During the Persian campaign in 1722, Makhachkala hosted a camp for the troops of Russian Emperor Peter I.

According to Ibn Hawqal, Jews lived in the city of Samandar in the 10th century and had their own synagogues.

[1] During the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in 1998−1999, several representatives of the Jewish community were kidnapped for ransom.

[8] Amidst the 2023 Hamas-Israel war, a group waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-semitic slogans forcefully entered the Makhachkala airport, looking for Israeli and Jewish travelers arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv.

[12][13] During the attack in Dagestan on 23 June 2024, Makhachkala's synagogue was set on fire by armed gunmen, possibly affiliated with ISIS.