New Year’s is the main winter holiday in the post-Soviet world, after the communists took Christmas customs and melded them into the more secular January 1. But Georgia’s mekvle tradition long predates this shift.
Corruption fighting when convenient, thawing ties with Russia, and the region’s highest levels of child mortality: This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan bulletin.
The restoration has sparked arguments about whether the mosque should be considered “Persian” or “Azerbaijani,” and some locals question whether the Armenian-controlled territory should be rebuilding its mosques at all.
A new budget light on details, the president’s son plays architect, and critical heating infrastructure remains ignored. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.
The Oscar-nominated “And Then We Danced” faced violent opposition from far right groups, and police were forced to guard theaters throughout the weekend.
A doctor comes out of the closet and disappears, fanciful banking, panic at the Agriculture Ministry. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan bulletin.
From openhanded hospitality to fierce blood feuds, centuries-old customs are fading in Svaneti as the remote Caucasus highland becomes a trendy tourism destination.
