1. Richa
Navrusova Zulmira

2. Location
Richa is the most
interesting village in
Agulsky district, located
in a difficultly accessible
area on the Chiragchai
River. The aul is one of
the oldest in Dagestan;
the houses are built on
one another, and the
streets are narrow.

3. History
Richa was one of the
first auls in Dagestan to
adopt Islam. The first
mosque in the village
was erected in the 11th
century, but in 1239 it
was demolished by
Mongols who besieged
the aul for more than
10 months.

4. Mosque
Later the mosque was
re-erected and at the
moment it is one of the
most interesting
temples in Dagestan.
Inside the mosque you
will see two rows of
finely carved pillars, one
of which pivots around
its axis.

5. Underground secrets
Underground, under the
village, there is a
labyrinth of secret
corridors and passages,
used by the locals
during wars.

6. Prisoner of the Mountains
Richa has also become
famous as a filming
location of the ‘Prisoner
of the Mountains’
(‘Kavkazskiy plennik’),
starring the late Sergey
Bodrov jr., a cult
Russian actor.