Although sporting a big beard and often a gown, he tried to avoid the conventional image of a grim-faced Islamist.

ECONOMIST: Abdelkader Hachani

Brother Gerasimi Otarashvili has a big chestnutcoloured beard, a black robe and a slightly incongruous mobile phone, which he puts to one side as he pours me a glass of the 2009 rkatsiteli.

BBC: Discovering wine in Georgia

He was an older man with a silver beard, a monumental, red-veined nose, and a big, thick wool overcoat.

NPR: 'Operation Homecoming': The Writings of War