"Dagestan" Respublika Dagestan by Steakbone

I spent three weeks in Makachkala, Dagestan in 1992. It was a remarkably uninteresting city. I went to study the many ethnic minorities that live in Dagestan. Despite the many cultures and their insistance on hospitality it is a very unfriendly place. There was one hotel there, which was closed at the time of my visit. There was no entertainment, resturaunts, or shopping. The quality of life for the 200,000 residents is not good. It is surely worse now due to the proximity of Chechnia.