MAKHACHKALA, February 11 – RIA "Dagestan". The National Museum of Dagestan has resumed the tradition of large-scale scientific expeditions after a 70-year hiatus, presenting the results of its 2025 fieldwork in the newly opened "Expedition 100" project. Conducted from June 19 to July 6, the multidisciplinary expedition employed a route-based approach and covered 43 localities across Shamilsky, Charodinsky, Kulinsky, Rutulsky, Dokuzparinsky municipal districts and Bezhtinskjy area. The team focused on identifying and documenting historical and cultural heritage sites, studying contemporary cultural practices and expanding the museum’s collections.
As a result of the fieldwork, the museum acquired 380 objects of decorative, applied and everyday art, including items made of wood, ceramics, metal, carved stone, carpets and traditional costume elements. Around 60 local residents contributed artifacts from their family collections or from private and school museums, all donated free of charge.
The art collection was further enriched by 66 studies and sketches by artists Magomed Daudov and Anna Samarskaya, as well as 45 sheets of petroglyph prints. Researchers also collected extensive audio and video documentation, including interviews with 150 residents from villages such as Goor, Luchek, Khlyut and Kuli, which contain valuable information on settlement history and traditional production techniques. The natural science segment of the expedition yielded 5,000 photographs of flora and fauna and an entomological collection comprising over 350 insect specimens.
Museum director general Pakhrudin Magomedov emphasized that it was the first comprehensive expedition of its kind organized in seven decades. Magomedov announced that such initiatives would now be conducted annually. The exhibition will remain open until March 5. Speakers at the opening underscored the urgency of continued documentation efforts, noting that many of the region's monuments are in need of restoration.