Bereaved relatives at Beslan's School No.1 this morning marked the first anniversary of the start of a hostage siege that ended two days later with the deaths of 331 people.
In the school's sports hall, where many of the victims died in a gun battle and series of explosions, women pressed their foreheads against photographs of their dead children that hung in rows on the walls.
In some places, several photographs carrying the same surname hung next to each other - a sign that a whole family had been wiped out.
Officials feared the Chechen militants who seized the school would try to mark the anniversary with another attack, and there was tight security, with metal detectors at the entrance to the school and a heavy police presence.
In Beslan, Klara Gasinova had brought her granddaughter, 18-month-old Alyona, to the sports hall to show the child a photo of her mother, Fatima, and sister Kristina. Both were killed, and Alyona was rescued from the school in the arms of a soldier.
In the rest of Russia children were arriving for the September 1st start of the academic year - the date had been pushed back in Beslan - watched by police patrols and, once inside, observed a minute's silence for the Beslan victims.
Exactly a year ago, more than 1,000 parents and children had arrived at school No. 1, many carrying flowers for their teachers, a tradition on the first day of term.
But they were greeted by heavily armed gunmen who held them for three days, killing many of the male hostages and withholding drinking water, forcing children to drink urine.
In a bloody climax on September 3rd, an explosion in the sports hall prompted security forces to storm the school. Hundreds died in the ensuing firefight.
Some relatives say many victims died because officials botched the rescue operation. They say they will take their grievances to Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet him in the Kremlin on Friday.