WHERE IS PANKISI GORGE ?
A Place of stunning natural beauty and bounty
The Pankisi Gorge cuts down from the Caucasus Mountains near the Chechen border to the high plains in the northeastern corner of the Republic of Georgia. Shepherds tend their animals on the hillsides. Orchards and tilled fields dot the valley.
Pankisi borders Chechnya and is home to about 10,000 Kists (pronounced "Keests", they are descendants of Chechans and Ingush). The large influx of Chechen refugees after 2003 has gradually subsided; less than 1000 refugees remain.
The highland Islam of most Kists draws on Sufism with elements of Christianity and traditional beliefs, though a devotion to "pure Islam" is growing among some Chechen refugees and younger Kists. Older minarets like this one are often more decorative than newer ones.
A place of poverty,
prejudice, warmth,
and hope
The children of the Pankisi Gorge have wishes and dreams that are difficult to fulfill. They help their families get by and hope for a better future.
The children of the Pankisi Gorge have wishes and dreams that are difficult to fulfill. They help their families get by and hope for a better future.