Pictures: See What Life Is Like for Refugees Above the Arctic Circle
Published 31 Oct 2017, 14:11 GMT, Updated 16 Nov 2017, 10:54 GMT
Because of the lack of sunlight during the day, the Muslim refugees at the resort have had to figure out another system for their daily prayers, which are usually based on the sun’s position in the sky.
Of the 600 refugees staying at the resort, 100 are children. Here, a little boy plays in the snow during the few hours of brightness; the sun never rises above the horizon in January.
Markzie Tavasoly, 28, from Afghanistan is taking a class to learn English.
What is, under normal circumstances, a nightclub at the hotel has been transformed into a small indoor soccer field.
Many of the kids staying at Riksgränsen have never played in snow before.
Mustafa Dagher, 37, holds his child, Nuha, who suffers from chickenpox. Several of the kids have caught the virus.
Masome Hasani, seen here brushing her teeth, came with her family from Afghanistan to Riksgränsen. Her mother stands behind her.
Most of the refugees come from areas more populated than Riksgränsen. They say the quiet isolation can be difficult at times. Each day, a bus makes a trip to the closest town, Kiruna. It’s 90 minutes from the resort.
Peter Nilsson started working at Riksgränsen in the summer of 2015. Here, he checks IDs, a procedure that ensures people stick to their own rooms and that there are no uninvited guests.
Kiruna, 90 minutes from Riksgränsen, is the closest town to the resort. There’s a daily bus that takes refugees there, where there is a bit more activity. Some 20,000 people live in Kiruna.
The refugees get money from the Swedish government to buy winter clothes, but some of the men choose to buy cigarettes instead.
The only business in Riksgränsen besides ski tourism is herding reindeer, which is controlled by the indigenous Sami people.
The staff at Riksgränsen arranged a traditional Swedish celebration for St. Lucy Day. They improvised and used a robe from the spa.