Kurdish men performing a national dance. The dance is extremely long, lasting up to half-an-hour with repeating motives and lyrics finally bringing people to complete entrancement

Little girls and a boy on their way from Muslim school. Sometimes even little girls need to put on hair covers

Typical Kurdish houses

A little girl welcoming tourists to ruins of Varagavank Armenian monastery, located in the village where she lives

Streets of local cities are narrow, dirty and full of either small shops or tea houses

Another tea house with totally male visitors drinking tea. European tradition to call eastern coffee "Turkish coffee" is strange for citizens of Turkey: coffee is rarely used here

Roads in most of the villages were never covered with asphalt

A village at Van lake shore. Locals rarely swim. The water is generally used for agricultural purposes and for wool washing

Local children know only two words for tourists: "Hello" and "Money", with the second one being repeated till you treat every single child with coins

Inhabitants of Mush city. 20 meters away from this place is Armenian St. May church

One of Mush city districts. A woman urges the little girl run home and put on her hair cover

Village says goodbye to the visitors

Mush valley and beginning of Sasoun mountains - Homeland of Armenian epic heroes

Mush valley and beginning of Sasoun mountains - Homeland of Armenian epic heroes

Father and son

Girls like to be photographed, while elderly women generally refuse. One of them once explained that they should be paid first

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Girls like to be photographed, while elderly women generally refuse. One of them once explained that they should be paid first

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Children study ancient Armenian cross-stone, preserved by the locals. Thousands of Armenian cross-stones were destroyed along with hundreds of Armenian churches in Western Armenia since the period of Armenian extermination

Little boys and girls pose separately

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Armenian children surprised by unexpected visitors. Houses are tiny, and although beton and bricks are used today, clay houses are most common

Agriculture and animal breeding are the main sources of income for the locals.

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Both Armenian and Kurdish women cover their hair and face according to Muslim tradition

An Armenian man with his wife in a Kurdish village. Most of Armenians hid their Armenian origin for almost a century, keeping family stories of relatives massacred during the Armenian Genocide. There are cases when Armenians of the region secretly convert

Dwellers of a Kurdish village gather up for a holiday

Looks of kids vary a lot. Dark haired, dark skinned and completely blonde children can be met in one family

A boy on the roof of a Kurdish village in Mush valley. Conversations about ethnicity were prohibited some ten years ago. Currently people proudly speak about their Kurdish and even Armenian origins

Smoke from car on the road up the hill, where a Kurdish village is located

A man with one leg in Mush valley. He earns his living asking for money from people, who have rest near the river and his house on their road to Mush

Western Armenia. Lost Motherland, Armenians and Kurds of Van Lake area

Men in Horasan tea house

A boy earning money arranging shoes of prayers left at mosque entrance