works in Paris. Then Gadzhiev returned to his native Akhty village and organized a children’s studio school there, where he still teaches young artists the basics of fine art.
