Ivanovka village, Azerbaijan

This is a little portrait of a place that fascinated me while I was based in Azerbaijan. Picturesquely located in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains of northern Azerbaijan, the rural village of Ivanovka was founded in 1837 by a band of exiled Russian Molokans – a spiritual Christian sect banished from Russia proper by the tsarist authorities for their perceived heretical views. And it felt like a time capsule when I first stumbled upon it in 2015, possessing its own distinctive ambiance, culture and traditions. While it was still inhabited by many descendants of the Molokans, many of the young were leaving to study and live in Russia, so much change was under way. I took these photos during repeated visits over a period of about 5 years.