Makhachkala, December 19, 2014. Gunsmith Gadji Kurbankadiev received a diploma as the "Most Open Person-2014, a source at the Center for Regional Journalism Development "Kaspiy Media" told RIA Dagestan.

The center experts say that this year Gadji Kurbankadiev was the major newsmaker of positive messages from Dagestan. Mostly known as Gadji the Master or the Amuzginets in Dagestan, he was the hero of lots of essays, interviews, and reports published in domestic and foreign media. The Honoured Artist of Dagestan actively promotes local crafts and tells stories about various masters and traditional mountaineer culture centers.

For his great contribution to developing folk arts, Kurbankadiev recently won the "Soul of Dagestan" annual contest – republican minister of culture Zarema Butaeva granted him the diploma in "Folk arts master" nomination.

Amuzgi has been known in the East as a village of blacksmiths and gunsmiths from the 7th century AD. Amuzgi knives admired Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Nadir Shah, Alexander I, Napoleon, and Shamil. Dagestan weapons were in demand in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and Central Asia. In the second half of the last century, the ancient art of Amuzgi ceased to exist due to the changed historical context. But these days, 65-year-old Gadji Kurbankadiev is reviving the ancestors’ ancient art.