Families pack their lives into tents during their transhumance, the seasonal migration of livestock, and the people who tend them, between lowlands and adjacent mountains.

Qafqaz, 59, is an experienced shepherd. A native of Dmanisi, he is a respected tamada, a traditional toastmaster that across the Caucasus entertains guests at weddings and other celebrations from the start till the very end.

Qafqaz learnt to ride as a child and grew up among these highlands.

As the sun rests behind the cliffs, the sheep gather and return towards the camp. The shepherds count them — their flock is their everything.

Flocks can amount to hundreds of animals, in order to check which sheep belong to who, the shepherds mark them with different colors.

Shepherd dogs are herders’ best friends, as they help them to keep the flock in order and defend it from the wolves.

Qafqaz’s mother is the oldest person in the settlement. At 97 she still follows the family and the flock in their seasonal journey and is the oldest woman in the settlement by the village of Kvemo-Karabulakhi.

At the end of the summer herders shear the sheep. The shearing takes place in the mountains, then the wool is sold to a dealer who takes them to Marneuli, Georgia’s largest city with an Azerbaijani majority.

Shepherds erect their tents near the best pastures, for months they live closer to the sky then to civilization.

Shepherds live off what nature can offer them. Meat is cooked and eaten right after the animal is slaughtered, as there is no refrigerator to preserve food.

Guests are sacred among these mountains. Regardless of the circumstances, shepherds always welcome a visitor and slaughter a sheep to welcome them.

Herders master the skill of slaughter.

Allahverdi is in the 5th grade and spent the school summer holidays here with his family.

Children assist their parents in basic chores around the tents and help them look after the animals.

Sheep and cows provide daily dairy products

Children adapt to the life in the pastures from an early age.

Injured and sick sheep are separated from the rest of the flock.

Families dry their clothes on dry beds and wash them in nearby springs.

Donkeys are essential for carrying things — up on the pastures they mainly bear large cans of water from the spring to the tents.