Four generations of women walk up valley after school has let out for the day.

Tea service sits at the right of the frame as a father and son take a break from welcoming me into their home to be photographed.

An uncle sits with his niece and nephew outside the family's small homestay, one of a few in this tiny village that was only connected to the outside world with a road about a dozen years ago.

I never imagined a neighborhood volleyball court like this when I was a kid.

More volleyball action!

The love between friends and family in Ravmed Village is palpalbe and you can just about feel it through the photograph.

Some dance alone as well.

Men, women and children all crowd into the Pamiri house to celebrate the wedding in the central portion of the home beneath the chorkhona and rauzan above.

Dancing is a central part of Pamiri weddings. The traditional architecture of the Pamiri home can be seen above the man.

Some spectators choose to watch the celebration from above.

People call on one another to dance in the center of the home during the festivities. Men dance with women and men and vice versa. Everyone dance together in celebration of the bride and groom and all visitors who happen upon the wedding are welcome-- including me.

My principal guide to Ravmed Village and the Ismaili Culture of the Pamirs is none other than 'the King of Friendship,' the literal translation of Vafobak's name. I learn many things from my new friend during my time here.

My new friend and guide Vafobak stands proudly in front of his family's home, constructed of mud, stone and straw.

Standing amidst the housewares of her home and kitchen, a woman offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a villager in Ravmed.

A young girl sits in her family's home at 3,000 meters elevation in Ravmed Village, GBAO, Tajikistan.

Vafobak pats his calf affectionately as the shadows grow long and the day move towards evening.

A man plays a traditional Pamiri rubab one evening at a homestay in the village.

Veterinarian Rajabali Muffazar hails from Tajikistan's capital city of Dushanbe. He is on his way up to Ravmed village to carry on research with friend and fellow veterinarian Sulaimon Nazrullozoda as part of a nationwide project that will help residents get a better understanding of what diseases their animals are susceptible to and how to treat them.

Veterinarian Sulaimon Nazrullozoda organizes paperwork at a small homestay in Ravmed Village, high in the Pamirs of Tajikistan. Nazrullozoda is traveling around the country conducting research with friend and fellow veterinarian Rajabali Muffazar as part of a nationwide project that will help residents get a better understanding of what diseases their animals are susceptible to and how to treat them.

Veterinarians Sulaimon Nazrullozoda and Rajabali Muffazar stand outside the 4x4 that carries us down the mountain from Ravmed Village and back to the primary Bhartang Valley road which they will take westward and towards their faraway home of Dushanbe, some 20 or so hours drive away.