International conference "Derbent - city of three religions" held in Dagestan

Derbent, March 26, 2015. Derbent hosted an international scientific-practical conference "Derbent - city of three religions", the press service of the Dagestan head and government’s administration told RIA Dagestan.

The conference was organized by Dagestan committee on freedom of conscience and interaction with religious organizations, the Derbent administration, the Derbent branch of Dagestan State University, and Dagestan branch of the UNESCO Department on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions with the information support by skfo.ru.

The conference assembled chairman of Dagestan committee on freedom of conscience Suleiman Magomedov, Dagestan Head’s envoy in the Southern Territorial District Mussafendi Velimuradov, head of the Derbent city district Imam Yaraliev, head of the UNESCO Department on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions Dmitry Spivak, officials from republican ministries and departments, the clergy, famous scientists, archaeologists, and heads of municipalities of Southern Dagestan.

One of the major events of the conference was the grand opening of the North Caucasian office of the UNESCO Department on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, Specifics of Culture and Interreligious Dialogue.

Head of the DSU department of ontology and epistemology Mustafa Bilialov, deputy scientific research director of the Institute of Service, Tourism and Design of the North Caucasian Federal University Arushan Vartumyan, Boris Rashkovskiy, associate professor with the DSU Derbent branch Gulchokhra Sehidova, and Madina Shakhbanova made plenary reports at the conference.

Next, the participants disputed within thematic sections such as "Derbent - first Muslim city in Russia. Islam in North Caucasus", "The Jews in history of Derbent and its counties", "Inter-regional dialogue and harmony – prerequisites of stability in Dagestan and Russia. Variety of spirituality forms. Presentation of the UNESCO Department on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions", and "Christianity in Dagestan. Caucasus in Russian geopolitics".

The conference released a collection of participants' reports named "Derbent - city of three religions". The materials had been prepared by Muslim scholars from Dagestan, North Caucasus, Iran and Azerbaijan, as well as Jewish and Orthodox scholars.