The village was known as Verin Zaghalu until 1978, which was rendered "Verkhniy Zagalu" in Russian.
Economy
Most of the villagersplant and sell potatoes. The village is also well known for its locally produced honey. The villagers also regularly sell their cheese and butter.
Currently, the road leading to the village is very limited and hard to access. During the winter, the snow blocks the road for the majority of the months. US AmbassadorJohn Heffern visited the village in the summer of 2014 and promoted the road construction. The village mayor as well as the regional director promised that the road should be renovated by 2016.