Witness a Dagestan ‘rarely given air time on the news’ Photographer Luke Duggleby discovers a republic ‘finally at peace’

Earlier this year, British-born photographer Luke Duggleby traveled to the Russian Republic of Dagestan, where he found what he says is "one of Russia’s untouched treasures." Showed around by a local wedding photographer named Shamil Gadzhidadaev from Makhachkala, Duggleby photographed towns, beaches, weddings, and other attractions in Dagestan. A camera crew headed by Nariman Gafurov, an artist with the European Event Videographers Association, also followed him around, later releasing a short film about Duggleby's trip.

Gafurov's video of Duggleby traveling through Dagestan is presented as part of a project called "Open Dagestan: The Land of Mountains." In an article published on Maptia.com, Duggleby wrote his own glowing review of the republic, titled "Dagestan: The Land of Mountains." In the text, he celebrates the region's natural beauty and the locals' generosity, saying ideas about a lack of public security in Dagestan are inaccurate.

"At first I was unsure," Duggleby writes. "Stories on the Internet told of a dangerous extremist movement, and working out the logistics seemed impossible. I needed help. Luckily for me the people of Dagestan are very passionate about their homeland and will do anything to share it with curious visitors."

Duggleby says he was granted access to "a Dagestan rarely given air time on the news," saying "out-dated news websites" are responsible for misinforming the public about Dagestan, and keeping tourism artificially low. 

Duggleby also suggests that Moscow could be doing more to help develop Dagestan, writing, "It seems that the Russian government pumps large sums of money into other areas of Russia to help develop them as tourist destinations, but so far Dagestan has missed out." (He does note, however, that Moscow "sends large amounts of funding" to help train fighters in Dagestan, to sustain the republic's wrestling traditions.)

The video of Duggleby's visit to Dagestan is available on YouTube, where it has attracted more than 2,100 views since being published yesterday, on September 24, 2015.