Portal:Tajikistan

Introduction

Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital and most populous city. Tajikistan is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It is separated from Pakistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor.

The territory was previously home to cultures of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, including the city of Sarazm, and was later home to kingdoms ruled by people of faiths and cultures, including the Oxus civilization, Andronovo culture, Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Islam. The area has been ruled by empires and dynasties, including the Achaemenid Empire, Sasanian Empire, Hephthalite Empire, Samanid Empire, and Mongol Empire. After being ruled by the Timurid Empire and Khanate of Bukhara, the Timurid Renaissance flourished. The region was later conquered by the Russian Empire and subsequently by the Soviet Union. Within the Soviet Union, the country's borders were drawn when it was part of Uzbekistan as an autonomous republic before becoming a full-fledged Soviet republic in 1929. (Full article...)

Selected general articles

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  Emblem of Tajikistan

  
  The Constitution of Tajikistan (Russian: Конституция Таджикистана; Tajik: Конститутсияи Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон) was adopted on 6 November 1994 and amended three times, on 26 September 1999, on 22 June 2003 and on 22 May 2016.
  
  The Constitution has the highest legal power, direct application (Article 10) and supremacy on the whole territory of Tajikistan. The Constitution proclaims the establishment of a democratic, legal, secular and unitary State (Article 1), where the State power is based on the principle of separation of powers (Article 9). As the fundamental law of the State, the Constitution defines the structure of the government, basic rights, liberties and responsibilities of its citizens, as well as the powers of the legislative, executive and judicial branches. Article 2 of the Constitution defines Tajik and Russian as the official languages of Tajikistan; the former being the national (state) language and the second being the "language of interethnic communication". (Full article...)
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  The national symbols of Tajikistan are defined in Article 3 of the Constitution of Tajikistan. They consist of the flag, the coat of arms, and the national anthem. (Full article...)
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  Environmental issues in Tajikistan include concentrations of agricultural chemicals and salts in the soil and groundwater, poor management of water resources, and soil erosion. Additionally, because of inadequate sanitation facilities, untreated industrial waste (particularly from aluminum production) and sewage combine with agricultural runoff to cause water pollution in the Aral Sea Basin. Soviet-Era mining operations in Tajikistan extracted and processed uranium, gold, antimony, tungsten, mercury, and molybdenum, each of which is known to leave toxic waste that also threatens water quality. Pockets of high air pollution caused by industry and motor vehicles have resulted in Tajikistan ranking 133rd in the world in greenhouse gas emissions. Air pollution is a particular problem during times of the year when atmospheric conditions hold industrial and vehicle emissions close to the surface in urban areas. In summer, dust and sand from the deserts of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan cause air pollution across the entire southwestern lowland region.
  
  Although a destructive civil war, budget shortfalls, poverty, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union reduced industrial and agricultural activity, these issues, as well as the destruction of infrastructure and loss of Soviet programs (such as the Committee on Nature Protection, state-owned agriculture, and region-wide networks of hydro posts) have amplified environmental concerns. Additionally, the Tajik government is hesitant to acknowledge these concerns, which has tensed its regional relationships. (Full article...)
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  The proposed Central Asian Union, covering the five Central Asian states.

  
  The Central Asian Union (CAU), later called the Central Asian Economic Union, was an intergovernmental organization for economic integration between the Central Asian post-Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan between 1994 and 2004. Tajikistan joined the Union in 1996 as an observer. Several proposals to restore the Union have been put forward since its dissolution. (Full article...)
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  Map of Tajikistan

  
  This is a list of cities in Tajikistan.
  
  The largest metropolitan area in Tajikistan is that of the capital Dushanbe, with 863,400 inhabitants (2020 est.). Thirteen percent of the population of the country lives in the region of the capital. (Full article...)
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  Foreign relations of Tajikistan are based on a desire to secure foreign investment and promote regional security while ensuring Tajikistan's independence. Sirodjidin Aslov is the current Foreign’s Minister of Tajikistan. (Full article...)
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  Spetsnaz soldiers of the 15th Independent Special Forces Brigade during the Civil War

  
  The Tajikistani Civil War, also known as the Tajik Civil War, began in May 1992 and ended in June 1997. Regional groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan rose up against the newly-formed government of President Rahmon Nabiyev, which was dominated by people from the Khujand and Kulob regions. The rebel groups were led by a combination of liberal democratic reformers and Islamists, who would later organize under the banner of the United Tajik Opposition. The government was supported by Russian military and border guards.
  
  The main zone of conflict was in the country's south, although disturbances occurred nationwide. The civil war was at its peak during its first year and continued for five years, devastating the country. An estimated 20,000 to 150,000 people were killed in the conflict, and about 10 to 20 percent of the population of Tajikistan were internally displaced. On 27 June 1997, Tajikistan president Emomali Rahmon, United Tajik Opposition (UTO) leader Sayid Abdulloh Nuri and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Gerd Merrem signed the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan and the Moscow Protocol in Moscow, Russia, ending the war. (Full article...)
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  Human rights in Tajikistan, a country in Central Asia, have become an issue of international concern. The access to basic human rights remains limited, with corruption in the government and the systematic abuse of the human rights of its citizens slowing down the progress of democratic and social reform in the country.
  
  According to a report from the United States Department of State on human rights in Tajikistan, citizens are denied many of their rights and have limited ability to change the system of government. The report found this to be especially true in the case of prisoners, whose access to basic Human Rights was inadequate: there have been reports of torture, threats, and abuse of prisoners and detainees by security forces due, in part, to their ability to act with impunity. The denial of the right to a fair trial for those who stand accused of a crime has been identified as another issue, which can often contribute to harsh and life-threatening prison conditions as well as the blocking of international access to Tajikistan prisons. Pre-trial detention is typically longer than needed, and court proceeding are controlled by the prosecution. Prisons are overcrowded, and the incidence of tuberculosis and malnutrition is high among inmates. (Full article...)
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  In parallel to what happened in other Soviet republics, a cinema of Tajikistan was promoted by the Soviet state, and declined in the first years after the independence, before being revitalized through the efforts of the new government. (Full article...)
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  casualties3 = Tens of thousands of civilians killed. Several hundred thousand Kazakh and Kyrgyz people killed or evicted with an unknown amount dying to famine according to Sokol.
  Alternative estimate:
  150,000 dead in 1916. (Full article...)

}
The president, who is directly elected, is both the head of state and the head of government. The president appoints the prime minister and all the members of the government, without the need of parliamentary approval. Tajikistan is thus a presidential republic. Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 and the 2003 Constitution, among other amendments, set a limit of two seven-year terms for the president. Emomali Rahmon's election to the office of the president in 2006 counts as his first 7-year term under the 2003 Constitution, and was re-elected for a second term in 2013, remaining in office until 2020. Rahmon holds the title of 'Leader of the Nation' and is therefore exempt from presidential term limits. This title also grants him and his family legal immunity.

In this geographically divided country, the ceremonial position of prime minister traditionally is held by a person from the north to nominally balance President Emomali Rahmon’s southern origin. In 2004 the executive branch fell further under the control of the governing party as appointments by Rahmon left the opposition with only 5 percent of major government positions. This event followed the expiration of the 1997 peace guarantee that the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) would occupy at least 30 percent of top government positions. Prior to the 2006 election, the Council of Ministers, which executes the decisions of the president, included two deputy prime ministers, 19 ministers, nine committee heads, and several ex officio members. After the election, Rahmon abolished 10 ministries and five state committees and reappointed Oqil Oqilov as prime minister. Rahmon is said to have accumulated substantial informal power through patronage. (Full article...)

Tajik pilaf with lamb and quail eggs

Tajik cuisine is a traditional cuisine of Tajikistan, and has much in common with Russian, Afghan, Iranian and Uzbek cuisines. Plov (pilaf) (Tajik: палав, Uzbek: palov), also called osh (Tajik: ош), is the national dish in Tajikistan, as in other countries in the region. Green tea is the national drink. (Full article...)

This article lists political parties in Tajikistan. Tajikistan is a one party dominant state with the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. (Full article...)

"Surudi Milli" is the national anthem of Tajikistan, officially adopted on 7 September 1994. (Full article...)

The rivers of Tajikistan, such as the Vakhsh and the Panj, have great hydropower potential, and the government has focused on attracting investment for projects for internal use and electricity exports. Tajikistan is home to the hydroelectric power station Nurek, the second highest dam in the world. Sangtuda 1 Hydroelectric Power Plant of 670 megawatts (MW) capacity, operated by Russian Inter RAO UES, commenced operations on 18 January 2008 and was officially commissioned on 31 July 2009. Other projects at the development stage include Sangduta 2 by Iran, Zerafshan by Chinese SinoHydro and Rogun power plant, which, at 335 metres (1,099 ft), is projected to supersede the Nurek Dam as tallest in the world if completed. The Rogun Dam was originally planned to be built by Russia's Inter RAO UES, but following disagreements, Russia pulled out. In 2010, production resumed with Iranian investment and Chinese assistance. Besides hydropower, other energy resources include sizable coal deposits and smaller reserves of natural gas and petroleum. In December 2010, Russian Gazprom announced discovery of significant natural gas reserves in Sarykamish field with 60 bcm of natural gas, enough for 50 years of Tajikistan's domestic consumption. The national power company is Barqi Tojik.

Tajikistan is a partner country of the EU INOGATE energy programme, which has four key topics: enhancing energy security, convergence of member state energy markets on the basis of EU internal energy market principles, supporting sustainable energy development, and attracting investment for energy projects of common and regional interest. (Full article...)

Tajik, also called Tajiki Persian or Tajiki, is the variety of Persian spoken in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan by Tajiks. It is closely related to neighbouring Dari of Afghanistan with which it forms a continuum of mutually intelligible varieties of the Persian language. Several scholars consider Tajik as a dialectal variety of Persian rather than a language on its own. The popularity of this conception of Tajik as a variety of Persian was such that, during the period in which Tajik intellectuals were trying to establish Tajik as a language separate from Persian, prominent intellectual Sadriddin Ayni counterargued that Tajik was not a "bastardised dialect" of Persian. The issue of whether Tajik and Persian are to be considered two dialects of a single language or two discrete languages has political sides to it.

By way of Early New Persian, Tajik, like Iranian Persian and Dari Persian, is a continuation of Middle Persian, the official religious and literary language of the Sasanian Empire (224–651 CE), itself a continuation of Old Persian, the language of the Achaemenids (550–330 BC). (Full article...)

Emblem of Tajikistan

The prime minister of Tajikistan (Сарвазири Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон) is the title held by the head of government of Tajikistan. After the president, the prime minister is second most powerful person of the country. The prime minister coordinates the work of the Cabinet and advises and assists the president in the execution of the functions of government. (Full article...)

Monument in Dushanbe to Tajik writers

Tajik literature and its history is bound up with the standardisation of the Tajik language. Tajik literary centres include the cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, currently in present-day Uzbekistan but with a majority Tajik population and Balkh and Herat in Afghanistan.

During the Soviet era, the principal literary output was socialist realism in nature. (Full article...)

2001 map of Tajikistan including road and rail network

Most of rugged Tajikistan's transportation system was built during the Soviet era, and since that time the system has deteriorated badly because of insufficient investment and maintenance. In 2013, Tajikistan, like many of the other Central Asian countries, was experiencing major development in its transportation sector. Beginning in 2005, a series of major transportation projects begun. The first such project, the Anzob Tunnel, was inaugurated in 2006, providing a year-round road link from Dushanbe to northern Tajikistan. (Full article...)

The State Emblem of Tajikistan is a modified version of the original emblem of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic that was in use until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. (Full article...)

Administratively, Tajikistan is divided into:

• one autonomous region (Russian: автономная область; Tajik: вилояти мухтор, romanized: viloyati mukhtor)
• two regions (Tajik: вилоятҳо, romanized: viloyatho, Persian: ولایتها), sing. viloyat, Persian: ولایت, Russian: область/вилоят)
• the districts under republic subordination
• the capital city, Dushanbe.

(Full article...)

This article documents the early history of Tajikistan.

Before the Soviet era, which began in Central Asia in the early 1920s, the area designated today as the Republic of Tajikistan underwent a series of population changes that brought with them political and cultural influences from the Turkic and Mongol peoples of the Eurasian steppe, China, Iran, Russia, and other contiguous regions. The Tajik people came fully under Russian rule after a series of military campaigns that began in the 1860s, at the end of the nineteenth century. (Full article...)

Mass media in Tajikistan are not independent of the authoritarian Emomali Rahmon regime. Independent media are repressed.

For most of the population, radio and television are the most important sources of information. During the civil war (1992–97), the Emomali Rahmon government severely repressed both broadcast and print media; since that time, neither has recovered independent operations. In 2006 six government television stations and 18 private stations were in operation, but most of the latter depended on government transmission equipment. Although the law requires registration of independent broadcast outlets, some unlicensed stations have operated. Russian channels are received by satellite, and most regions receive one of the two national television channels. Radio stations broadcast in Persian, Russian, Tajik, and Uzbek. In 2000 there were 141 radios and 326 television sets per 1,000 population. Televizioni Tojikiston is the state-run public broadcaster. (Full article...)

A mosque in Isfara

Islam is the predominant religion in Tajikistan.

Islam was brought to the region by the Arabs in the 7th century. Since that time, it has become an integral part of Tajik culture. Tajikistan is a secular country, but the post-Soviet era has seen a marked increase in religious practice in the country. The majority of Tajikistan's Muslims adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, and a smaller group (mostly in Gorno-Badakhshan in the east) belong to the Shia branch of Islam. The Russian Orthodox faith is the most widely practiced of other religions, although the Russian community shrank significantly in the early 1990s. Some other small Christian groups now enjoy relative freedom of worship. Tajikistan also has a small Jewish community. (Full article...)

Did you know...

• ... that Rudaki is acknowledged as the founder of New Persian poetry in Iran and the father of Tajik literature in Tajikistan?

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Selected images

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  Supreme Assembly in Dushanbe. (from Tajikistan)
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  A mosque in Isfara (from Tajikistan)
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  Tajik traditional dress (from Tajikistan)
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  The TadAZ aluminium smelting plant, in Tursunzoda, is the largest aluminium manufacturing plant in Central Asia, and Tajikistan's chief industrial asset. (from Tajikistan)
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  Ambassador to the Tang dynasty, coming from Kumedh (胡えびす密みつ丹に). Wanghuitu circa 650 AD. (from Tajikistan)
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  Tajikistan: trends in its Human Development Index indicator 1970–2010 (from Tajikistan)
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  President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon with Russian president Vladimir Putin. (from Tajikistan)
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  Tajikistan is a destination amongst mountaineers. 1982 expedition to Tartu Ülikool 350. (from Tajikistan)
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  Spetsnaz soldiers during the civil war, 1992 (from Tajikistan)
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  A Tajik dry fruit seller (from Tajikistan)
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  Rahmon, Mirziyoyev, Tokayev and other post-Soviev leaders at the 2023 Moscow Victory Day Parade (from Tajikistan)
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  Map of Köppen climate classification (from Tajikistan)
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  The Samanid ruler Mansur I (961–976) (from Tajikistan)
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  The Palace of Nations in Dushanbe (from Tajikistan)
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  Mountains (from Tajikistan)
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  Soviet negotiations with basmachi, 1921 (from Tajikistan)
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  President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has ruled the country since 1994. (from Tajikistan)
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  Tajik National University in Dushanbe (from Tajikistan)
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  19th-century painting of lake Zorkul and a local Tajik inhabitant (from Tajikistan)
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  Satellite photograph (from Tajikistan)
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  Soviet Tajikistan in 1964 (from Tajikistan)
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  Group of Tajik women (from Tajikistan)
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  Nowruz celebrations (from Tajikistan)
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  A hospital in Dushanbe (from Tajikistan)

In the news

27 April 2024 – Crocus City Hall attack

Authorities in Russia arrest a fifth suspect in last month's attack on a music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia, a Tajik man accused of providing the attackers with financing and communication. (AP)

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• Tajik alphabet
• Tajikistan at the 2002 Winter Olympics
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• Tajikistan at the 2010 Winter Olympics
• Tajikistan at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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