Gimry

Gimry (also spelled Gimri; _ru. Гимры) is a village ("selo") in Untsukulsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is located in the mountain where Imam Shamil, the third Imam of Dagestan, was born.

History

The aul of Gimry enjoyed an almost impregnable position, with only a single road leading up to it, and formed the centre of resistance in the early days of the holy war declared by Ghazi Mullah against the Russians.In October 1832, the Russian army, led by Klugenau and Veliyaminov, attacked Gimry. They discovered a narrow, difficult goat-path, but managed to drag their artillery along it, until they were within range of the aul. The fortifications were destroyed and the Russians succeeded in storming the aul. Imam Shamyl was one of the only two who managed to escape.Ghazi Mullah was discovered dead, in a position of prayer, according to the traditions.

Recent events

The people of Gimry are deeply conservative and have been accused of practising Wahhabism by the Russian government.Fact|date=July 2007

At the beginning of 2006 there was a fierce battle between a group of militants and over 3,000 Russian soldiers. The militant group are thought to have escaped the encirclement.Fact|date=July 2007

On December 19 2007, police blocked the mountainous village of Gimry and detained several local men accusing them of being supporters of Salafist rebels with links to Chechnya. The village has been blockaded for several days and local residents claim that Russian soldiers have stolen from them and terrorized them during house-to-house searches. Gimry is one of the spiritual homes of Islam in the Eastern Caucasus