Let’s get a few more glimpses of how life is in the mountains for the Pomaks.

As I mentioned earlier, unlike the Christian Orthodox Greeks, the Pomaks are strictly Muslim. You can see a few mosques dotted in the mountains, and you can certainly hear the calls to prayer echoed via loudspeakers several times a day. So there’s no excuse not to pray, even if you’re away from the village tending your goats.

Spring is a time to plough the fields and plant seeds for the coming year. There was plenty of evidence of agriculture in the mountains.

Even though it’s less than 50km as the crow flies from the nearest city, the winding and precipitous roads make the region quite remote. Most Greeks have never visited this area, and up until 20 years ago, outsiders weren’t even allowed to enter, and that makes the Rodophes even more unworldly.