Meet The Residents Of The Samaxi Boarding House

Photographers Abbas Atilay and Ahmed Mukhtar twice visited the Azerbaijani city of Samaxi -- in May and September 2011 -- to visit the residents of a state boarding house for people with mental disorders.

More than 100 people live at the boarding house, some 100 kilometers west of Baku.

Some of them are former teachers, poets, doctors, and members of the military.

The boarding house is financed by the Azerbaijani government, but various charities and NGOs also contribute support for the patients there.

The photographers say the patients appear well-cared for and seem to be satisfied with their situation.

Nevertheless, the photographers say they hope their project will bring more public attention to the boarding house and the plight of the mentally ill throughout Azerbaijan.