Chai Khana Print Book
Chai Khana Print Book

Saribash: An abandoned beauty in the Caucasus Mountains

Photographer: Ilham Mustafa
02.05.24
Edition: Rural Life

Hidden in the heart of the mountains, the remote village of Saribash is known for its untouched beauty. But neglect has put its future at risk.

The village is located 1800 meters above sea level. Only 50 years ago, life was much livelier with about 200 families living in Saribash. However, since the centrally managed economy started to fall apart in the 1990s, the population has been forced to leave their homes due to unemployment, rising social problems, and crumbling infrastructure.

Today, only eight families—18 people—live in the village. They are bound to the land by the beautiful nature, clean water, fresh air, and the relatives who have been buried here. For this reason, they put up with the challenges and stay.

One of the biggest difficulties for the people living in the village is the road, which is often closed for weeks in the spring and autumn when the Kurmuk River rises. The situation is often equally perilous in the winter, due to avalanches. The rocks pried free from the mountain by the snow tumble onto the road, making it difficult to pass. For this reason, only heavy off-road vehicles and trucks can go to the village.

Despite all these challenges, those who remain in the village do not want the road to be repaired: they worry that once a good road is in place, there will be nothing to stop mass development in the area, ruining the pristine nature with villas and five-star hotels. Instead, they want the government to create jobs in the village so Saribash’s former residents will return.

Saribash is located on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. The river flows from both sides of the mountain where Saribash is located.

To get to the village, you have to cross two rivers with no bridges. When there is a lot of water in the rivers, this road remains closed for days. In winter, heavy snow or avalanches that block the road through the valley also make travel difficult.

Two of the eight families living in the village have UAZ cars, which is the only form of transport linking the Saribash people with the outer world. Cars can only travel on some sections of the ancient streets, which are intended only for pedestrians and horses.

Located in the middle of Yamaj Mountain, colorful roofs and houses with different structures are visible. From a distance, Saribash does not resemble an abandoned and ruined village.

Rutul District in Dagestan is located on the other side of the mountains, 25 kilometers from Saribash. According to villager Zahid Shamilov, during the Soviet era, Rutul was only accessible by helicopter from Dagestan. For this reason, its residents’ only real connection with the world was through Saribash.

Although today Saribash is falling into ruins, it is one of the few villages with a centralized sewage system since ancient times. In the 1950s, the Soviet government built a hydropower station here. According to villager Valeh Osmanov, when there was no electricity in Gakh, the district center, there was electricity in Saribash.

Since Azerbaijan regained its independence, the population began to leave the village en masse.

This light-pink-painted building in the background was once a 24-bed hospital in the village, where many well-known doctors worked. Residents say that doctors even performed open surgeries here. Now the inhabitants keep their cattle and horses in the rooms of the empty building.

64-year-old Valeh Osmanov cannot imagine his life without Saribash. He believes young families do not stay in the village because there are no jobs. "There is no future here. People should either keep cattle or sheep. Even if they are involved in animal husbandry, they cannot sell the product. That's why they don't live here," he says.

Saribash also suffered during the Karabakh war. Two residents of the village lost their lives in the First Karabakh War.

The main source of income for people in the village is cattle breeding. Here, each family keeps at least five cattle.

Mehpare Osmanova is the manager of the House of Culture in the village. She says that the government has prepared the Saribash road project. She even participated in talks about the plans to turn the village into a tourist center with the state representatives who came to the village. She says that despite all the difficulties, she enjoys living in Saribash.

The House of Culture is one of the two workplaces in the village financed from the state budget. It has five employees. The other is the Saribash Hydrometeorological Station, which also has a staff of five.

The House of Culture built in 1954 with a capacity of 200 seats is the most well-maintained state institution in the village. Mehpara Osmanova has worked hard to keep this building functioning. Although there are very few residents left, she still tries to hold events here.

Once upon a time, these school corridors were full of pupils. Ibrahim Akhundov, a village resident, says that when he was studying in high school, there were 42 children in his class and 360 students in the school. The corridors of the school have been empty for eight years.

Zahid Shamilov is the oldest of the 18 residents of Saribash. 85-year-old Shamilov says he stayed because of his wife, who worked as a teacher for many years. As his wife Gullu, who is in poor health, does not want to leave the village, he stays in the village and takes care of her.   

Zahid Shamilov also believes the lack of jobs is what is driving people to abandon the village: "Even if the road is repaired and the bridge is built, no one will return to the village because of the lack of jobs. We do not have a neighbor here. The nearest neighbor is 100 meters away. There is not a single nurse. My wife is sick. I can't find someone to make an injection or to do IV injection. I have to order a cab and take her down [the mountain]. During the Soviet era, a bus operated here. We used to pay just 70 kopecks for a round trip. Now it costs 40-50 manats for one person."

80-year-old Gullu Shamilova worked as a teacher at Saribash school for 45 years. Although her children and grandchildren live in the city, she prefers to stay in the village. However, in this environment, where there is no nurse, she says that they will not stay here next winter. According to her, the state should allocate certain subsidies to the population living here. Shamilova says now the local executive authority gives each family living in Saribash one truck of firewood annually.

Locals call the empty field in front of the village the tala (glade). They protect it as a reserve. Every August, they mow the grass, dry it as winter food for their animals and open the area for general use. Residents consider the tala as the heart of Saribash. “Without the tala, there would be no Saribash,” they say. Facing the glade, there is a statue of a soldier who fought against fascism in World War II.

When the Soviet kolxoz (the collective farm) was operating, the road was cleaned daily by bulldozers. Ever since the 1990s, it has been neglected for months on end.

The bridges built by the villagers with lumber, the traditional method, have not withstood the vagaries of the Kurmuk River. As livestock and sheep breeding incomes decreased, more houses emptied.

49-year-old Elnur Sofiyev graduated from high school in Saribash. He then left the village to study at university and work, but his attachment to the village brought him back. “The most optimal and short-term issue to save Saribash today is to open a boarding school in the village. For instance, establishing SOS children's villages or a 50-child boarding school would mean many jobs here. Buildings already exist in the village. If we can keep ‘the nuclear power’ here today, it will be enough for 20-30-40 houses to light up,” he says.

One-year-old Nazli is the youngest resident of Saribash. Her parents are also the youngest family in the village. However, the family will also have to leave the village in the fall because Nazl's brother is five years old. He should join the pre-school classes that will start in October.

33-year-old Sharafat Akhundova, a member of the youngest family of the village, is originally from the neighboring village of Gakhbash. "Although this place has beauty, it has many difficulties. There is no pharmacy or market. There was no gas. There was no road. When it rains and snows a lot, links with the rest of the region are cut off. For these reasons, I don't want to stay here too long. Also, if I stay here too long, I can lose the future and my children’s chance for an education."

Below the village, the statue of a shepherd stands in the area called "the tip of the glade.” A relic of the 26 Baku Commissars collective farm, it is considered the symbol of Saribash. The collective farm was awarded an Order of Lenin during the USSR. When the socialist system collapsed, the collective farm had 40,000 sheep.

This photo story was prepared with support from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) South Caucasus Regional Office. All opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of FES.

#Azerbaijan #vanishing villages
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