Directed by Pejman Akbarzadeh
30 Min. | English
Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 6th-century Derbent (Darband) fortification complex is considered the largest defensive structure of Sasanian Persia (Iran) in the Caucasus. It is now located in the Republic of Dagestan, the southernmost tip of Russia, where Westerners have been advised against traveling due to the bloody conflicts between Islamist groups and Russian forces. This film illuminates the historical significance of the fortification system, which was originally built to guard the northern frontier of the Persian Empire.
“Derbent: What Persia Left Behind“, also explores the unique architecture of the massive fortress, and how it has been preserved for some fifteen centuries by Persian, Arab, Turkish and Russian rulers. Built strategically in the narrowest area between the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian Sea, the fortification includes the northernmost Middle Persian (Pahlavi) inscriptions in the world, which are in danger of destruction. The 42-km defence wall of the complex that extended toward the Black Sea had already been destroyed in the Soviet era. (BBC Persian Review)
Amsterdam-based Pejman Akbarzadeh has made a comprehensive documentary on the site during two trips to Dagestan region, where western countries have strictly advised their citizens not to travel.
Funded by the Persian Heritage Foundation in the United States and the Soudavar Memorial Foundation in Switzerland, the documentary features commentary from four internationally recognised scholars; Murtazali Gadjiev (head of the Archaeology Department of the Dagestan Science Academy), Dietrich Huff (German Archaeological Institute), Parvaneh Pourshariati (New York City College of Technology), and Matthew Canepa (University of California, Irvine).
SCREENING
- 16 November 2023 | International Archaeological Film Festival of the Bidasoa (FICAB), Spain (More Info.)
- 22 August 2023 | European Conference of Iranian Studies (ECIS 10), Leiden University (More Info.)
- 22 July 2023 | Tirgan Festival, Toronto (More Info.)
- 1 June 2023 | The Ninth Biennial Convention of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS), Yerevan
- 12 September 2022, 19:00 | German Orientalists conference (Deutsche Orientalistentag / DOT), FU Berlin (More info.) + Q&A
- 1 September 2022, 9:30 (World Premiere) | Biennial of the “Association of Iranian Studies”, University of Salamanca. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director Pejman Akbarzadeh. (More info.)
- Academic institutions and libraries are welcome to screen or stream this documentary for educational purposes. For more information please contact info (at) persiandutch.com
دربند: یادگار ایران
مستندی از پژمان اکبرزاده
بیشتر بخوانید: مستندی از بزرگترین سامانه دفاعی ساسانیان در قفقاز / بی.بی.سی