THIS is the chilling tale of the “world’s loneliest man” who lives in an abandoned village on a mountain with just a horse to give him company.
Irakli Khvedaguridze, 84, is now the only resident left in the remote village of Bochorma, situated 7,694ft above the ground in Georgia – the highest settlement in Europe.
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Throughout the year, Irakli lives alone in the mountainous region of Tusheti – even during the harsh winters when the temperature falls below freezing.
Inside his humble farmhouse is just a wooden stove which keeps burning to bear the brutal weather.
Irakli – who was born in the same village – only left his village on two occasions, when he went to study and when he took up a job in another part of the country.
But the old man now remains full-time in the remote village – and only has his loyal horse for some warm company.
While he admits living alone in such harsh conditions is quite challenging, he revealed a strong sense of duty and ethics motivates him to live his life.
Irakli is the only certified and licensed doctor in the entire region of Tusheti, which covers some 380 square miles of area in Georgia.
The veteran doctor revealed he lives a tough and lonely life only so he could help other people in the region in cases of medical emergencies.
The kind man, who was recently documented by filmmakers Yes Theory, said: “You have to think about the well-being of others as well.
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“I go to help people who are ill. Even when I am ill myself, I still put my hat on and get on that horse.”
Irakli used to work at another hospital, but when the previous doctor serving Bochorna and the Tusheti region left in 1979, he made his mission to come back and save lives.
For thousands of years, Tusheti had been inhabited by local farmers who raised cattle including sheep to sustain their lives.
But with the eventual decline of the tradition, most of the people left the remote vastness of the region to look for other jobs – and settled elsewhere.
Out of the 50 villages that make up the picturesque region of Tusheti, only 10 are sparsely populated.
Even in those villages, most of the communities have one or two full-time residents left who still continue to live a lonely life, just like Irakl.
And when peak winters hit the area around late September, the little remaining people also pack their stuff and leave to find better weather conditions.
However, Irakli says it is his job to stay there and attend to medical emergencies, including those of tourists who come to visit the scenic mountains.
Speaking about the hardest part of the job, Irakli said: “When you have a really ill patient, you want to help but you can’t.
“I’ve had a few cases like that. A 14-year-old boy’s palm was cut in the middle – there was blood everywhere, pouring like a fountain from the artery.
“We were holding his palm very tightly so it would stop bleeding and thank God, Shamila the pilot flew right away and took the kid.
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“It was really critical for me when you want to help a dying kid but you can’t.”
It is not clear if there are any more doctors left in the region who could take up the job Irakli’s job, but he says he wants to continue serving people till he can.
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