Who are Tajiks and where did they come from? Why Tajiks consider themselves “true Aryans” What is the faith of Tajiks
Of which 259 are cathedral. 19 madrasahs (Muslim religious and educational institutions) are officially registered and operating.
Christianity in Tajikistan
There are 85 non-Muslim religious associations registered in Tajikistan. Among them, the bulk are Christians (including Orthodox).
The Dushanbe diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church operates on the territory of Tajikistan. Cathedral Church - Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Dushanbe).
The community of Jehovah's Witnesses, which appeared in 1997, is in an illegal situation.
Other religious minorities
There is also a Baha'i community, a Zoroastrian and a Jewish community registered in the country.
Most representatives of non-Muslim faiths live in Dushanbe.
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An excerpt characterizing Religion in Tajikistan
Therefore, in order to at least occupy myself with something and not think about gifts, I began to compile a “holiday menu”, which my grandmother allowed me to choose at my own discretion this year. But, I must honestly say, this was not the easiest task, since the grandmother could create real culinary miracles and choosing from such an “abundance” was not so easy, and even more so, catching the grandmother doing something impossible was In general, the matter is almost hopeless. Even the most fastidious gourmets, I think, would find something to enjoy at her place! for the first time it was allowed to invite so many guests. Grandma took all this very seriously, and we sat with her for about an hour, discussing what special thing she could “spell” for me. Now, of course, I understand that she just wanted to please me and show that what is important to me is just as important to her. This was always very pleasant and helped me feel needed and to some extent even “significant”, as if I were an adult, mature person who meant a lot to her. I think it is very important for each of us (children) that someone truly believes in us, since we all need to maintain our self-confidence in this fragile and highly “fluctuating” time of childhood maturation, which is already almost always reveals a violent inferiority complex and extreme risk in everything we try to prove our human worth. Grandmother understood this perfectly, and her friendly attitude always helped me to continue my “crazy” search for myself without fear in any life circumstances that came my way.Having finally finished preparing my “birthday table” with my grandmother, I went in search of my dad, who had a day off and who (I was almost sure of this) was somewhere in “his corner,” doing his favorite pastime. ..
As I thought, sitting comfortably on the sofa, dad was calmly reading some very old book, one of those that I was not yet allowed to take, and which, as I understood, I had not yet grown up to read. The gray cat Grishka, curled up in a warm ball on daddy’s lap, was squinting his eyes contentedly from the excess of feelings overwhelming him, purring with inspiration for the whole “cat orchestra”... I sat down next to daddy on the edge of the sofa, as I did very often, and quietly began to observe the expression his face... He was somewhere far away, in the world of his thoughts and dreams, following a thread that the author apparently very enthusiastically wove, and at the same time, he was probably already arranging the information he received according to the shelves of his “logical thinking” so that you can then pass it through your understanding and perception, and send the finished product to your huge “mental archive”...
- Well, what do we have there? – Dad asked quietly, patting me on the head.
– And our teacher said today that there is no soul at all, and all the talk about it is just an invention of priests in order to “undermine the happy psyche of the Soviet person”... Why are they lying to us, dad? – I blurted out in one breath.
“Because this whole world in which we live here is built precisely on lies...” the father answered very calmly. – Even the word – SOUL – is gradually going out of circulation. Or rather, they “leave” him... Look, they used to say: soul-stirring, heart-to-heart, heartbreaking, heartbreaking, soul-opening, open the soul, etc. And now it is being replaced - painful, friendly, padded jacket, responsive, need... Soon there will be no soul left in the Russian language... And the language itself has become different - stingy, faceless, dead... I know, you didn’t notice, Svetlenkaya ,” Dad smiled affectionately. “But this is only because you were already born with him as he is today... And before he was unusually bright, beautiful, rich!.. Truly sincere... Now sometimes I don’t even want to write,” Dad fell silent for a few seconds, thinking about something of his own, and then added indignantly. – How can I express my “I” if they send me a list (!) of which words can be used and which are a “relic of the bourgeois system”... Savagery...
Brief information
Of course, Tajikistan is not such a large tourism center as, for example, Türkiye. However, this does not mean that Tajikistan has nothing to surprise foreigners. Tourists are attracted to this country by high mountains (Pamir, Tien Shan), beautiful nature, medieval cities, sights, as well as ancient traditions and customs, which have been preserved intact in secluded corners since ancient times. The descendants of the soldiers of the army of Alexander the Great, who long ago conquered this country, still live in the mountains of Tajikistan. As we see, tourists in Tajikistan have a great opportunity to get acquainted with ancient history.
Geography
Tajikistan is located in Central Asia. Tajikistan borders on China in the east, Kyrgyzstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the west, and Afghanistan in the south. This country is landlocked. The total area of Tajikistan is 143,100 square meters. km., and the total length of the state border is 3,651 km.
Almost the entire territory of Tajikistan is occupied by mountains. Moreover, more than 50% of the country is located at an altitude of over 3 thousand meters above sea level. Only about 7% of Tajikistan are small valleys (for example, in the north of the country part of the Fergana Valley). The highest peak in Tajikistan is Ismoil Samoni Peak, whose height reaches 7,495 m.
The largest rivers in Tajikistan are the Syr Darya in the north of the country, the Amu Darya, Zarafshan and Pyanj. This Central Asian country has several beautiful lakes. The largest of them is the freshwater lake Karakul, whose area is 380 square meters. km.
Capital of Tajikistan
The capital of Tajikistan is Dushanbe, which is now home to more than 750 thousand people. According to archaeologists, an urban settlement on the territory of modern Dushanbe existed already in the 3rd century BC.
Official language
In Tajikistan, the official language is Tajik, and Russian has the status of a language of interethnic communication.
Religion
About 98% of the population of Tajikistan profess Islam (95% are Sunni and the remaining 3% are Shia).
State structure
According to the current Constitution of 1994, Tajikistan is a parliamentary republic headed by the President.
The bicameral parliament in Tajikistan is called the Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan, it consists of the House of Representatives (63 deputies) and the National Council (33 people).
The main political parties in Tajikistan are the People's Democratic Party, the Communist Party of Tajikistan, the Socialist Party and the Agrarian Party.
Climate and weather
The climate in Tajikistan is varied - sharply continental, subtropical (in the southwest of the country) and semi-desert, arid. In summer the air temperature is +30-40C, and in winter - -8-10C. Half of the territory of Tajikistan is occupied by the highest mountains in Central Asia - the Pamirs. There is a lot of snow falling in the mountains of Tajikistan. The average annual precipitation in Tajikistan varies depending on the region from 700 mm to 1600 mm per year.
The best time for hiking in the mountains of Tajikistan is summer. Winter in Tajikistan is usually mild, but the passes are closed due to snowfall.
In turn, the best time to visit lowland Tajikistan is spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November).
Rivers and lakes
Tajikistan is the smallest country in Central Asia, and most of its territory (more than 90%) is mountainous. However, Tajikistan has almost 950 rivers and a large number of lakes. The largest rivers are the Syrdarya in the north of the country, the Amu Darya, Zarafshan and Pyanj, and among the lakes the freshwater Karakul Lake and Sarez Lake in the Pamirs should be highlighted.
Story
People on the territory of modern Tajikistan, according to archaeologists, lived already in the Stone Age. The central, southern and eastern parts of modern Tajikistan in ancient times were part of the slave state of Bactria, and the areas north of the Gissar range belonged to the slave state of Sogd.
Later, these lands were conquered by Alexander the Great and his Greeks, then they became part of the Seleucid state. And this is only a small part of the states that included modern Tajikistan. After all, Tajikistan was still conquered by the Kushan kingdom, the Turkic Khaganate, the Karakhanid state, the Tatar-Mongol empire, and the Sheibanid state. In 1868, Tajikistan was annexed to the Russian Empire.
After the revolution of 1917 in Russia, the Tajik ASSR was formed on the territory of Tajikistan as part of the Uzbek SSR. In 1929, the Tajik ASSR was transformed into one of the republics of the Soviet Union.
It was only in 1991 that Tajikistan declared its independence.
Culture
Tajiks sacredly honor their national traditions and pass them on from generation to generation. Until now, Tajiks (especially in villages) wear national clothes. Men prefer embroidered robes and headdresses, while women prefer embroidered dresses with trousers and headscarves. According to tradition, girls should have 40 braids.
Tajiks celebrate all Muslim religious holidays, as well as two public holidays - Independence Day (September 9) and Remembrance Day (February 12).
Kitchen
Tajiks are rightfully proud of their national cuisine. Of course, Tajik cuisine is similar to the cuisine of other Central Asian countries, but it has its own characteristics, expressed in methods of cooking, food processing, and, of course, taste.
Tajiks are very careful about bread (flatbread). In Tajikistan, bread cannot be thrown away or dropped on the floor. Bread cannot be cut - it must be broken carefully. Be prepared for the fact that Tajik dishes contain a lot of spices, herbs and onions.
Tajiks eat while sitting around a low table - dastarkhan. Lunch always begins with tea, which is always drunk from bowls.
Meat dishes in Tajikistan are prepared from lamb or goat meat (Tajiks are Muslims, and therefore they do not eat pork). Horse meat sausage – “kazy” – is very popular among Tajiks. Before cooking, the meat is always fried until brown.
In Tajikistan, we recommend that tourists try the local lamb kebab (classic Tajik kebab is sprinkled with lemon juice after cooking and served with baked tomatoes), fried meat “kaurdak”, Tajik cabbage rolls “shakhlet” (lamb with rice, served in sour cream sauce).
Pilaf takes pride of place in Tajik cuisine. There are five most popular recipes for preparing pilaf in Tajikistan - Tajik pilaf, pilaf with meat balls (“gelak palov”), pilaf “Dushanbe” (minced lamb), pilaf with chicken, and pilaf with noodles (“ugro”). Tajiks usually add quince, dried fruits, peas and garlic to pilaf.
Traditional soft drinks are green tea, sour milk “katyk” and sorbets (fruit drinks with sugar).
Tajiks usually drink green tea in the summer, and black tea in the winter. Traditionally, in Tajikistan sugar is not added to tea. Tajiks often drink “shirchai” - tea with milk. Butter and salt are also added to shirchai. Residents of the Pamirs add goat's milk, butter and salt to tea - they get "sher tea".
Sights of Tajikistan
There are several thousand unique historical, architectural and archaeological monuments in Tajikistan. Now the authorities of Tajikistan are allocating significant funds for the restoration and restoration of archaeological and architectural monuments.
The Top 10 best attractions in Tajikistan, in our opinion, may include the following:
- Gissar fortress near Dushanbe
- Mausoleum of Khoja Mashad near Kurgan-Tube
- Buddhist monastery Ajina Tepe
- Mausoleum of Sheikh Massala in Khojent
- Ruins of the Zoroastrian temple Ak-Tepa
- Mausoleum of Makhdumi Azam in the Gissar Valley
- Ruins of the Kaahka fortress
- Ruins of the Sogdian city of Panjikent
- Sangin Mosque in the Gissar Valley
- The ancient settlement of Sarazm near Panjikent
Cities and resorts
The largest cities in Tajikistan are Khujand, Khorog, Kulyab, Kurgan-Tube, and, of course, the capital, Dushanbe.
Most tourists come to Tajikistan for the local attractions and mountains - the Pamirs are known throughout the world. In addition, tourists in Tajikistan are attracted by the beautiful nature and reserves, parks, natural monuments - Tigrovaya Balka, Dashtidzhumsky Reserve, Ramit, “Valley of Forty Girls”, Rangkul Cave.
Souvenirs/shopping
Tourists from Tajikistan usually bring folk art products, fabrics, scarves, shawls, women's bags, ceramics, carpets, porcelain dishes, jewelry, traditional musical instruments, traditional hats, slippers and much more.
Surprisingly, Tajikistan has quite strict religious policies. This is probably due primarily to the fact that the “revival of spirituality” that took place in the 90s was not particularly liked by both local residents and individual government functionaries.
The result of the dramatic “revival”, which was provoked by economic devastation after the collapse of the USSR, was a civil war, when Islamists fought against the secular authorities. In the end, the secular authorities won, but as soon as they began to flirt with Islam, they immediately “got burned,” because by cultivating fanaticism, they actually created enemies for themselves, since all these people believed that the government consisted of infidels, and that it was necessary to establish Sharia laws.
As a result, there was nothing left to do but to control this factor, since, obviously, it is stupid to be a government manager and at the same time dig your own grave. During the period of “increased spirituality” (late 90s), attempts were made repeatedly on members of the government (including the president).
The civil war as a whole claimed about 150 thousand lives, and its damage in an economic sense is too high (more than 7 billion dollars, i.e. 18 annual budgets in a couple of years). As a result, the party's policy began to change.
It is quite obvious that it is simply impossible to build “heaven on earth” in the conditions that exist today. There is massive unemployment and poverty in the country. About 50% of GDP income comes from remittances from migrant workers. Under such conditions, of course, something needs to be done, and the fight against Islam is the most important task.
Apparently, this is the success of Islam, since citizens receive “hope” that Islam can correct the situation. But in fact, this is not the first story, and individual republics that were previously pro-Soviet and then became Islamic did not live better. On the contrary, it can be noted that the standard of living has become even worse. But this is difficult to explain to people who have nowhere to work and are dying of hunger.
It is obvious that the authorities are trying to do something. In particular, Tajikistan has a fairly good school program, where all children receive a quality education, and this process is closely monitored. Those. Politicians pin their hopes on such programs, although, of course, these are all half-measures. Surprisingly, in Tajikistan the official course today is the construction of a secular society and populism, i.e. without the influence of Islam.
Therefore, the most important task of political forces is to protect children as much as possible from the influence of Islam, since previously, unfortunately, one could notice the widespread participation of children in radical groups.
And in the end they moved from words to action. In 2009, a new version of the law “On Religious Associations” appeared, which states that visiting a mosque is allowed only at a conscious age, i.e. from the age of 18, so law enforcement agencies near mosques make sure that children are not taken there and that children attend school.
During the period of complete backwardness (i.e., during the civil war), many children did not attend school, choosing Islamic radical teachings. Someone might notice that such a law “infringes” on someone’s rights, but in fact the number of children attending schools has nevertheless increased, and in general it can be said that the overwhelming majority of the current generation will be educated.
This decision is opposed by the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, which received 8% of the votes in the last parliamentary elections. It is important to say that many party leaders previously actively took part in the civil war, and the very fact of their presence in the official political system is evidence of a compromise that is not particularly durable, to be honest.
Despite statements of this kind, the authorities still note that such a ban applies primarily insofar as their goal is to protect children from the influence of radical Islamic propaganda, since they will not receive any other propaganda, because There is political Islam in Tajikistan. Those. A mosque is not just a place of religious worship, but also a propaganda point for the Islamic Renaissance Party or even worse (i.e. terrorist groups).
- (pers. tadschik conquered). Descendants of the ancient Persians, Medes and Bactrians, constituting the indigenous population of Central Asia of Aryan origin. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. TAJIKS pers. tadschik... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Modern encyclopedia
People, the main population of Tajikistan (3172 thousand people), in the Russian Federation 38.2 thousand people (1992). They also live in Afghanistan and Iran. Total population 8.28 million people (1992). Language Tajik. The believers are mostly Sunni Muslims... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
TAJIKS, Tajiks, units. Tajik, Tajik, husband The people of the Iranian linguistic group, constituting the main population of the Tajik SSR. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
TAJIKS, ov, units. ik, a, husband. The people who make up the main indigenous population of Tajikistan. | wives Tajik, I. | adj. Tajik, aya, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
- (self-name Tojik), people. There are 38.2 thousand people in the Russian Federation. The main population of Tajikistan. They also live in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran. The Tajik language is an Iranian group of the Indo-European family of languages. Believers in ... Russian history
Tajiks- (self-name Tojik) people with a total number of 8280 thousand people. Main countries of settlement: Afghanistan 4000 thousand people, Tajikistan 3172 thousand people, Uzbekistan 934 thousand people. Other countries of settlement: Iran 65 thousand people, Russian Federation 38 thousand… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Tajiks Ethnopsychological Dictionary
TAJIKS- representatives of the indigenous nation of the Republic of Tajikistan. Special studies show that Tajiks are most characterized by such national psychological qualities as a practical mindset, a rational way of thinking, based on... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy
Ov; pl. Nation, main population of Tajikistan; representatives of this nation. ◁ Tajik, a; m. Tadzhichka, and; pl. genus. check, date chkam; and. Tajik, aya, oh. T. tongue. This is the culture. * * * Tajiks are the people, the main population of Tajikistan (3172 thousand... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary
Books
- Tajiks. Part 1, A.P. Shishov. Ethnographic and anthropological research. Part 1. Ethnography. Reproduced in the original author's spelling of the 1910 edition (Tashkent publishing house, published by A.L....
- Tajiks. Ancient, ancient and medieval history. Book 1, B. G. Gafurov. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. Reproduced in the original author's spelling of the 1989 edition (Irfon publishing house...
Religion in Tajikistan occupies a special place in public life. First of all, it is worth saying that this country is the only post-Soviet country where an Islamic party is officially registered, but the people of Tajikistan had to pay a very high price for this.
Ancient history
The history of religion in Tajikistan goes back to ancient times, associated with the amazing period of conquests of Alexander the Great, who brought Greek civilization and, accordingly, Greek religion, which intricately combined with local cults, to these lands far from Europe.
The most ancient cults that existed on the territory of present-day Tajikistan were associated with the assignment of various qualities to natural phenomena, elements and celestial bodies, such as the Moon, stars, and, first of all, the Sun. Subsequently, these primitive beliefs, in a highly modified form, served as a favorable substrate for the spread of Zoroastrianism in the region.
Spread of Zoroastrianism
Considering the fact that Farsi is the closest relative of the Iranian language, it is not surprising that the religion of Zoroastrianism has become widespread in this country. What is it? Zoroastrianism is one of the religions that has ever existed in the world. It is believed that the prophet Spitama Zarathustra acted as its founder, whose image subsequently became widespread.
First of all, it is worth saying that Zoroastrianism is a religion of ethical choice, requiring from a person not only external piety, but also good thoughts and sincere actions. Some researchers, discovering both dualistic and monotheistic features in Zoroastrianism, classify it as a transitional religion, which served as a kind of step towards the emergence and widespread dissemination of monotheistic religions. The most important book of this religion is the Avesta.
Religion in Tajikistan
The history of modern Tajik civilization begins during the Sasanian Empire, whose rulers, along with the majority of the population, professed Zoroastrianism. The empire arose in the 13th century and included territories in which, in addition to Zoroastrianism, Christianity was also widespread. However, Christianity in Tajikistan was represented mainly by heretical movements, whose representatives tried to move as far as possible from the generally recognized centers of Christianity with their dictatorship and dogmatism.
Manichaeism in Central Asia
Religion has always been of great importance in Tajikistan, but in ancient times, especially during the Sasanian Empire, the territory was characterized by a high degree of religious tolerance. It was this religious tolerance that became one of the reasons for the emergence of Manichaeism - a rather bizarre religion that combined in its dogmatic basis elements of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, as well as various Christian sectarian ideas.
It was from the arid lands of Central Asia that Manichaeism began its triumphal march westward until it reached Rome. However, the fate of the followers of the teaching was sad - everywhere they were subjected to persecution and extreme pressure. Subsequently, Manichaeism became extremely widespread on the Eurasian continent, but was never able to get rid of the stigma of a world sect.
Jewish community
Since the history of the country goes back more than one century, it is not surprising that a variety of religions are represented on its territory. Judaism became one of these religions in Tajikistan, although the number of its adherents has never been large. The small number of Jews in these lands was due to the fact that the rabbis never showed any inclination towards proselytism and recruiting new supporters, limiting themselves to ideas about the exclusivity of the people of Israel.
The Jewish community in Tajikistan existed both under Zoroastrianism and after the spread of Islam, and it still exists there today, although in a very small size, since most Jews moved to Israel immediately after the liquidation of the Soviet Union. Today, the overwhelming majority of residents of Tajikistan profess Islam, and there is a political party in the country that expresses the sentiments of religious citizens.
