The road to Bamut: At least among Chechens, Bamut became one of the legends of resistance during the First Chechen War. In a dramatic flourish, the rebel leader Dzhokhar Dudayev even officially renamed it “Fortress Bamut”. And for a while, as its 1,300 houses and other buildings were being continuously rocketed, bombed and mortared, the … Continue reading
This is the first view one gets of Jibla when approaching the city: Entering Jibla: The city sprawls over a hill and so to move around the city, one is almost always moving up or down a slope: Since the entrance to the city is at the bottom, one starts out by working their way … Continue reading
Below is the checkpoint from North Ossetia into Ingushetia… Actually, this is just a sliver of it, but security is extremely tight here and I had to exercise a significant amount of discretion just to get the rough picture below. Security is tight because in the minds of Russians, this marks a transition between friendly … Continue reading
It may surprise some of my dear readers to learn that there exists a thread connecting Qatar back to the North Caucasus (which will be the focus of a number of upcoming posts). That thread is in the form of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, the second president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. It appears the FSB … Continue reading
This complex in Nazran, Ingushetia was opened in 1998 as a memorial to the Ingush and Chechen victims of Stalin’s brutality: The circle of pillars and arches ringing the interior of the memorial complex add a dramatic element and at the base of the structure are plaques honoring prominent Ingush – military heroes from different … Continue reading
A first view of the city of Ibb from a distance… Ibb is at an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet and the surrounding mountains ensure ample rainfall for the region, making this one of the greenest areas in Yemen: Interestingly (and coincidentally), the route we followed on the first days of our visit to Yemen … Continue reading
The process of raising bees and selling honey in Yemen is a little different (but most things are a little different in Yemen). Unlike everywhere else I am familiar with, where the bees are taken to the flowers, in Yemen, the flowers are taken to the bees. And the bees will be located next to … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 