Makhachkala opens beach "Ostrovok" for women and children

On June 1, the official opening of the beach named "Ostrovok" (Small Island) was held in the Reduktorny Township, located in the southern outskirt of Makhachkala.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by the administration of Makhachkala that the beach will be open only for women and children.

According to the source, the project, carried out by a private investor, was backed up by the city administration. "The Mayoralty of Makhachkala believes that the beach will help to solve many social problems of Dagestani women," he said.

As stated by Nasidat Magomedova, one of the first visitors of the beach, the opening of the place has solved the problems with the rest at sea for "the women observing the Islam."

"I love swimming, but a tour to the sea was a rare occasion for me, because we had to go with my husband far outside the city. According to the Sharia norms, a woman cannot denude the body in the presence of men, while the swimsuits on sale as 'Muslim' models are very uncomfortable to wear; and you can't sunbathe in them," said Nasidat Magomedova and added that now going to the sea is no longer a problem.

However, as Shamil Gasanov, the director of the new beach, asserts, the place, which is fenced from the rest of the world by a three-meter-high fence, "is not a purely Muslim beach – it’s a place for women and children regardless of their religious affiliation."

The entrance to the beach is through a checkpoint guarded by men; "their task is to keep the order and ensure that the no male sex gets onto the beach." Inside, the service staff is all women.