Tajik people

Tajiks
Тоҷикон
تاجیک‌ها
Tajik children from Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan
Total population
c. 18–27 million
Regions with significant populations
 Afghanistan9,450,000–11,550,000 (2014)
27–33%
 Tajikistan6,787,000 (2014)
 Pakistan1,200,000–1,800,000 (2015-2022)
 Uzbekistan1,420,000 (2012), estimates are 8–11 million.
 China39,642
 Russia201,000
 United States52,000
 Kyrgyzstan47,500
 Canada15,870
 Ukraine4,255
Languages
Persian
(varieties of Dari and Tajiki)
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam (Hanafi)
Shia Islam minorities (Ismaili)

Tajiks (Persian: تاجيک) are an Iranic ethnic group who are mostly found in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, parts of Uzbekistan, Pakistan and China. Alternative names for the Tajiks are Eastern Persians, Dehqan, and Farsiwan. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, many Tajik refugees migrated to live in neighboring Iran and Pakistan. Most Tajiks are Sunni Muslims, but a few in remote mountain areas follow the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam.

The name Tajik refers to the traditionally sedentary people who speak a form of Persian language called Tajiki in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Madaklashti in Pakistan and Dari in Afghanistan.

It is generally accepted that the origin of the word Tajik is Middle Persian Tāzīk "Arab" (New Persian: Tazi), or an Iranian (Sogdian or Parthian) cognate word. Some Turks of Central Asia adopted a variant of this word, Täžik, to designate the Persian Muslims in the Oxus basin and Khorasan, who were the Turks' rivals.

Historians believe that the Tajiks may be connected to ancient Aryans who lived in the region for thousands of years. They were the heirs and transmitters of the Central Asian sedentary culture that diffused in prehistoric times from the Iranian plateau into an area extending roughly from the Caspian Sea to the borders of China. The Aryans constituted the core of the ancient population of Khwarezm, Sogdiana and Bactria, which formed part of Transoxania. They were included in the empires of Persia and Alexander the Great, and they mixed with later invaders like the Mauryans, Kushans and Hepthalites. Over the course of time, the language that was used by these ancient people eventually gave way to Farsi, a western dialect now officially spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. In the 13th century, Genghis Khan and his Mongol army settled in many of the popular Persian cities after wiping out the Persian population. These Mongols later adopted the Persian language and the religion of Islam, the Persian-speaking Hazaras claiming partial descent from them. Tajiks usually reject a Mongol or Turkic origin and claim to be descended from the ancient Iranians of Central Asia. However, historically, there has been heavy intermixing between the nomadic Turkic-speaking Central Asians and the settled Persian-speaking Central Asians.


Culture

Tajik culture is closely related to Persian culture because Tajiks speak a variety of the Persian language and share many historical traditions with Iran and Afghanistan. Their culture has developed in Central Asia over many centuries and has been influenced by Persian, Islamic, and Central Asian traditions.

Family is very important in Tajik society. Many Tajiks live in close family communities where respect for elders and hospitality are important social values. Guests are often welcomed with tea and traditional foods. Hospitality is considered an important cultural tradition throughout Tajik communities.

Traditional Tajik food includes dishes such as osh (also called plov), a rice dish cooked with meat, carrots, and spices. Bread called non is also a staple food and is usually baked in traditional clay ovens. Other common foods include soups, noodles, and meat dishes that are shared during family meals and celebrations.

Music and poetry are also important parts of Tajik culture. Tajiks have a long literary tradition connected to classical Persian poetry. The famous poet Rudaki, who lived in the 9th and 10th centuries, was born in the region that is now Tajikistan and is considered an important figure in Tajik literature.

One of the most important holidays celebrated by Tajiks is Nowruz, the Persian New Year. It is celebrated on the first day of spring and symbolizes renewal and new beginnings. During Nowruz, families gather together, prepare traditional foods, and celebrate with music, dancing, and community events.

References

  1. ↑ Country Factfiles. — Afghanistan, page 153. // Atlas. Fourth Edition. Editors: Ben Hoare, Margaret Parrish. Publisher: Jonathan Metcalf. First published in Great Britain in 2001 by Dorling Kindersley Limited. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2010, 432 pages. ISBN 9781405350396 "Population: 28.1 million
    Religions: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
    Ethnic Mix: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 19%, Uzbek, Turkmen, other 18%"
  2. ↑ "Pakistan–Tajikistan relations - IPRI - Islamabad Policy Research Institute". ipripak.org. Retrieved 1 Jan 2023.
  3. ↑ "Tajiks". PeopleGroups.org. Retrieved 1 Jan 2023.
  4. ↑ "Tajikistan, Pakistan geo-strategic cooperation". Retrieved 1 Jan 2023.
  5. ↑ "Pak-Tajik Energy & Trade Cooperation". muslim-institute.org. Retrieved 1 Jan 2023.
  6. ↑ Akhtar, Nasreen (2008). "Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Taliban". International Journal on World Peace. 25 (4): 49–73. JSTOR 20752859. Retrieved 1 Jan 2023.
  7. ↑ "Pakistan-Tajikistan Relations : A Quick Overview". pakistaninfo. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 1 Jan 2022.
  8. ↑ Richard Foltz (1996). "The Tajiks of Uzbekistan". Central Asian Survey. 15 (2): 213–216. doi:10.1080/02634939608400946.
  9. ↑ Karl Cordell, "Ethnicity and Democratisation in the New Europe", Routledge, 1998. p. 201: "Consequently, the number of citizens who regard themselves as Tajiks is difficult to determine. Tajikis within and outside of the republic, Samarkand State University (SamGU) academic and international commentators suggest that there may be between six and seven million Tajiks in Uzbekistan, constituting 30% of the republic's 22 million population, rather than the official figure of 4.7%(Foltz 1996;213; Carlisle 1995:88).
  10. ↑ Lena Jonson (1976) "Tajikistan in the New Central Asia", I.B.Tauris, p. 108: "According to official Uzbek statistics there are slightly over 1 million Tajiks in Uzbekistan or about 3% of the population. The unofficial figure is over 6 million Tajiks. They are concentrated in the Sukhandarya, Samarqand and Bukhara regions."
  11. ↑ "塔吉克族". www.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  12. ↑ Russian 2010 Census results; see also Ethnic groups in Russia
  13. ↑ This figure only includes Tajiks from Afghanistan. The population of people from Afghanistan the United States is estimated as 80,414 (2005). United States Census Bureau. "US demographic census". Retrieved 2008-01-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) Of this number, approximately 65% are Tajiks according to a group of American researchers (Barbara Robson, Juliene Lipson, Farid Younos, Mariam Mehdi). Robson, Barbara and Lipson, Juliene (2002) "Chapter 5(B)- The People: The Tajiks and Other Dari-Speaking Groups" Archived 2010-01-27 at the Wayback Machine The Afghans – their history and culture Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C., OCLC 56081073.
  14. ↑ "Ethnic composition of the population in Kyrgyzstan 1999–2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  15. ↑ This figure only includes Tajiks from Afghanistan. The population of people with descent from Afghanistan in Canada is 48,090 according to Canada's 2006 Census. Tajiks make up an estimated 27% of the population of Afghanistan. The Tajik population in Canada is estimated from these two figures. Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada Archived 2019-01-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ↑ State statistics committee of Ukraine – National composition of population, 2001 census (Ukrainian)
  17. ↑ "Tajiks".
  18. ↑ "Tajikistan Culture and Traditions".[permanent dead link]
  19. ↑ "Nowruz".
  20. ↑ "Nowruz".