We’ve been travelling in Central Asia for a few months now, and particularly, a month in Tajikistan. We love assembly and connecting with the native folks of whichever nation we’re in and Tajikistan has some implausible folks! It’s a powerful melting pot of individuals from all around the area.
What I discover most intriguing about this little nation is the range of individuals dwelling right here. Do you know that Tajiks are descendants from the Aryan folks? Which means they’re carefully associated to Iranians, which might clarify why we’ve been seeing Persian trying folks with skinny noses, inexperienced eyes and lightweight’ish colored pores and skin.
Throughout our time within the Pamir Mountains, the best way folks appeared appeared to vary with every day. From Osh to Murgab (and the vast majority of the Japanese Pamirs), the folks dwelling listed here are predominately Kyrgyz, who got here from the Alay Valley within the 18th and nineteenth centuries.
After Murgab, we started to satisfy Pamiri folks, an Iranian group dwelling within the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) of Tajikistan, in addition to Pakistan, China and Afghanistan. We needed to get a particular allow on our passports to have the ability to journey to the GBAO space of the Pamir Mountains, and are so glad we did. Not solely do the folks of this area converse their very own language, however they comply with a distinct faith than different components of Tajikistan. This faith is known as Ismailism and is a department of Shia Islam. Amongst many variations between the 2, they don’t have any mosques, simply assembly halls for prayer.
From Kyrgyz to Pamiri to Wakhan folks! The folks of the Wakhan Valley, known as Wakhi folks, converse a distinct language than Tajiks, Kyrgyz and Pamiri folks. At the moment they stay within the Wakhan valley of Afghanistan and Tajikistan in addition to in Pakistan and Northwestern China.
In case you requested somebody dwelling within the GBAO area of Tajikistan the place they had been from, they’d first classify themselves by which valley they’re from (Wakhan, and so forth.), then they’d say they’re Pamiri folks and at last that they’re Tajik.
The one factor that the entire folks of the mountains have in frequent is their hospitality, friendliness and skill to endure the tough climates and excessive altitudes.
In the principle metropolis of Dushanbe, it’s a whole melting pot of individuals! Right here you’ll discover Russians, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz and foreigners from many different international locations, together with America, India and international locations in Africa. Mini-skirts and brightly colored headscarves stroll side-by-side. You’ll see brown, blonde, pink and black hair. You’ll discover folks praying at mosques and sipping espresso in European cafes.
Though I want I may say that everybody will get alongside right here and dwelling in Tajikistan is stuffed with rainbows and lollipops for the native folks, it’s simply not the case. Clashes between clans, poor financial state (the typical wage is about $1,200/12 months) and the shut proximity with Afghanistan (which means ties to the drug commerce and the spillover of Islam extremism) are all issues this little nation and its folks have confronted, and proceed to face.
Even with the entire hardships, the persons are nonetheless type and filled with smiles. The experiences we had with the native inhabitants of Tajikistan, irrespective of which ethnicity, race, faith or village they had been from, had been nothing however optimistic. We had been greeted with hellos, invited into houses and handled like honoured company. We’ll depart this nation with fond recollections of hospitable folks and the nice experiences we had with them.
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