Dagestan an exclusive place for tourism. Here there are the magnificent places for rest. The nature at us is majestic and is beautiful.

Mountain tops, covered with snow, deep gorges, green meadows, convenient sandy beaches and ,certainly, famous our caucasian hospitality - all this the fine enables for development of tourism.

However in the last years, because of a heavy economic situation in our republic, because of wars in the neighboring, republics, have stopped the long-term activity many travel companies.But we hope, that now, when the war in Chechnya has stopped, when the economy was a little bit stabilized, we can again accept the visitors, which want to acquaint with our astonishing nature and culture.

Pottery from the Ginchin settlement (4000 B.C.) belongs to another group. The thinly potted vessels, hard fired, with a finely burnished surface are painted in red and brown. Red polished pottery with ornaments cut through slips of various colours were produced throughout Nagorny (Mountainous) Daghestan as late as 2000 B.C.The original methods of decoration used by potters of the next generations show the stability of local traditions

The art of tapestry has been taking shape in Daghestan over many centuries. Its origination and extension was a legitimate result of fast-developing sheep-fereeding. According to antique Greek historians, as early as in the 5th century B. C. the population of the west coast of the Caspian Sea was engaged in making colourful wool fabrics.

It was known even then that fabric colouring required the use of natural dyers from plants growing in the area.

Land shortages coupled with work hands redundancies and easily available raw materials in the area gave rise to the development of female crafts linked with carpet-making. Women could put in to carpet-making annually some seven or eight months during slack agricultural seasons. The women carpet-makers produced floor carpets, nap, as well as felt.

Daghestan homes had earthen floors, mural tapestry,

khurdjins (saddle-bags), belts for carrying jugs and other articles indispensable in highlanders' domestic life.Ornamental weaving was common for many Daghestan villages, but especially well-known were the weaving centres, such as the Lak village of Balkhar, Darghin villages of Kischa and Kudaghu, Avar villages of Rugudja, Chokh and Koroda.

The art of decorative metalwork was developed early in Dagestan. Archaeological finds in the plain around the Caspian Sea and on the sites of the Cherkeisky, Sigitlinsky, Verkhnegunibsky and other former settlements show that even at the late 3rd millennium B.C. and in the early 4th millennium B.C. Daghestan was familiar with bronze manufacturing. Bronze spear goads, axes, daggers and ornamental pieces are distinguished by a variety of forms and methods of decoration. Daghestan bronze statuettes of human beings and animals (originally amuletic bronzes that were buried with the dead) have survived in large numbers in the ancient Avar, Lak and Darghin settlements that tells us of notable bronze work centres existing in the Alpine areas of Daghestan as early as lst millennium A.D.

The art of decorative silver work dating from the Middle Ages is tightly connected with the tradition of bronze casting. Hoop-like twisted bracelets, temple-rings and men's composite belts of the 6th and 7th centuries A.D. had long since the shape and size similar to the like silver pieces of the 17th-19th centuries. In almost all Daghestan villages there were silversmiths who manufactured all conceivable kinds of female trir Aetry, like belts, rings, latches, clasps, needle- holders, male belts and gazyrs (bullet holders. Silver pieces were made to order and constituted a sideline occupation to the main occupation of farming. At the same time the craft of silversmiths was banded down from one generation to another and required a professional skill.

The dagger and sheath, gilt silver and enamel.