Buinaksk

Buinaksk

 

(until 1922, Temir-Khan-Shura), a city in the Dagestan ASSR, located in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, on the Shura-Ozen’ River. Terminus of a branch from the Armavir-Baku railroad line. Population, 40,000 (1970). Industries include canneries (fruit and vegetables), shoe and leather-goods combines, knitwear, tire-repair shops, and assembly plants. There are agricultural and cooperative technicums, three teachers colleges, and one medical college. The city also has a historical-revolutionary museum and a drama theater.

Buinaksk was founded in 1834 as a fort; it became a city in 1866. The declaration of the autonomy of Dagestan was proclaimed by the government of the RSFSR on Nov. 13, 1920, at a congress of the peoples of Dagestan in Temir-Khan-Shura, which was subsequently renamed in honor of U. Buinakskii. In May 1970 an earthquake that shook Dagestan considerably damaged the city.