Dagestan – Land über den Wolken

King Solomon was buried seven times and repeatedly reburied by angels. According to legend, he found his final resting place in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan. He is buried on Salbuz-dag, a mountain over 4,000 meters high that has been considered sacred by all Dagestanians ever since - Christians, Jews and Muslims, all of whom revere the king from the Old Testament in equal measure. The path to the top, they believe, purifies man from evil. In the North Caucasus region of Dagestan, the land of mountains, lies the highest village in Europe. Where housewives elsewhere sweep the dust from the good room, here it is the clouds. Just under 800 souls currently feel strong enough to live at this altitude and in such isolation. Opposite the village lies the mountain Salbuz-dag - the king of ice. Sacred since ancient times, it is still a place of pilgrimage. Ashab Magomadov also wants to conquer the mountain. He is the director of a village school and has been an enthusiastic mountaineer for twenty years. When he climbs Salbuz-dag with a few friends, he fulfills a wish in his heart. He and his companions come from different villages in the region, and each has his own reason for the climb. Their path leads past the highest village in Europe, and then they begin their arduous undertaking: The mountaintop is still covered with snow, even in August, and suddenly dense fog prevents visibility. To the right, the rock rises more than 100 meters vertically; to the left, an equally steep abyss lurks. In the thin high-altitude air, the men make only slow progress.