Development of Customs in Derbent in the XIX Century

Abstract

Russia, which was definitively consolidated in the Caucasus at the beginning of the XIX century, considered Derbent located at the crossroads of international trade routes as an important trading port, especially in trade relations with the Qajar Iran. That is why the question of the establishment of customs system in Derbent was on the agenda from the very beginning of the occupation of the city by Russian troops.In the present article on the basis of the Acts of Caucasian Archaeograpical Commission, and based on the information of the relevant literature on the subject, is studied the organization of the customs and quarantine services in Derbent.In the course of study, we arrived at the conclusion that the Derbent customs and quarantine department occupied an important place in the customs system of the Russian empire in the South Caucasus. It had been imputed to such functions as the prevention of the pass of different goods through smuggling into the provinces of the empire from the Qajar Iran and the Ottoman Empire, as well as impeding the penetration of contagious diseases.