Hijab number five

Dagestan is the most restless place in Russia. But, having lived there for two years, Maria Turchenkova considers it also the most beautiful.

(Total 15 photos)

All photos: Kommersant / Maria Turchenkova

1. A woman with a child in Kaspiysk.

I don’t even remember what I was “before” Dagestan. Dagestan suddenly appeared in my life two years ago and changed it. First trip: on the Moscow-Makhachkala train, women are taught how to tie the hijab in five different ways. I do it for self-defense - what about in Dagestan with an uncovered head?

2. This person alone is looking for caches of militants in the forest. Three years ago, one of his relatives was ambushed and killed.

And fellow travelers have fun. I understood this when they, seeing me wrapped in a scarf in a completely ridiculous way and ready to go out into the city in this form, burst out laughing and began vying to invite me to visit.

3. Another funeral at the cemetery in Gimry.

Then there was another shock - from Makhachkala, where life is in full swing, and respectable men in ties, disheveled students, and girls in short skirts and high heels scurry through the streets. There were gatherings with new friends, where the main treat was a lamb's head, and it was important for an honored guest to feed an eye.

4. The historical village of Gimry is regularly mentioned in the reports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan.

There were searches for "Wahhabis" - terrible bearded terrorists, with whom, if you look at the news reports, it seems that the entire republic is populated. And there were long evenings in distant villages, without light and TV; trips to areas where the journalist was last seen 20 years ago; people who go through the whole village to talk about their defenselessness.

5. Former police officer Ramzan prays in his house. He retired and settled in a mountain village after being seriously wounded during a counter-terrorist operation.

Black-and-white and dangerous Dagestan began to flourish with colors, painted in halftones. Every day, every meeting is a discovery. As everywhere, there is love, hatred, envy, friendship. There are clubs where young people go secretly from their parents. And there is a war that the majority perceives as a "showdown" between the security forces and radical Islamists.

6. Military checkpoint on a mountain road.

At the same time, there are almost no families that these “showdowns” would not affect, especially in the villages. According to statistics, among all the republics of the North Caucasus, Dagestan remains the leader in terms of the number of victims from the ongoing armed conflict - 2,845 victims (killed and wounded) over the past four years. And although the state spends huge amounts of money on the fight against terrorism, the level of violence is on the rise.

7. Rallies in Makhachkala are held in a tough style: the intensity of passions in the republic is affecting.

But my photo project is primarily about people. A big tragedy is always a lot of private stories, and you don't need to wrap yourself in a hijab to see them. Collecting these stories scattered along the mountain roads, I changed myself. And it seems to me that by telling them, I may be able to help others understand how beautiful a peaceful life could be in the most turbulent region of the country.

8. Faithful in the mosque, Makhachkala.

9. Friendly party in Makhachkala. Recently, more and more people are dancing in private apartments.

10. Brothers saddle a horse in Sarykum, one of the hottest places in Dagestan.

11. Festive family dinner in Eid al-Adha.

12. Tombstone at the cemetery in Makhachkala. Revenge lives on even after death.

13. Rallies in Makhachkala are held in a tough style: the intensity of passions in the republic is affecting.

14. Dagestan delights.

15. Burnt mosque in Karamakhi. In 2012, an imam and two parishioners were killed here. The authorities believe that this is the work of "Wahhabis".