Julien Pebrel - Abkhazia — Julien Pebrel

Abkhazia

Photos : Julien Pebrel / Myop || Text available by Anaïs Coignac

The Sukhum(i) beach

The parade rehearsal of twenty years of Abkhazia's independence take place in front of the former parliament of Sukhum(i) which was occupied and burnt by Georgians during the war.

A man walk in front of the Sukhum(i) train station which is under renovation.

A soldier before the commemoration of the 5th year of the recognition of Abkhazia by Russia.

Two young girls along the seaside in Sukhum(i). They are celebrating the last day of school.

A young boy on a bouncy castle on Sukhum(i) Beach.

Kids playing at a shooting game on Sukhum(i) Beach.

A statue of Lenine in the hall of the Amra Hotel in Gagra.

The facade of the famous Hotel Abkhazia, under renovation.

The Black Sea in Sukhum(i)

Sukhum(i) beach in the late afternoon.

A wrestler in Gudauta. Wrestling is the national sport of Abkhazs.

New Athos Monastery, one of the great tourist attractions in Abkhazia.

The wife of an ex-minister in her house of Sukhum(i)

A detail of an old photo of a traditional Abkhaz family.

Students of a military school, during the parade rehearsal of the commemoration of the twenty years of Abkhazia independence.

A Georgian from Abkhazia who fought against the Abkhazs during the war. He's an ex-dancer, and he's now a refugee living in Rustavi in Tblissi suburb.

Picture of a soldier, a georgian from Abkhazia, in the apartment of his father who lives now in Rustavi, a city in Tbilissi suburb. He died during the fight against the Abkhazs during the war between Abkhazia and Georgia.

A Georgian from Abkhazia. She was a refuge in Tblissi and has been moved to Rustavi, a city in Tbilissi suburb.

An Abkhaz senior in Sukhum(i) Beach.

A Russian tourist takes a bath with sulfurous water in a sanitarium in Gagra.

Bathes in a sanatorium in Gagra.

On the beach in Gagra. A boat comes take the tourists for an hour trip. The boat's captain was working on large fishing vessels in the past. Today, he renovated this boat and works for tourists.

A lioness in Gagra which was bought for a zoo.

Tourists on the Sukhum(i) Beach.

A former sports complex which was used as training center for the athletes of USSR, in suburb of Sukhum(i) near Samvel's house.

A wall of a former sports complex which was used as a training center for the athletes of USSR, in suburb of Sukhum(i) near Samvel's house.

The pool of a former sports complex which was used as training center for the athletes of USSR, in suburb of Sukhumi near Samvel's house.

At the Sukhum(i) mosque.

Evening in Sukhum(i). Men meet and play draughts, chess and backgammon in this little square.

A lake in New Athos

Tourists take photos in Sukhum(i) along the seaside.

Samvel, an Armenian who lives in Sukhumi, cuts a watermelon in his garden where he grows mandarins.

Above the New Athos Monastery. The Russian tourists take photos in front of a former train station, closed down since the war.

Inside a hote in Sukhum(i)

A wedding guest.

Along the seaside in Sukhum(i)

Located in the northwest of Georgia, at the foot of the Greater Caucasus, Abkhazia is a territory of uncertain status. Officially part of Georgia, it seceded by force in 1992 and today, it is "de facto" an independent territory, with the full support of Russia which has recognized its independence in 2008 and without which it could not live.