It is said that not only individuals but also places change with time. But some people and places do not come out of this time frame.
One such place is called Abkhazia.
You may not have heard the name. Some may have heard the name, but they may not have been here. The region lies between the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountain ranges to the east of Europe.
In the 1990s, Abkhazia declared itself an independent country. But few countries in the world have recognized the region as a single country. It is a country that the world does not know, whose independent existence is not recognized
The Soviet Union began to disintegrate in the late 1980s. Around the same time, Abkhazia began to secede from Georgia. Georgia wanted to secede from the Soviet Union, while Abkhazia wanted to secede from Georgia.
The province of Abkhazia has been part of the Soviet Union's Georgia since the 1930s. But he had a lot of autonomy.
But before that, Abkhazia was an independent province.
Georgia declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and Abkhazians feared its autonomy would end.
This led to tensions and in 1992 civil strife broke out. Georgia's military initially took the lead and drove Abkhazian rebels out of the capital, Sukhumi.
But the rebels again used all their strength to counter the Georgian army. Thousands were killed in the war.
More than two million people of Georgian descent had to flee Abkhazia. For this, the Russian army had also helped the rebels in Abkhazia.
Abkhazia has been popular with tourists since the days of the Soviet Union. Being a mild summer and winter, many preferred to go here for sightseeing. But in the 1990s, the civil war broke out and tourists stopped coming. Now that Georgia's troops have withdrawn, hotels and restaurants are deserted.
Famous photographer Stefano Mazno visited this country many times and took photos of it.
"In fact, the Russian army still controls the border with Abkhazia, but it was not difficult to get there and take photos. It is an independent country in name only. In fact, Abkhazia is a puppet of Russia," says Stefano.
Since a minor war with Georgia in 2008, Russia has used Abkhazia to attack Georgia. Abkhazia and Russia have good relations. Abkhazia is dependent on aid from Russia.
"Russia controls not only Abkhazia's borders. Russia has also taken over Abkhazia's social and political system. Russia's control over the real estate sector is also increasing. The advantage of Abkhazia is that it will continue to receive aid from Russia," Stefano said.
Russia, Nicaragua, Syria, Nauru and Venezuela are the only five countries that have so far recognized Abkhazia.
Hard to get a taxi
Stefano says renting a taxi in Abkhazia is a big challenge. You have to rely on government buses for travel. Stefano says that it feels like time has passed back through the time machine.
But the funny thing is that the bus stations here are also from the Soviet era. The war has been raging since the 1990s. Russia's currency - the ruble - is also used in Abkhazia. Russia controls most of the country's assets.
Abkhazia does not even have its own parliament. The old parliament building in the capital Sukhumi has been demolished. The main railway station in the nearby city is similarly deserted.
Although it is very difficult to take photos of government buildings here, there is no problem in taking photos of people, says Stefano. The situation there is such that the technology for developing photos is not even available there.
There was a time when about two million people came to Abkhazia every year. Tourists from all over the world used to come here. Now only people from Russia come here to roam.
Neighboring Georgia has enacted a law banning entry into the country. About 25 percent of Abkhazia's population was of Georgian descent. But all of them fled, and now Abkhazia is golden.
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