There are several ancient stones in the village. None of the residents know what is written on them - the inscriptions are made in Arabic script.

Batimazai. Lives alone in the old, almost destroyed part of the village. Keeps four cows and periodically raises bulls for sale to save money for the house she is building in the city of Kaspiysk.

A flock of sheep has come down from the mountains after grazing and is heading to the pen for the night.

The woman came to meet and take home her cow, which was returning from the highlands with the herd.

View of the old part of the village.

The shepherd's best assistant is a dog. It helps protect flocks of sheep from wolves.

Outskirts of the village.

Ayshat is the wife of Gasan, the owner of the house where I stayed. I was stunned and amazed by the friendliness, cordiality and hospitality of the Dagestani people.

Aishat bakes delicious bread herself.

Magomed, with whom I went in the morning to drive the cows to the pastures in the highlands.

It was sunny that morning. If it is quite cool early in the morning, when it is still dark, then as soon as the sun rises it becomes very warm. But still, it is much cooler in the mountains than in the lower areas.

Magomed drives the cows up. There is fresher and juicier grass there.

Shepherds select young lambs for sale.

Frightened animals huddle together and press close to each other.

View of the old part of the village. Among the abandoned and destroyed old houses, there are one or two houses where people still live.

The Chiragchay River flows through the village. The water is crystal clear and you can safely drink it.

Ramadan found a sponsor and built a new mosque in the village on his own, without anyone's help.

Ramadan.

This slab with an Arabic script inscription was found on the site of an old mosque that had fallen into disrepair over time. Ramadan placed it in the wall of the newly built mosque.

A woman collects cumin, which is used in cooking.

View of the outskirts of the village of Chirag on a summer evening.

Omar watches as fellow villagers repair a tractor.

After the cows have dispersed to their homes in the evening after grazing in the mountains, milking begins.

I took a simple portrait.

View from above from the old destroyed part of the village.

It begins to get dark in the village as soon as the sun disappears behind the mountains.

The sheep hide in the shade from the scorching daytime sun.

Near the simple dwelling of a shepherd next to the high mountain pastures where I graze flocks of sheep.

Curious goats.

Future shepherd.

Dried meat is considered a special delicacy in Dagestan.

Omar, like the senior shepherd, is in charge of the others.

Sometimes at altitude my ears get blocked, but it goes away quickly. At least for me.

Portrait of Omar.

Mountain landscape with a horse.

We need to chop some wood to make porridge for the dogs.

Most of the cars in the villages of Dagestan are simple domestic cars. They are not so expensive and at the same time unpretentious in maintenance and use.

They fed me fried trout freshly caught in a mountain river. It was very tasty.

A couple of kids who came to visit their grandmother for the summer went to the mountains with me.

Water is taken directly from mountain rivers.

I liked how the piece of fabric fluttered in the wind.

The dog porridge is almost ready.

The mountains in Dagestan are not rocky, at least in the places I have been. The landscapes are mesmerizing in their calm and measuredness.

Evening view of the village.

In the evening, the cows come down from the mountains and wander around the yards.

The shepherd who was grazing the flock today is driving his cows home. Those who keep the cows take turns grazing the flock, replacing each other.

Despite their bulk, cows move nimbly through the mountains.

A cow being milked.

Batimazai milks each cow very skillfully and quickly, and she has four of them.

The first milk is for the little calf.

A woman and her grandson are waiting for their cow to come home.

The cows are waiting to be milked.

The chickens are getting ready for bed.