Derbent’s underwater cultural heritage as a tourist resource

<p>The article reflects the results of expeditionary works on revealing and studying historical artifacts on the bottom of the Caspian Sea near Derbent—the southernmost and most ancient city of Russia. The approaches to geographical study and mapping of the remains of ancient fortification architecture under water and other numerous finds of scuba divers in the area under consideration are described. The authors analyzed the specifics and results of underwater archaeological research from the point of view of the prospects for the development of diving tourism in the Derbent water area. The article also concludes that it is advisable to strengthen the integration of Dagestan historical and geographical science, which will allow researchers to reconstruct little-known pages of history with greater depth and accuracy. The constructive section of the article is devoted to the development of recreational diving and underwater museology in Dagestan, as well as to the general outlines of the underwater park project on the very southern coast of Russia.</p>