We’ve done it! We’ve come to the end of the year, and what a year it has been. While the ride has been bumpy for all of us, we actually are grateful for growth and progress of CaucasTalk. We want to give a great, big shout out of thanks to you our listeners, Facebook commenters, promoters, friends, and family for helping this podcast exist. It remains, to our knowledge, the only English-language source in the world committed to positive news from the North Caucasus. We ended the year with a...

Was it Bill Cosby who said that kids say the darndest things? This has always been true, and as it is our goal to give our listeners the most unfiltered view of the North Caucasus, what could be better, we thought, than hearing from our own children? Rather than sick all eight of them on you at once, today we interview each of our oldest (and most articulate) offspring. You will hear from their perspective a bit of what life is like in the Caucasus. Of course we think they’re cute, but we’re...

Allow us to take you for a ride today—literally. As of the last month, both your CaucasTalk hosts have become proud car owners. This means we have gained first-hand driving experience in the North Caucasus. And this is no small thing. In fact, it’s incredible. We both feel extremely awesome and are loving the freedom of the road and the wind blowing  through our hair. But the road to driving success was a tortuous one. Today we regale you with tales from our crazy adventures first buying,...

We love to share with our listeners what life is like in the Caucasus today.  But it’s also important to hear what life was like at other times.  Elina, a Russian born and raised in pre-war Grozny, Chechnya, shares with us today what life during her childhood was like.  If you’ve only learned about Chechnya through media outlets, you may be surprised at what you hear!  Today Elina is a psychologist, an artist, a teacher of English and of German in Pyatigorsk.

History was made yet again last Saturday night when Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his undefeated record as the undisputed UFC lightweight champion of the world. He choked out American interim UFC champion Justin Gaethje in the second round to bring his record to 29-0. What followed the fight was as stunning as the fight itself as Khabib fell to his face weeping, and then announced his retirement from UFC fighting right there on the mat in the octagon. We cover all this and more in depth, from...

We give to you one of our most popular episodes ever – Music in the North Caucasus (Episode 13, December 15, 2017). It’s got some of the most listens of any of our shows. Check out the original shownotes: This episode is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. It’s a lump on the tip of the iceberg. It’s snow dusting the lump the tip of the iceberg. You get our point: the topic of “Music in the Caucasus” is deep and wide and, much like the iceberg, much of it remains obscured to us...

The tables are flipped this week: We want YOU to do the talking. It’s Feedback Week here at CaucasTalk and we want to hear from you. Help us direct the future of the podcast. This year has thrown so much into flux and we’ve all had to make changes. CaucasTalk is no exception. We are exploring new trajectories for our project and want to tap our incredible base of loyal listeners for fresh insights and ideas. Please give this short episode a listen, then CLICK BELOW to take our...

While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus, it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk religion with one friend or another. To understand the Caucasus, then, is to talk—and listen, and hear, and think—about religion. Over the next three episodes we will air an extended conversation between the two of us about the many colorful facets of religion in this region. As always, much is based on our experience...

Today’s conversation dwells on the multiplicity of religious influences that entered Dagestan through the ancient city of Derbent, as well as through the Western Caucasus. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all had established presences here at various times and much architecture remains to show it. While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus, it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk...

While religion may be a tender subject to bring up in mixed company in some parts of the world, in the North Caucasus it’s unavoidable. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t talk religion with one friend or another. To understand the Caucasus, then, is to talk—and listen, and hear, and think—about religion. Over the next three episodes we will air an extended conversation between the two of us about the many colorful facets of religion in this region. As always, much is based on our experience...

Got a rumbling in the tummy?  Eyes aching?  Liver flagging?  Lungs languishing?  The North Caucasus region has a solution for you: stinky water.  That’s right, good old fashioned olfactory mineral water bubbling up from the depths just may have what you need to wash your ailments away.  Not only that, a whole cluster of cities is devoted to this very thing. This famous destination, known as the Caucasus Mineral Waters region, has welcomed into its salubrious embrace health-seekers for...

Let’s be honest: some of us like to buy books, but others of us like to actually read them. Today we hear from a true bibliophile and, what shall we say, Kavkazophile—a lover of books and the Caucasus. Ian Tuttle, once an exchange student between Hastings College in Nebraska and Pyatigorsk State University, shares with us his Top 10 books on the North Caucasus, all the way from casual cookbooks up to PhD-tier tomes. But don’t be intimidated, he has some surprises along the way and offerings...

Let’s be honest: some of us like to buy books, but others of us like to actually read them. Today we hear from a true bibliophile and, what shall we say, Kavkazophile—a lover of books and the Caucasus. Ian Tuttle, once an exchange student between Hastings College in Nebraska and Pyatigorsk State University, shares with us his Top 10 books on the North Caucasus, all the way from casual cookbooks up to PhD-tier tomes. But don’t be intimidated, he has some surprises along the way and offerings...

Emre Basok is a Turkish-born Circassian pursuing his PhD in Ohio.  He studies how language supports identity and heritage and has recently turned his interests to his roots. He comes in as the third of our Circassian guest this summer and brings even more depth to the textured and colorful history of the Circassian diaspora.  Emre’s passion for his own heritage but also his genuine concern for linguistic vitality for all peoples comes across loud and clear. Emre’s Article on Linguistic...

David Shawgen is a research fellow and guide at Circassiologia, a museum devoted to the culture, history, and future of the Circassian people. What you might not expect is that this museum is located in Israel. In fact, it is the only museum in the Circassian diaspora. David shares how his people came to exist in Israel—along with Syria, Jordan, and many other places around the globe—and the fascinating dynamics of how he and his family live and coexist with their Arab and Israeli neighbors,...

Do you love driving? Do you love breathtaking vistas? How about a little adventure, a few bumps, and a lot of fun? And would you like all of that on a tour of Dagestan? Then meet Off-Road Camper, Dagestan’s only luxury off-road tour company. They put you behind the wheel of a classic Soviet-style “bukhanka,” but fresh off the assembly line and updated for safety, and send you out the door with your GPS pre-programmed to lead you on a curated route of some of the most beautiful sites in...

Here is the continuation and conclusion of our interview with Circassian cultural champion, YouTube creator, and founder of ELAJ skincare products, Suhein Beck. ——————-Once in a while, you run across a true cultural champion. For the Circassian nation, today’s interview guest Suhein Beck is such a champion. Her nearly nomadic upbringing has produced in her an eclectic range of interests. From media production to skin care products, Beck brings her past to bear on the present remixing...

Once in a while, you run across a true cultural champion. For the Circassian nation, today’s interview guest Suhein Beck is such a champion. Her nearly nomadic past produced in her an eclectic present. From media production to skin care products, Beck brings her heritage to bear on life today, remixing ancient traditions with current trends to share her passion and engage with others. Links for Episode 74 Suhein Beck’s YouTube PageSuhein Interviews Her Mother about Challenges of...

***SEE VIDEOS ON CAUCASTALK WEBSITE***Summer is nearly here, and in the North Caucasus one thing that means is weddings. (Well, usually it does. Not so much these days.)  Lines of white cars decked with flowers and ribbons careening through the city, horns blaring.  Massive gatherings around massive piles of food.  Fiery Lezginka dancing, tons of toasts, sometimes guns fired in the air, always much merriment.  Today we comb through our collective experiences of local wedding to compare and...

Today’s episode comes to you out of the same quarantine many of you our listeners are in. Responses to COVID have varied significantly across the North Caucasus.  Some republics are getting hit much harder than others.  But amid the struggles, we share about good-will relief projects popping up everywhere.  We share about how our local friend are showing care for us.  Plus you’ll hear some humorous ways Russians are coping with the lock-down.  Keep on!  This too shall pass!  And then you all...

Next month marks 75 years since the end of WWII. Its devastating effects touched every corner of Europe, but many are surprised to learn that the North Caucasus are no exception. Nazi forces aimed as far as oil fields in Chechnya in the east to fuel their forces as well as the ports of the Black Sea to the west to land their ships from Crimea. Neither campaign succeeded. Today we remember some of the heroic efforts of Caucasus peoples in defending their fatherland and turning Nazis back from...

***PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING OUR GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT LOCAL CAUCASUS TOUR AGENTS*** https://www.gofundme.com/f/coronavirus-in-the-north-caucasusCheck out the video below: We often find ourselves explaining to people that we are not the only foreigners living here in the North Caucasus, or in Russia, for that matter. Since last year we’ve been corresponding with our now friend, Felix, a writer, traveler, and scholar from the UK who, like may others, has been won...

Whether you live in Dagestan or Denver, Dubai or Des Moines, being a dad takes some special skills and wisdom. Andrew and Eli combine their collective years of experience “dadding” to bring you insider tips and tricks needed for sparkling success parenting in the North Caucasus. As with the rest of everyday life, the mundane proves yet again to be a doorway into the region’s heart and soul. Links for Episode 69:

Just when you thought daily life couldn’t get more interesting—we bring you our fourth installment of “A Day in the Caucasus Life.” It’s a truism that you can’t see what you can’t see—that is, until you look. This couldn’t be truer of culture. So much is hidden in plain sight, if we’ll only have the eyes to see it… or in this case the ears to hear. Today we tease apart some of the most common phrases you hear everyday across the Caucasus and look for what may be hidden within. Don’t miss a...

One thing we love about living in the North Caucasus is meeting other foreigners connected to the region. Most who we meet have real passion and interest in this place and its peoples. Today we talk with one man with unusually strong commitment for Dagestan. Tahseen is the founder of Rise ’N Glide, the first-ever year-round jiujitsu training camp based in Dagestan but for foreigners. He brings groups over to tour and train and get a taste of a life he has come to love. His story is unique and...