- Kizlyar
Kizlyar ( _ru. Кизля́р) is a town in the Republic of Dagestan,
Russia , located in the delta of theTerek River 221 km northwest ofMakhachkala .Population : 48,457 (2002 Census); 30,000 (1970).The first reference to Kizlyar dates back to 1609, although some historians associate the place with Samandar, the 8th-century capital of
Khazaria . In 1735, the Russian government built afortress in Kizlyar and laid foundations for theCaucasus fortified borderline. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Kizlyar was one of thetrading post s between Russia and theMiddle East andCentral Asia . In January 1996, the local airbase was raided by the Chechen separatists in the course of theKizlyar raid , which claimed the lives of 78 Russian soldiers.In the early 19th century, Kizlyar became a center of
viticulture andwine making . The local "cognac factory" ( _ru. Кизлярский Коньячный Завод) produces a variety of alcoholic beverages but specializes primarily in a regional variant ofbrandy , marketed throughout Russia as "cognac".
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