khanate · Caucasus
Derbent Khanate
Origins
After Nader Shah's death in 1747, the Persian governor of Derbent, Muhammad Husayn Khan, ruled the walled city and its hinterland as an independent khan. Derbent's Sasanian walls and citadel of Naryn-Kala still controlled the narrow coastal passage between the mountains and the Caspian Sea.
Rule and society
The khanate was small but strategically vital, drawing income from customs on the coastal route and from the trade of its port. Its population was mixed, including Azerbaijani, Persian, Tat-speaking Jewish and Lezgin communities. Rivalry with neighbouring Kaitag and Quba weakened it, and in 1765 Fatali Khan of the Quba Khanate seized the city.
Decline and legacy
Derbent remained under Quba's rulers until Russian troops took it in 1796, briefly, and again in 1806, when the Russian Empire annexed it permanently. The city's walls and citadel are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Derbent Khanate was conquered by Quba Khanate1765 CE
- Derbent Khanate was conquered by Russian Empire1806 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Derbent Khanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/derbent-khanate
- MLA
- “Derbent Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/derbent-khanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Derbent Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/derbent-khanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Derbent Khanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/derbent-khanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻