I have never felt the importance of family connections as strong as in one of the villages in Guria, Chkhakaura. I always had a vague idea about Muslims living in the highlands of Georgia settled during the Russo-Ottoman war at the end of the 19th century. It was about four years ago when I came to this village. My very first impression was poor living and severe weather conditions. Here people are engaged in cattle breeding and farming. In the summer they all move to the summer pastures. Here families are struggling to reconcile their traditional way of life with a rapidly changing world. You will rarely meet women wearing hijabs or couples married by agreement, but they still fast in Ramadan and have regular gatherings in the evening in one of the families. It seems that this village is isolated from the rest of the world without the need for socialization. I was trying to figure out the root of the reason and I guess it lies in their shared positive outlook, mutual respect, interdep
