Tajiks
37778
226135309
2008-07-16T23:47:22Z
Timurite
7326591
/* External links */
:''This article is about the Central Asian Persians known as Tajiks. Refer to [[Persian people]] regarding Persians in Iran.
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group = Tajiks<br/>(تاجک {{unicode|Тоҷик}})
|image = <div style="margin-top:1px; margin-bottom:1px;">[[Image:Avicenna Persian Physician.jpg|60px|Avicenna]] [[Image:Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Musa al-Khwarizmi edit.png|60px|al-Khwarizmi]] [[Image:Abu-Rayhan Biruni 1973 Afghanistan post stamp.jpg|60px|Biruni]] <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:France postage stamp commemorating Ahmad Shah Massoud.jpg|60px|Ahmad Shah Massoud]] --><div style="background-color:#fee8ab"><small><small>[[Avicenna]] • [[al-Khwarizmi]] • [[Biruni]] • [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]]</small></small>
|population = [[Circa|ca.]] 16.5 to 28.5 million
|region1 = {{flagcountry|Afghanistan}}
|pop1 = 8,610,279
|ref1 = {{lower|<ref name=CIA-af>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html#People |title= Afghanistan| accessdate = 2007-12-26|date= December 13, 2007|work= [[The World Factbook]]|publisher= [[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref>}}
|region2 = {{flagcountry|Tajikistan}}
|pop2 = 5,849,331
|ref2 =
{{lower|<ref name="CIA-tj">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ti.html#People |title= Tajikistan| accessdate = 2007-12-26|date= December 13, 2007|work= [[The World Factbook]]|publisher= [[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref>}}
|region3 = {{flagcountry|Uzbekistan}}<br/>{{spaces|8}}<small>(estimates vary)</small>
|pop3 = 1,365,356<br/>4,915,284<br/>11,000,000
|ref3 = {{lower|<ref name="CIA-uz">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uz.html#People |title= Uzbekistan| accessdate = 2007-12-26|date= December 13, 2007|work= [[The World Factbook]]|publisher= [[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref>}}<br/>{{lower|0.95em|<ref name=USStateDept>{{cite web |url= http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/369.htm|title= Uzbekistan|accessdate=2007-12-19|author= Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor|date= February 23, 2000|work= Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999|publisher= U.S. Department of State}}</ref>}}<br/>{{lower|1.3em|<ref name=Carlson>D. Carlson, ''"Uzbekistan: Ethnic Composition and Discriminations"'', [[Harvard University]], August 2003</ref>}}
|region4 = {{flagcountry|Iran}}
|pop4 = 1,700,000
|ref4 =
|region5 = {{flagcountry|Pakistan}}
|pop5 = 1,220,000
|ref5 = {{lower|<ref>There are 1,000,000 Persian-speakers native to Pakistan and 220,000 Tajik war-refugees from Afghanistan remain in Pakistan. [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Pakistan Ethnologue.com's entry for ''Languages of Pakistan'']. [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdf?tbl=SUBSITES&page=SUBSITES&id=434fdc702 Census of Afghans in Pakistan].</ref>}}
|region6 = {{flagcountry|Russia}}
|pop6 = 500,000
|ref6 =
|region7 = {{flagcountry|Germany}}
|pop7 = 120,000
|ref7 =
|region8 = {{flagcountry|Qatar}}
|pop8 = 87,000
|ref8 =
|region9 = {{flagcountry|USA}}
|pop9 = 52,000
|ref9 ={{lower|<ref>This figure only includes Tajiks from Afghanistan. The population of people from Afghanistan the United States is estimated as 80,414 (2005). Of this number, 65% are estimated Tajiks. {{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201:501;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR:501;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T:501;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR:501&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-TABLE_NAMEX=&-ci_type=A&-redoLog=true&-charIterations=045&-geo_id=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en|coauthors=United States Census Bureau|title=US demographic census|accessdate=2008-01-23}}. [http://www.cal.org/co/afghan/apeop.html Robson, Barbara and Lipson, Juliene (2002) "Chapter 5(B)- The People: The Tajiks and Other Dari-Speaking Groups" ''The Afghans - their history and culture'' Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C., [http://worldcat.org/oclc/56081073 OCLC 56081073].</ref>}}
|region10 = {{flagcountry|China}}
|pop10 = 41,083
|ref10 =
{{lower|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/shao-2-tajik.htm |title= The Tajik ethnic minority|accessdate=2007-12-10 |publisher= China.org.cn}}</ref>}}
|region11 = {{flagcountry|Canada}}
|pop11 = 15,870 <br>
|ref11 = {{lower|<ref>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 33% of the population of Afghanistan. The Tajik population in Canada is estimated form these two figures. [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada].</ref>}}
|languages = [[Persian language|Persian]] <br/>{{smaller|''varieties of [[Dari (Persian)|Dari]] and [[Tajik language|Tajiki]]''}}
|religions = [[Islam]] (predominantly [[Sunni]] ([[Hanafi]]), with [[Shi'a]] ([[Twelver]] and [[Ismaili]]) minorities)
}}
'''Tājik''' ({{PerB|تاجيک}}; [[UniPers]]: ''Tâjik''; [[Tajik language|Cyrillic]]: {{unicode|Тоҷик}}) is a term generally applied to [[Persian language|Persian-speaking]] [[Iranian peoples|peoples of Persian origin]] living east and northeast of present-day [[Iran]]. The traditional Tajik homelands are in present-day [[Afghanistan]], [[Tajikistan]], southern [[Uzbekistan]] and south western [[China]].
Alternative names for the Tajiks are '''Fārsī''' (Persian), '''Fārsīwān''' (Persian-speaking), and '''Dīhgān''' (literally "village settlers", in a wider sense ''"urban"''; in contrast to "nomadic").<ref name=EofI-Afghanistan>{{cite encyclopedia |author=M. Longworth Dames, G. Morgenstierne, and R. Ghirshman |title = AF<u>GH</u>ĀNISTĀN| encyclopedia = [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]| edition = CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0| publisher = Koninklijke Brill NV| location = Leiden, The Netherlands| date = 1999| }}</ref>
==History==
{{main|Iranian peoples|Persian people|Farsiwan|Persian language}}
Like all Iranic peoples, and also the [[Indo-Aryans|Indic]], [[Dard people|Dard]], and [[Nuristani]] peoples, the Tajiks trace their origins to the ancient [[Aryan|Aryan nomads]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-13606.html|title= Tajikistan - Ethnic Background|accessmonthday= |accessdate=2007-12-19|author= Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress|year= 1996|work= Country Studies Series|publisher= Library of Congress}}</ref> who settled in [[Central Asia]] as early as 4000 years ago.
The Tajiks trace their more immediate ancestry to the [[East Iranian]]-speaking [[Bactria]]ns, [[Sogdiana|Sogdians]], and [[Parthian]]s, which means that the historical ancestors of the Tajiks did not speak [[Persian language|Persian]] - the [[List of Southwestern Iranian languages|southwestern Iranian language]], today known as 'Farsi' in Iran and Afghanistan. The 'Tajiks' adoption of the now dominant southwestern branch Persian language is believed to have as its root cause, the [[Islamic conquest]] of Central Asia by the Arabs. This conquest sent large numbers of Persians fleeing into [[Central Asia]], [[South Asia]] (Pakistan) and even into southwestern China. Subsequently, many Persians, after conversion to Islam, entered Central Asia as military forces and settled in the conquered lands. As a result of these waves of Persian migration (Zoroastrian and Muslim) over the course of more than 200 years, the Tajiks have ethnic Persian ancestry in addition to their original East-Iranian ancestry. Cultural dissemination through Persian literature also helped to establish the new language, as well as intermittent military dominance. According to [[Iranology|Iranologist]] [[Richard Nelson Frye]], the Persian migration to Central Asia may be considered the beginning of the "modern" Tajik nation, and ethnic Persians along with East-Iranian [[Bactrians]] and [[Sogdians]], as the main ancestors of "modern" Tajiks.<ref>[[Richard Nelson Frye]], ''"Persien: bis zum Einbruch des Islam"'' (original English title: ''"The Heritage Of Persia"''), [[German language|German]] version, tr. by Paul Baudisch, Kindler Verlag AG, [[Zurich|Zürich]] 1964, pp. 485-498</ref>
[[George Abraham Grierson|Sir George Abraham Grierson]] holds that the Tajiks of [[Badakshan]] belong to the same [[Aryan]] [[Race (classification of human beings)|race]] as do the other Ghalcha speakers of the Tajikstan “.<ref>Linguistic Survey of India, Vol X., p 456.</ref> George Grierson also records that the speech of [[Badakshan]] was a Ghalcha till about three centuries ago when it was supplanted by a form of [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref>Linguistic Survey of India, X, p. 456, Sir G Grierson; Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference, 1930, pp 107-108.</ref> It has been shown that the modern [[Komedes#Linguistic evidence|Ghalcha]] [[dialect]]s, ''Valkhi, Shigali, Sriqoli, Jebaka (also called Sanglichi or Ishkashim), Munjani and Yidga '', mainly spoken in [[Pamir languages|Pamir]]s and countries on the headwaters of the [[Oxus]], still use terms derived from ancient [[Kamboja]] verb ''Śavati'' in the sense "to go".<ref> Linguistic Survey of India, Vol X, pp 456ff, 468, 473, 474, 476, 500, 511, 524 etc; Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Asia, 1911, pp 801-802, Sir Griersen; India as Known to Panini, 1968, p 49, Dr V. S. Aggarwala; Geographical Data in the Early Puranas, A Critical Study, 1972, p 164, Dr M. R. Singh; Bharata Bhumi aur uske Nivasi, Samvat 1987, pp 297-305, Dr J. C. Vidyalankar; Geographical and Economical Studies in the Mahabharata, Upayana Parva, p 37, Dr Motichandra; Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, pp 127-28, 167, 218, Dr J. L. Kamboj; Sindhant Kaumudi Arthaprakashaka, 1966, pp 20-22, Acharya R. R. Pande.</ref> Furthermore, the [[Yagnobi]] dialect spoken in Yagnobi province around the headwaters of [[Zeravshan]] valley in [[Sogdiana]], also still contains a relic ''"Śu"'' from the ancient Kamboja ''Śavati'' in the sense "to go".<ref> Proceedings and Transactions of the ... All-India Oriental Conference, 1930, p 118; Indian Culture, 1934, p 193, Indian Research Institute; Linguistic Survey of India, Vol X, pp 455-56, Dr G. A. Grierson; cf: History and Archeology of India's Contacts with Other Countries from the... , 1976, p 152, Dr Shashi P. Asthana - Social Science; Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 39, Dr Moti Chandra - India; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, p 128, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja, Dr Satyavrat Śāstrī - Kamboja (Pakistan).</ref> The ancient [[Kambojas]], were originally located in the [[Badakshan]], [[Pamirs]] and northern territories including Yagnobi province in the [[doab]] of the [[Oxus]] and [[Jaxartes]].<ref>Dr J. C. Vidyalankara, Proceedings and Transactions of 6th A.I.O. Conference, 1930, p 118; cf: Linguistic Survey of India, Vol X, pp 455-56, Dr G. A. Grierson.</ref> On the east they were bounded roughly by [[Yarkent County|Yarkand]] and/or [[Kashgar]], on the west by [[Bahlika]] ([[Uttaramadra]]), on the northwest by [[Sogdiana]], on the north by [[Uttarakuru]], on the southeast by [[Darada]], and on the south by [[Gandhara]]. Numerous [[Indologist]]s have located [[Kamboja]] in [[Pamirs]] and [[Badakshan]] and the [[Parama Kamboja]], in the Trans-Pamirian territories, comprising [[Zeravshan]] valley and north up the parts of Sogdiana/Fargana—in the Sakadvipa or [[Scythia]] of the classical writers.<ref>See: The Deeds of Harsha: Being a Cultural Study of Bāṇa's Harshacharita, 1969, p 199, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala; Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference, 1930, p 118, Dr J. C. Vidyalankara; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja, Dr Satyavrat Śāstrī - Kamboja (Pakistan).</ref> The Ghalcha speaking Tajik population occupy, more or less, the same territories, which in ancient time, were held by east Iranian [[Kambojas]] and the [[Parama Kambojas]].<ref>Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 19, Dr Moti Chandra - India; 1945 History and Archeology of India's Contacts with Other Countries from the ..., 1976, p 152 Shashi P. Asthana - Social Science; Asoka and His Inscriptions, 1968, p 95, Beni Madhab Barua, Ishwar Nath Topa; The Cultural Heritage of India, 1936, p 151, Sri Ramakrishna Centenary Committee - India; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, p 154, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja, Dr Satyavrat Śāstrī - Kamboja (Pakistan).</ref> This people are stated to have held their own in spite of centuries of [[Hunas|Hunic]], [[Turkish people|Turkish]] and [[Mongol]] invasions.<ref> Cultural Heritage of India, 1936, Vol I, pp 44-45, Dr Suniti Kumar, See also Vol 3, 1936, p 135, Sri Ramakrishna Centenary Committee.</ref> Based on George Grierson's Sociolinguistics researches in India, eminent scholars like Dr J. C. Vidyalankara, Dr Moti Chandra, Dr S. K. Chatterjee, Dr J. L. Kamboj etc write that the Tajiks are the modern representatives of the ancient Kambojas/Parama Kambojas.<ref>Bhart Bhumi Aur Unke Nivasi, p 313-314, 226, Bhartya Itihaas Ki Mimansa, p 335 by Dr J. C. Vidyalanka; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, pp 164-65, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja, Dr Satyavrat Śāstrī - Kamboja (Pakistan); cf: Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 19, Dr Moti Chandra; Mahābhārata: Myth and Reality : Differing Views , 1976, p 232, Swarajya Prakash Gupta, K. S. Ramachandran - Mahābhārata; cf: Geography of the Mahabharata, 1986, p 14, Bhagwan Singh Suryavanshi; Vishal Kamboj, October 2001, S. S. Nirmal, pp 7-10.</ref> Some scholars hold that the Ghalcha Tajiks are descendants both of the Kambojas as well as the [[Tukharas]]<ref> Cultural Heritage of India, 1936, Vol I, pp 44-45, Dr Suniti Kumar, See also Vol 3, 1936, p 151, Sri Ramakrishna Centenary Committee.</ref>
The geographical division between the eastern and western Iranians is often considered historically and currently to be the desert [[Dasht-e Kavir]], situated in the center of the Iranian plateau.
=== Other groups ===
The [[Mountain Tajiks]] or Pamiris of the [[Badakhshan]] region in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, as well as the smaller group usually known as "[[Tajik (China)|Tajik]]" in [[China]]'s western [[Xinjiang]] region are descendants of the original East-Iranian tribes.
==Origin of the term==
'''"Tājik"''' is a word of [[Altaic languages|Turko-Mongol]] origin and means (literally) '''Non-Turk'''. It has the same root as the word '''[[Tat]]''' which is used by Turkic-speakers for the Persian-speaking population of the [[Caucasus]]. In a historical context, it is synonymous with '''Iranian'''<ref name="Subtelny">M.E. Subtelny, ''"The Symbiosis of Turk and Tajik"'' in B.F. Manz (ed.), ''Central Asia in Historical Perspective'', (Boulder, Col. & Oxford), 1994, p. 48</ref> and particularly with '''Persian'''. Since the Turko-Mongol conquest of Central Asia, Persian-speakers in [[Tajikistan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Iran]] and all the way to [[Pakistan]] and [[Kashmir]] have been identified as Tājiks. The term is mainly used as opposed to "Turk" and "Mongol". "Tajik" is just another word for "Persian". In the past 1400 years, Persians had to face 2 important foreign invasions: Arabs and Turks. These two peoples (although Turks were divided into many different tribes) influenced Persian culture and identity. Although the Iranian people have always called themselvs and their lands "Iran", "Irani" or "Aryana", the foreign invaders never called them that way. The Greeks called them "Persians", the Arabs called them "Ajam", and Turks called them "Tajik". The word "Tajik" is a Turkish word and refers to all Persian-speaking people of Central-Asia. Since the Seljuk-invasion 1000 years ago, the Persians of Central-Asia are being ruled by Turks. In those 1000 years, Persians have adopted many Turkish expressions. And one of them is "Tajik". But still, the word "Tajik" was quite unknown until the Soviet rule. In the early 20th century, the Persians of Central-Asia (Samarqand and Bukhara) revolted against Stalin. For this, Stalin punished them by taking away their lands and giving them to Turks who cooperated with the new rulers in Moscow. That's how the "Uzbek SSR" was created. And at the same time, the Turkish word "Tajik" was forced on them, to alienate them from their people in Iran and Afghanistan, and to push Pan-Turkism on them. Today's Tajikistan is not even 1/5 of what used to be Persian lands in Central-Asia.
In Afghanistan, the word "Tajik" was forced on the Persians by the nationalist Pashtun kings who wanted to prevent a Pan-Iranism and Persian nationalism in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has always had good relation with Turkey, most of all because both countries are Non-Arab Sunni nations, while Iran is predominantly Shia. Turkey (after Attatürks revolutions) was training Afghanistan's army, and Afghanistan's kings were copying the Turkish militarism and the way to govern their nation. Both Pashtuns and Turks are traditional cultural enemies of Iran and Iranians. And that's why in both regions, in the Turkish dominated Central-Asia and in Pashtun-dominated Afghanistan, the word "Tajik" was forced on the Persians.
==== History of the name ====
First mentioned by the [[Uyghur]] historian [[Mahmud Kashgari|Mahmoud Al-Kāshgharī]], ''Tājik'' is an old [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] expression referring to all Persian-speaking peoples of Central Asia. From the 11th century on, it came to be applied principally to all East-Iranians, and later specifically to Persian-speakers.<ref name="Subtelny" /> It is hard to establish the use of the word before the [[Turkic peoples|Turkic-]] and [[Mongol Empire|Mongol conquest]] of [[Central Asia]], and since at least the 15th century it has been used by the region's Iranian population to distinguish themselves from the Turks. Persians in modern Iran who live in the Turkic-speaking areas of the country, also call themselves ''Tājik'', something remarked upon in the 15th century by the poet [[Ali Sher Nawa'i|Mīr Alī Šer Navā'ī]].<ref> Ali Shir Nava'i ''Muhakamat al-lughatain'' tr. & ed. Robert Devereaux (Leiden: Brill) 1966 p6</ref> In addition, [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]] call all Persian-speakers (including those in [[Iran]]) ''Tājik''.
==== The word "Tājik" in medieval literature ====
[[Image:Stamp from Afghanistan honoring Mawlana Jalaluddin Balkhi aka Rumi.jpg|thumb|right|225px|A postage stamp honoring [[Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi|Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi]] (known to the West as [[Rumi]]) who made the first usage of the term ''Tajik'' in literature in reference to himself.]]
The word ''Tājik'' is extensively used in [[Persian literature]] and [[Persian poetry|poetry]], always as a synonym for ''Persian''. The Persian poet [[Saadi (poet)|Sa'adi]], for example, writes:{{cquote|'''<big>شاید که به پادشه بگویند</big><br>
'''<big>ترک تو بریخت خون تاجیک</big>
'''
''It's appropriate to tell the King,''<br>
''Your Turk shed the blood of Tājik''<br>}}
It is clear that he, too, uses the word as opposed to ''Turk''. The oldest known reference of the word ''Tajik'' in Persian literature, however, can be found in the writings of [[Rumi|<u>Dj</u>alāl al-Dīn Rūmī]], himself being an Persian-speaker - and thus a ''"Tājik"'' - from Central Asia.<ref>[[Clifford Edmund Bosworth|C.E. Bosworth]]/B.G. Fragner, "Tā<u>dj</u>īk", in [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]], Online Edition: ''"... In Islamic usage, [Tā<u>dj</u>īk] eventually came to designate the Persians, as opposed to Turks [...] the oldest citation for it which Schraeder could find was in verses of <u>Dj</u>alāl al-Dīn Rūmī ..."''</ref>
==== Other meanings of the word ====
At certain periods of history, the word ''Tājik'' also referred to Persian-speaking scholars and clerks of early Islamic time who were schooled in [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. In the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid Empire]], ''Tājik'' referred to the Iranian administrators and nobles of the kingdom, linked to the so-called ''[[Kizilbash|Qezelbâš]]'' movement.
According to some old Tājik folktales, as well as old Persian books, the word "Tājik" literally refers to the "''people having the crown"'' (''"Tāj"'' means ''crown'' in Persian). It is believed that it initially refers to the East-Iranian people who ruled over the [[Bactria]]n, [[Soghdian]] and [[Badakhshan]] highlands and later over other areas of Central Asia and beyond - a region traditionally known as the ''"crown of the world"''.
==== Alternative names ====
{{main|Sart}}
As an alternative, the term '''Sart''' was also used as a synonym for ''Tājik'' and ''Persian'' in the medieval - post [[Genghis Khan]] - period. Turkic people named by this word the local East-Iranian population. However, the term was abolished by the [[Soviet government]] of the Central Asian states.
==Location==
[[Image:Young Tajikistani man with guitar.jpg|right|thumb|225px|A Tajik guitar player wearing a traditional hat]]
''Tājik'' are the principal ethnic group in most of [[Tajikistan]], as well as in northern and western [[Afghanistan]]. Tajiks are a substantial minority in [[Uzbekistan]], whilst and a few are found in [[Xinjiang]], [[China]], as well as in overseas communities. Historically, the ancestors of the Tajiks lived in a larger territory in Central Asia than now.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
===Afghanistan===
{{main|Demography of Afghanistan}}
Tajiks comprise between 27-34% of the population of Afghanistan.<ref name=CIA-af/><ref name=Iranica2>{{cite encyclopedia |last= Dupree|first= L.||editor= [[Ehsan Yarshater]]|encyclopedia= [[Encyclopædia Iranica]]|title= Af<u>gh</u>ānistān: (iv.) ethnocgraphy|url= http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v1f5/v1f5a040a.html| accessdate = 2007-01-28|edition= Online Edition|publisher= [[Columbia University]]|location= United States}}</ref> They predominate three of the largest cities in Afghanistan ([[Kabul]], [[Mazar-e Sharif]], and [[Ghazni]]) and the northern and western provinces of [[Balkh Province|Balkh]], [[Parwan Province|Parwan]], [[Kapisa Province|Kapisa]], [[Panjshir Province|Panjshir]], [[Baghlan Province|Baghlan]], [[Takhar Province|Takhar]], [[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]], and [[Ghor Province|Ghor]], large parts of [[Konduz Province]], and they predominate in the city of [[Herat]] and large parts of [[Farah Province]]. In addition, Tajiks live in all other cities and provinces in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, the Tajiks do not organize themselves by tribes and refer to themselves by they region, province, city, town, or village they are from; such as ''Badakhshani'', ''Baghlani'', ''Mazari'', ''Panjsheri'', ''Kabuli'', ''Herati'', etc.<ref name=LOC/>
===Tajikistan===
{{main|Demographics of Tajikistan}}
Today, Tajiks comprise around 79.9% of the population of Tajikistan.<ref name=CIA-tj/>
===Uzbekistan===
{{Main|Demographics of Uzbekistan}}
[[Image:Man at Registan - Samarkand - 15-10-2005.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A view of the Registan architectural monuments in [[Samarkand]]. Although the second largest city of Uzbekistan, it is predominantly a Tajik populated city, along with [[Bukhara]]]]
In [[Uzbekistan]] the ''Tājik'' are the largest part of the population of the ancient cities of [[Bukhara]] and [[Samarqand]], and are found in large numbers in the [[Surxondaryo Province]] in the south and along Uzbekistan's eastern border with Tajikistan.
Official statistics in Uzbekistan state that the Tajik community comprises 5% of the nation's total population.<ref name=CIA-uz/> However, these numbers do not include ethnic Tajiks, who for a variety of reasons, declare themselves to be ethnic Uzbeks.<ref>See for example the Country report on [[Uzbekistan]], released by the [[United States]] Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/369.htm here].</ref> During the Soviet 'Uzbekization' supervised by Sharof Rashidov, the head of the Uzbek Communist Party, Tajiks had to choose either stay in Uzbekistan and get registered as Uzbek in their passports or leave the republic for a less developed agricultural mountainous Tajikistan. Tajiks may make up closer to 15 to 45 percent of Uzbekistan's population.<ref name=USStateDept/><ref name=Carlson/>
===Pakistan===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in Pakistan}}
Prior to 1980, Tajiks made up less than .5% of the population of Pakistan. Today (2008) there are an estimated 700,000 to 1 million Tajiks found in the [[North-West Frontier Province]]), most being [[Afghan refugees|refugees]] from the [[Soviet war in Afghanistan]] while others who are often included as Tajiks are native to various regions such as [[Chitral]] (see [[Wakhi language]]) and the [[Gilgit Agency]]. In the last decade, many Tajik economic and migrant workers from [[Tajikistan]] have settled in Pakistan's Northern Areas, particularly in the city of Ishkuman where they are active in business as well as trade; there is also a sizeable community further south in [[Islamabad]] and [[Lahore]].{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
===China===
{{main|Tajiks in China}}
There is a population of approximately 41,000 (est. 2000) Iranian language speakers in China's western [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang region]] with 60% of them living in [[Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County]]. This number includes the [[Iranian languages|Iranian]] speaking [[Sarikoli]]s and [[Wakhi]]s who are often considered Tajiks.<ref>[http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/shao-2-tajik.htm "The Tajik ethnic minority (China)"] (Chinese government website, in English)</ref>
===Russia===
The population of Tajiks in Russia is around 500,000. Most Tajiks came to Russia during the Soviet Union.
==Physical characteristics==
[[Image:Children in Tajikistan 25042007.jpg|thumbnail|right|175px|Children in Tajikistan]]
Physically, most Tajiks resemble the [[Mediterranean race|Mediterranean]]-[[caucasian]] stock.<ref name=LOC>{{cite web |url= http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-39.html|title= Afghanistan: Tajik|accessmonthday= |accessdate=2007-12-19|author= Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress|year= 1997|work= Country Studies Series|publisher= Library of Congress}}</ref> The average Tajik has (easily) dark hair and eyes with medium to fair skin. Light hair and eyes are relatively common, particularly in northern regions such as [[Badakhshan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Uzbekistan]], western [[China]] and [[Kashmir]]. A small minority of Tajiks in Central Asia show an easy [[Turkic peoples|Turko]]-[[Mongol]] admixture that drived from the [[Uzbeks]] and [[Hazaras]], while remote mountain Tajiks appear to more closely resemble the Indo-European [[Soghdian]], [[Bactrian]], [[Parthian]], [[Iranian peoples|Persian]] and [[Scythian]] (Tocharian, Sacae...) populations that existed before the Turko-Mongol invasions and migrations. In addition, Tajiks are often distinguished by Pashtun nationalists and government from their [[Farsiwan]] (Persian) or the Persian piece of the [[Chahar Aimak]] subgroup by religion as opposed to appearance, also the ethnic Persians of Chahar Aimaks belong to the Sunni sub-group of Islam. Nowadays, also the Tajiks of [[Panjsher]], who are known for their bravery foughts against the Taliban, are often count by the Pashtuns and the Pashtun government as an ethnos of own. The reason for such steps of the Pashtun government is to weak the Tajiks and settle their lands with Pashtun nomads. The Tajiks, as a whole, are a somewhat eclectic population genetically and display a wide range of phenotypes.<ref name=LOC>{{cite web |url= http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-39.html|title= Afghanistan: Tajik|accessmonthday= |accessdate=2007-12-19|author= Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress|year= 1997|work= Country Studies Series|publisher= Library of Congress}}</ref>
==Culture==
[[Image:MahmoudFarshchian.jpg|left|thumb|A modern example of Persian miniature: painting is an important element of Tājik culture]]
===Language===
{{main|Tajik language|Persian language}}
The language of the Tajiks, as of her Persian brothers in Iran, is [[Persian language|Persian]], also called [[Parsi-e Darbari]] (''Persian of royal courts''/''Language of royal court''). The Cyrillic variety '''written''' in [[Tajikistan]] is called [[Tajik language|Tajiki]]. Persian is an Indo-European language, more specifically part of the Iranian language group. Tajiks speak an eastern dialect of Persian, historically called [[Parsi-e Palavi]] or also [[Parsi-e Khorasani]] (see also the Persian population of eastern Iran´s dialect). Historically, it was considered the local dialect of Persian spoken by the Tajik/Persian ethnic group in Central Asia, from where it spread west-ward only tp drive the Arabic language out as ethnic Persian´s mothertoung. In Afghanistan, unlike in Tajikistan, Tajiks continue to use the Perso-Arabic script. However, when the Soviet Union introduced the use of the Latin script in 1928, and later the Cyrillic script, Persian dialect of Tajikistan (''soghdi dialect'') came to be considered a separate (Persian) language. The language remains greatly influenced by Russian because of political borders. A transcribed Tajik text can, in general, be easily read and understood by Persians outside Tajikistan, and vice versa, and both group can converse with each other. The common origin of the language Persians (Tajiks) of central Asia and Iran share with each other is underscored by the Tajiks' claim to such famous writers as [[Omar Khayyám]], [[Firdausi]], [[Anwari]], [[Rumi]] and many other famous Persian poets (Most Persians of Iran do not know Tajiks as being Persians). [[Russian language|Russian]] is widely used in government and business in Tajikistan as well but slowly Tajikistan´s government is trying to exchange it with fully Persian.
===Religion===
[[Image:Mazar-e sharif - Steve Evans.jpg|thumb|225px|right|[[Mazar i Sharif]]'s [[Rawze-e-Sharif|Blue Mosque]] in [[Afghanistan]]. Many such [[Iranian architecture|architectural]] monuments can be attributed to the efforts of the Tajik peoples who are predominantly followers of Islam today.]]
The great majority of Tajiks follow the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[Islam]], although small [[Twelver]] and [[Ismaili]] [[Shia]] minorities also exist in scattered pockets. Some of Sunni's famous scholars were from East-Iranian regions and therefore can arguably viewed as Tajik. They include [[Abu Hanifa]], [[Al-Ghazali]], [[Tirmidhi]], [[Abu Dawood]], and [[Imam Bukhari]] amongst many others.
In [[Afghanistan]], Tajiks who follow [[Twelver]] [[Shia|Shiism]] are called [[Farsiwan]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Additionally, small Tajik [[Jewish]] communities (known as [[Bukharian Jews]]) have existed since ancient times in the cities of [[Bukhara]], [[Samarqand]], [[Dushanbe]], and other Tajik populated centers.<ref>J. Sloame, ''"Bukharan Jews"'', Jewish Virtual Library, ([http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Bukharan_Jews.html LINK])</ref> Over the 20th century, the majority of these Tajik-speaking Jews emigrated to [[Israel]] and the [[United States]]. Most of these Jewish emigrants have negative views towards Tajikistan especially because of the destruction of the [[Dushanbe synagogue]].
==Recent developments==
The collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[civil war in Afghanistan]] both gave rise to a resurgence in Tajik [[nationalism]] across the region. Tajikistan in particular has been a focal point for this movement, and the government there has made a conscious effort to revive the legacy of the [[Samanid]] empire, the first Tajik-dominated state in the region after the [[Arab]] advance. For instance, the [[President of Tajikistan]], [[Emomali Rahmon]], dropped the "-ov" from his surname and directed others to adopt Tajik names when registering births.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372123|title=TAJIKISTAN RESTATES ITS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH RUSSIA, WHILE SENDING MIXED SIGNALS |accessdate=2007-12-19|last= McDermott|first= Roger|date= 25|year= 2007|month= 04|publisher= The Jamestown Foundation|}}</ref> Furthermore, once conditions are fulfilled, Tajikistan will switch its alphabet from [[Soviet]] influenced [[Cyrillic]] script to [[Persian language|Persian]] script<ref>[http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=53991§ionid=351020406 Tajikistan to use Persian script]</ref> thereby forging closer cultural ties with the [[Persian language|Persian]] speaking nations of [[Iran]] and [[Afghanistan]].
== See also ==
* [[Tajiks in China]]
* [[Persian culture]]
* [[Persian language]]
* [[Persian people]]
* [[Farsiwan]]
* [[Herat]]
* [[Iranian peoples]]
* [[Samanid dynasty]]
* [[Demography of Afghanistan]]
* [[Demography of Pakistan]]
* [[Demographics of Tajikistan]]
* [[Demographics of Uzbekistan]]
* [[R1a1]]
==Notes & references==
<div style="height: 250px; overflow: auto; padding: 3px; border:1px solid #AAAAAA; reflist4" >
{{reflist|2}}
</div>
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Dupree |first=Louis |title=Afghanistan |year=1980 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, New Jersey }}
* {{cite book |last= Jawad|first=Nassim |title=Afghanistan: A Nation of Minorities |year=1992 |publisher=Minority Rights Group International |location=London |isbn=0-946690-76-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Rahmonov |first=Emomali |authorlink=Emomalii Rahmon |title=The Tajiks in the Mirror of History: From the Aryans to the Samanids |year=2001 |publisher=London River Editions |location=Guernsey, United Kingdom |isbn=0954042506 |pages=272}}
* {{cite book |title=[[World Almanac and Book of Facts]] |edition=2003 |publisher=World Almanac Books |isbn=0-88687-882-9}}
==External links==
{{Commonscat|Tajiks}}
*[http://members.tripod.com/~khorasan/Miscellaneous/MiscellaneousPosts.htm Khorasan: selected topics relating to Tajiks]
*[http://tajikam.com Tajikam.com - A Worldwide Online Community for Tajiks]
*[http://medlem.spray.se/Samarqand/index.html Uzbekistan: Ethnic Composition And Discrimination]
*Ethnologue statistics on [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=prs Eastern Farsi speakers] & statistics regarding [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tgk Tajiki speakers].
*[http://www.oxfordancestors.com/papers/mtDNA04%20DNALandscape.pdf Female Genetics of Central Asia, South Asia, and West Asia]
*[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v71n3/023927/023927.web.pdf Male Genetics of Central Asia, South Asia, and West Asia (the origin of R1a1 is under question see)] (see [[Genetics and Archaeogenetics of South Asia]])
*[http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/asian_jews.shtml "Central Asian Jews."]
</br>
[[Category:Tajiks]]
[[Category:Persian people]]
[[Category:Iranian peoples]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Tajikistan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Uzbekistan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Asia]]
[[Category:Persian communities outside of Iran]]
[[Category:Muslim communities]]
[[ar:طاجيك]]
[[bs:Tadžici]]
[[bg:Таджики]]
[[de:Tadschiken]]
[[es:Tayikistán]]
[[fa:تاجیک]]
[[fr:Tadjiks]]
[[hr:Tadžici]]
[[is:Tadsjikar]]
[[it:Tagiki]]
[[ka:ტაჯიკები]]
[[lt:Tadžikai]]
[[nl:Tadzjieken]]
[[ja:タジク人]]
[[no:Tadsjiker]]
[[ug:تاجىك]]
[[pl:Tadżycy]]
[[ru:Таджики]]
[[sr:Таџици]]
[[sh:Tadžici]]
[[fi:Tadžikit]]
[[tr:Tacikler]]
[[uk:Таджики]]
[[zh:塔吉克族]]