Tajiks: Difference between revisions

Tajiks
(تاجک Тоҷик)
	Avicenna Massoud Biruni Avicenna • Ahmad Shah Massoud • Biruni • Rumi
Total population
	ca. 18 to 26 million
Regions with significant populations
Afghanistan; (varying estimates)	8,600,000; 11,000,000;
Tajikistan	5,849,331
Uzbekistan; (suggestive estimates)	1,400,000; 6-7,000,000;
Pakistan	1,220,000
Iran	500,000
Russia	120,000
Germany	90,000
Qatar	87,000
United States	52,000
Kyrgyzstan	47,500
China	41,083
Canada	15,870 ;
Languages
	Persian ; varieties of Dari and Tajiki
Religion
	Islam (predominantly Sunni (Hanafi), with Shi'a (Twelver and Ismaili) minorities)

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Tajik (Template:PerB Tājīk; UniPers: Tâjik; Tajik: Тоҷик; Russian: Таджики) is a genaral designation for a wide range of Persian-speaking peoples^[14] with traditional homelands in present-day Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, large refugee populations can also be found in both Iran and Pakistan.^[15]

Alternative names include Fārsī (Persian), Fārsīwān (Persian-speaking), and Dīhgān or Dehqān (cf. [Деҳқон, Dehqon] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), literally "peasant", in a wider sense "settled" in contrast to "nomadic").^[16]

As a self-designation, the term Tajik, which earlier on had been more or less pejorative, has become acceptable only during the last decades, particularly as a result of Soviet colonial administration in Central Asia.^[14]

History

Like all Iranic peoples, and also the Indic, Dard, and Nuristani peoples, the Tajiks trace their origins to the ancient Aryan nomads^[17] who settled in Central Asia as early as 4000 years ago.

The Tajiks trace their more immediate ancestry to the East Iranian-speaking Sogdians, which means that the historical ancestors of the Tajiks did not speak Persian - the 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 Arabs and Turks. This conquest sent large numbers of Persians fleeing into Central Asia. 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 over the course of more than 200 years, the Tajiks have ethnic Persian ancestry in addition to their original East-Iranian and Turk ancestry. Cultural dissemination through Persian literature also helped to establish the new language, as well as intermittent military dominance. According to 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-Iranians, as the main ancestors of "modern" Tajiks.^[18]

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.

Origin of the term

"Tājik" is a word of Turko-Mongol^[19] origin and means (literally) Non-Turk^[20]. The 17th century Persian dictionary Farhang Burhan Qati' (فرهنگ برهان قاطع) by Muhammad Husayn ibn Khalaf Tabrizi also defines it as "non-Arab" and "non-Turk". It has the same root^[21] 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^[22] 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^{[citation needed]}. The term is mainly used as opposed to "Turk" and "Mongol".

History of the name

First mentioned by the Uyghur historian Mahmoud Al-Kāshgharī, Tājik is an old 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.^[22] It is hard to establish the use of the word before the Turkic- and 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 Mīr Alī Šer Navā'ī.^[23] In addition, Tibetans call all Persian-speakers (including those in Iran) Tājik.

The word "Tājik" in medieval literature

The word Tājik is extensively used in Persian literature and poetry, always as a synonym for Persian. The Persian poet Sa'adi, for example, writes:

شاید که به پادشه بگویند

ترک تو بریخت خون تاجیک
It's appropriate to tell the King,

Your Turk shed the blood of Tājik

It is clear that he, too, uses the word as opposed to Turk. The oldest known reference of this usage of the word Tajik in Persian literature, however, can be found in the writings of Djalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, himself being an Persian-speaker - and thus a "Tājik" - from present-day Afghanistan.^[24]

Alternative names

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 Persian-speaking population. However, the term was abolished by the Soviet government of the Central Asian states.

Location

The Tajiks are the principal ethnic group in most of Tajikistan, as well as in northern and western Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Tajiks comprise between 27-34% of the population of Afghanistan.^[1]^[25] They predominate four of the largest cities in Afghanistan (Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, and Ghazni) and the northern and western provinces of Balkh, Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir, Baghlan, Takhar and Ghor, large parts of Konduz Province, and they predominate in the city of Herat and large parts of Farah Province.

In Afghanistan, the Tajiks do not self-identify as Tajik, and refer to themselves by their region, province, city, town, or village they are from; such as Badakhshani, Baghlani, Mazari, Panjsheri, Kabuli, Herati, etc.^[26]

Tajikistan

Today, Tajiks comprise around 79.9% of the population of Tajikistan.^[3]

Uzbekistan

In Uzbekistan the Tajiks 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. According to official statistics (2000), Surxondaryo Province accounts for 20.4% of all Tajiks in Uzbekistan, with another 24.3% in Samarqand and Bukhara provinces.^[27]

Official statistics in Uzbekistan state that the Tajik community comprises 5% of the nation's total population.^[4] However, these numbers do not include ethnic Tajiks who, for a variety of reasons, choose to identify themselves as Uzbeks in population census forms.^[28] During the Soviet "Uzbekization"^[when?] 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 the less developed agricultural and mountainous Tajikistan.^[29] It is only in the last population census (1989) that the nationality could be reported not according to the passport, but freely declared on the basis of the respondent's ethnic self-identification.^[30] This had the effect of increasing the Tajik population in Uzbekistan from 3.9% in 1979 to 4.7% in 1989. Subjective expert estimates suggest that Tajiks may make up 20%- 30% of Uzbekistan's population.^[5]^[31]

Kazakhstan

According to the 1999 population census, there were 26,000 Tajiks in Kazakhstan (0.17% of the total population), about the same number as in the 1989 census.

Kyrgyzstan

According to official statistics, there were about 47,500 Tajiks in Kyrgyzstan in 2007 (0.9% of the total population), up from 42,600 in the 1999 census and 33,500 in the 1989 census.

Turkmenistan

According to the last Soviet census in 1989, there were 3,149 Tajiks in Tukrmenistan, or less than 0.1% of the total population of 3.5 million at that time. The first population census of independent Turkmenistan conducted in 1995 showed 3,103 Tajiks in a population of 4.4 million (0.07%), most of them (1,922) concentrated in the eastern provinces of Lebap and Mary adjoining the borders with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.^[32]

Russia

The population of Tajiks in Russia is 120,000 according to the 2002 census, up from 38,000 in the last Soviet census of 1989.^[8] Most Tajiks came to Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Physical characteristics

On the whole, Tajiks are a genetically eclectic population, displaying a wide range of phenotypes.^[26] Physically, some resemble the Mediterranean-Caucasian stock.^[26] whereas some Tajiks in Central Asia also show a Turko-Mongol admixture.

The government of Afghanistan officially distinguishes Tajiks from the Farsiwan and other Persian subgroups, such as Chahar Aimak or Hazara, usually due to religion or physical appearance.

Culture

Language

The language of the Tajiks, as of their Persian brothers in Iran, is Persian, also called Parsi-e Darbari (Persian of royal courts/Language of royal court). The cyrillic variety written in Tajikistan is called Tajiki. Persian is an Indo-European language that is part of the Iranian language group. Tajiks speak an eastern dialect of Persian, historically called Dari 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 westward only to drive the Arabic language out as the mothertongue of ethnic Persians. In Afghanistan, unlike in Tajikistan, Tajiks continue to use the Perso-Arabic script as well as in Iran. However, when the Soviet Union introduced the Latin script in 1928, and later the Cyrillic script, the Persian dialect of Tajikistan came to be considered a separate (Persian) language. This dialect remains greatly influenced by Russian for historical reasons.

A transcribed Tajik text can, in general, be easily read and understood by Persians outside Tajikistan, and vice versa, and both groups can converse with each other. The languages of the Persians of Iran and of the Tajiks of central Asia have a common origin. This is underscored by the Tajiks' claim to such famous writers as Omar Khayyám, Firdausi, Anwari, Rumi, other famous Persian poets. Russian is widely used in government and business in Tajikistan as well, but the government of Tajikistan is trying to replace it gradually with full Persian.

Religion

The great majority of Tajiks follow the 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 Shiism are called Farsiwan^{[citation needed]}. 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.^[33] 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. For instance, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, dropped the Russian suffix "-ov" from his surname and directed others to adopt Tajik names when registering births.^[34] In an interview to Iranian news media in May 2008, Tajikistan's deputy culture minister said Tajikistan would study the issue of switching its Tajik alphabet from Cyrillic to Persian script used in Iran and Afghanistan when the government feels that "the Tajik people became familiar with the Persian alphabet".^[35]

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b "Afghanistan". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. December 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ Dupree, L. "Afghānistān: (iv.) ethnocgraphy". In Ehsan Yarshater (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica (Online Edition ed.). United States: Columbia University. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b "Tajikistan". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. December 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ ^a ^b "Uzbekistan". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. December 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ ^a ^b Richard Foltz, "The Tajiks of Uzbekistan", Central Asian Survey, 15(2), 213-216 (1996).
^ There are 1,000,000 Persian-speakers native to Pakistan and 220,000 Tajik war-refugees from Afghanistan remain in Pakistan. Ethnologue.com's entry for Languages of Pakistan. Census of Afghans in Pakistan.
^ UN Refugee Agency: about 50% of the total number of Afghan refugees in Iran in 2006 (920,000)
^ ^a ^b 2002 Russian census
^ GTZ: Migration and development – Afghans in Germany: estimate for Tajiks based on total of 100,000 Afghans in Germany.
^ 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, 33% are estimated Tajiks. "US demographic census". Retrieved 2008-01-23.. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) 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.
^ Ethnic composition of the population in Kyrgyzstan 1999-2007
^ "The Tajik ethnic minority". China.org.cn. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
^ 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. Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada.
^ ^a ^b C.E. Bosworth, B.G. Fragner (1999). "TĀDJĪK". Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0 ed.). Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^ Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan
^ M. Longworth Dames, G. Morgenstierne, and R. Ghirshman (1999). "AFGHĀNISTĀN". Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0 ed.). Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress (1996). "Tajikistan - Ethnic Background". Country Studies Series. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |accessmonthday= (help)
^ Richard Nelson Frye, "Persien: bis zum Einbruch des Islam" (original English title: "The Heritage Of Persia"), German version, tr. by Paul Baudisch, Kindler Verlag AG, Zürich 1964, pp. 485-498
^ According to Professor Walter Bruno Henning, the term comes from Tat(Iranian)+Jik. Source: Dehkhoda dictionary under Tajik. Actual quote:استاد هنينگ تاجيک را ترکي ميداند مرکب از تا (= تات «ترک» + جيک «پسوند ترکي » جمعاً يعني تبعه ترک و اين کلمه را با «تازيک » و «تازي » (و طايي ) لغةً مرتبط نميداند - انتهي
^ Lambton, Ann K.S. Landlord and Peasant in Persia, p.57. I.B.Tauris, 1991. ISBN 1850432937.
^ Bergne, Paul. The Birth of Tajikistan, p. 4. I.B.Tauris, 2007. ISBN 1845112830.
^ ^a ^b 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
^ Ali Shir Nava'i Muhakamat al-lughatain tr. & ed. Robert Devereaux (Leiden: Brill) 1966 p6
^ C.E. Bosworth/B.G. Fragner, "Tādjīk", in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Online Edition: "... In Islamic usage, [Tādjīk] eventually came to designate the Persians, as opposed to Turks [...] the oldest citation for it which Schraeder could find was in verses of Djalāl al-Dīn Rūmī ..."
^ Dupree, L. "Afghānistān: (iv.) ethnocgraphy". In Ehsan Yarshater (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica (Online Edition ed.). United States: Columbia University. Retrieved 2007-01-28. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress (1997). "Afghanistan: Tajik". Country Studies Series. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |accessmonthday= (help)
^ Ethnic Atlas of Uzbekistan, Part 1: Ethnic minorities, Open Society Institute, table with number of Tajiks by province Template:Ru icon.
^ Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (February 23, 2000). "Uzbekistan". Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Rahim Masov, The History of the Clumsy Delimitation, Irfon Publ. House, Dushanbe, 1991 Template:Ru icon. English translation: The History of a National Catastrophe, transl. Iraj Bashiri, 1996.
^ Ethnic Atlas of Uzbekistan, Part 1: Ethnic minorities, Open Society Institute, p. 195 Template:Ru icon.
^ Svante E. Cornell, "Uzbekistan: A Regional Player in Eurasian Geopolitics?", European Security, vol. 20, no. 2, Summer 2000.
^ Population census of Turkmenistan 1995, Vol. 1, State Statistical Committee of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 1996, pp. 75-100.
^ J. Sloame, "Bukharan Jews", Jewish Virtual Library, (LINK)
^ McDermott, Roger (2007-04-25). "Tajikistan restates its strategic partnership with Russia, while sending mixed signals". The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^ "Tajikistan may consider using Persian script when the conditions are met", interview of Tajikistan's Deputy Culture Minister with Iranian News Agency, 2 May 2008.

External links

[CIA-af-1] "Afghanistan". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. December 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[IranicaDupree-2] Dupree, L. "Afghānistān: (iv.) ethnocgraphy". In Ehsan Yarshater (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica (Online Edition ed.). United States: Columbia University. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[CIA-tj-3] "Tajikistan". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. December 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[CIA-uz-4] "Uzbekistan". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. December 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[Foltz-5] Richard Foltz, "The Tajiks of Uzbekistan", Central Asian Survey, 15(2), 213-216 (1996).

[6] There are 1,000,000 Persian-speakers native to Pakistan and 220,000 Tajik war-refugees from Afghanistan remain in Pakistan. Ethnologue.com's entry for Languages of Pakistan. Census of Afghans in Pakistan.

[7] UN Refugee Agency: about 50% of the total number of Afghan refugees in Iran in 2006 (920,000)

[census2002-8] 2002 Russian census

[TZ-9] GTZ: Migration and development – Afghans in Germany: estimate for Tajiks based on total of 100,000 Afghans in Germany.

[10] 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, 33% are estimated Tajiks. "US demographic census". Retrieved 2008-01-23.. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) 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.

[ethnic-11] Ethnic composition of the population in Kyrgyzstan 1999-2007

[12] "The Tajik ethnic minority". China.org.cn. Retrieved 2007-12-10.

[13] 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. Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada.

[EofI-Tadjik-14] C.E. Bosworth, B.G. Fragner (1999). "TĀDJĪK". Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0 ed.). Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[15] Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan

[EofI-Afghanistan-16] M. Longworth Dames, G. Morgenstierne, and R. Ghirshman (1999). "AFGHĀNISTĀN". Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0 ed.). Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[17] Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress (1996). "Tajikistan - Ethnic Background". Country Studies Series. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |accessmonthday= (help)

[18] Richard Nelson Frye, "Persien: bis zum Einbruch des Islam" (original English title: "The Heritage Of Persia"), German version, tr. by Paul Baudisch, Kindler Verlag AG, Zürich 1964, pp. 485-498

[19] According to Professor Walter Bruno Henning, the term comes from Tat(Iranian)+Jik. Source: Dehkhoda dictionary under Tajik. Actual quote:استاد هنينگ تاجيک را ترکي ميداند مرکب از تا (= تات «ترک» + جيک «پسوند ترکي » جمعاً يعني تبعه ترک و اين کلمه را با «تازيک » و «تازي » (و طايي ) لغةً مرتبط نميداند - انتهي

[20] Lambton, Ann K.S. Landlord and Peasant in Persia, p.57. I.B.Tauris, 1991. ISBN 1850432937.

[21] Bergne, Paul. The Birth of Tajikistan, p. 4. I.B.Tauris, 2007. ISBN 1845112830.

[Subtelny-22] 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

[23] Ali Shir Nava'i Muhakamat al-lughatain tr. & ed. Robert Devereaux (Leiden: Brill) 1966 p6

[24] C.E. Bosworth/B.G. Fragner, "Tādjīk", in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Online Edition: "... In Islamic usage, [Tādjīk] eventually came to designate the Persians, as opposed to Turks [...] the oldest citation for it which Schraeder could find was in verses of Djalāl al-Dīn Rūmī ..."

[Iranica2-25] Dupree, L. "Afghānistān: (iv.) ethnocgraphy". In Ehsan Yarshater (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica (Online Edition ed.). United States: Columbia University. Retrieved 2007-01-28. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[LOC-26] Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress (1997). "Afghanistan: Tajik". Country Studies Series. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |accessmonthday= (help)

[27] Ethnic Atlas of Uzbekistan, Part 1: Ethnic minorities, Open Society Institute, table with number of Tajiks by province Template:Ru icon.

[USStateDept-28] Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (February 23, 2000). "Uzbekistan". Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[29] Rahim Masov, The History of the Clumsy Delimitation, Irfon Publ. House, Dushanbe, 1991 Template:Ru icon. English translation: The History of a National Catastrophe, transl. Iraj Bashiri, 1996.

[30] Ethnic Atlas of Uzbekistan, Part 1: Ethnic minorities, Open Society Institute, p. 195 Template:Ru icon.

[Cornell-31] Svante E. Cornell, "Uzbekistan: A Regional Player in Eurasian Geopolitics?", European Security, vol. 20, no. 2, Summer 2000.

[32] Population census of Turkmenistan 1995, Vol. 1, State Statistical Committee of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 1996, pp. 75-100.

[33] J. Sloame, "Bukharan Jews", Jewish Virtual Library, (LINK)

[34] McDermott, Roger (2007-04-25). "Tajikistan restates its strategic partnership with Russia, while sending mixed signals". The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[35] "Tajikistan may consider using Persian script when the conditions are met", interview of Tajikistan's Deputy Culture Minister with Iranian News Agency, 2 May 2008.

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@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
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 |pop9         = 52,000
-|ref9         =<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>
+|ref9         =<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, 33% 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|Kyrgyzstan}}
 |pop10        =47,500
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 |region12   = {{flagcountry|Canada}}
 |pop12      = 15,870 <br>
-|ref13      = <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>
+|ref13      = <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)
 }}
-'''Tajik''' ({{PerB|تاجيک}} ''Tājīk''; [[UniPers]]: ''Tâjik''; {{lang-tg|Тоҷик}}; {{lang-ru|Таджики}}) is a genaral designation for a wide range of mostly [[Persian language|Persian-speaking]] peoples of [[Iranian peoples|Iranian origin]],<ref name="EofI-Tadjik">{{cite encyclopedia |author=C.E. Bosworth, B.G. Fragner |title = TĀ<u>DJ</u>ĪK| encyclopedia = [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]| edition = CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0| publisher = Koninklijke Brill NV| location = Leiden, The Netherlands| date = 1999| }}</ref> with traditional homelands in present-day [[Afghanistan]], [[Tajikistan]], southern [[Uzbekistan]], north west [[Pakistan]] and western [[China]]. Because of the [[Soviet war in Afghanistan|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], large refugee populations can also be found in both [[Iran]] and [[Pakistan]].<ref>[http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SODA-72658V?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635N96 Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan]</ref>
+'''Tajik''' ({{PerB|تاجيک}} ''Tājīk''; [[UniPers]]: ''Tâjik''; {{lang-tg|Тоҷик}}; {{lang-ru|Таджики}}) is a genaral designation for a wide range of [[Persian language|Persian-speaking]] peoples<ref name="EofI-Tadjik">{{cite encyclopedia |author=C.E. Bosworth, B.G. Fragner |title = TĀ<u>DJ</u>ĪK| encyclopedia = [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]| edition = CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0| publisher = Koninklijke Brill NV| location = Leiden, The Netherlands| date = 1999| }}</ref> with traditional homelands in present-day [[Tajikistan]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]. Because of the [[Soviet war in Afghanistan|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], large refugee populations can also be found in both [[Iran]] and [[Pakistan]].<ref>[http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SODA-72658V?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635N96 Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan]</ref>
 Alternative names include '''Fārsī''' (Persian), '''Fārsīwān''' (Persian-speaking), and '''Dīhgān''' or '''Dehqān''' (cf. {{lang-tg|Деҳқон, ''Dehqon''}}, literally "peasant", in a wider sense "settled" 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>
@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 As a self-designation, the term ''Tajik'', which earlier on had been more or less pejorative, has
 become acceptable only during the last decades, particularly as a result of [[Soviet]] colonial administration in Central Asia.<ref name="EofI-Tadjik" />
-The Persian-speaking Tajiks are, at least in terms of language, [[Persian culture|culture]], and [[History of Greater Iran|history]], closely related to the [[Persian-speakers of Iran]]. The [[Tajiks in China|Tajiks of China]], although known by the name ''Tajik'', speak [[Eastern Iranian languages]] and are distinct.
 ==History==
@@ Line 60: / Line 58: @@
 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]]. 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>
+The Tajiks trace their more immediate ancestry to the [[East Iranian]]-speaking [[Sogdiana|Sogdians]], 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 Arabs and Turks. This conquest sent large numbers of Persians fleeing into [[Central Asia]]. 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 over the course of more than 200 years, the Tajiks have ethnic Persian ancestry in addition to their original East-Iranian and Turk 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-Iranians, 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&mdash;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]], [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] 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{{Fact|date=August 2008}}.
 ==Origin of the term==
 '''"Tājik"''' is a word of [[Altaic languages|Turko-Mongol]]<ref>According to Professor [[Walter Bruno Henning]], the term comes from Tat(Iranian)+Jik. Source: [[Dehkhoda]] dictionary under Tajik.  Actual quote:استاد هنينگ تاجيک را ترکي ميداند مرکب از تا (= تات «ترک»
-+ جيک «پسوند ترکي » جمعاً يعني تبعه ترک و اين کلمه را با «تازيک » و «تازي » (و طايي ) لغةً مرتبط نميداند - انتهي </ref> origin and means (literally) '''Non-Turk'''<ref>Lambton, Ann K.S. ''Landlord and Peasant in Persia'', p.57.  I.B.Tauris, 1991. ISBN 1850432937.</ref>.  The 17th century Persian dictionary Farhang Burhan Qati' (فرهنگ برهان قاطع) by Muhammad Husayn ibn Khalaf Tabrizi  also defines it as "non-Arab" and "non-Turk".  It has the same root<ref>Bergne, Paul. ''The Birth of Tajikistan'', p. 4. I.B.Tauris, 2007. ISBN 1845112830.</ref> as the word '''[[Tats|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{{Fact|date=August 2008}}. The term is mainly used as opposed to "Turk" and "Mongol". "Tajik" is just another word for "Persian". In the past 1200 years, Persians had to face 2 important foreign invasions: Arabs and Turks. 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".
++ جيک «پسوند ترکي » جمعاً يعني تبعه ترک و اين کلمه را با «تازيک » و «تازي » (و طايي ) لغةً مرتبط نميداند - انتهي </ref> origin and means (literally) '''Non-Turk'''<ref>Lambton, Ann K.S. ''Landlord and Peasant in Persia'', p.57.  I.B.Tauris, 1991. ISBN 1850432937.</ref>.  The 17th century Persian dictionary Farhang Burhan Qati' (فرهنگ برهان قاطع) by Muhammad Husayn ibn Khalaf Tabrizi  also defines it as "non-Arab" and "non-Turk".  It has the same root<ref>Bergne, Paul. ''The Birth of Tajikistan'', p. 4. I.B.Tauris, 2007. ISBN 1845112830.</ref> as the word '''[[Tats|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{{Fact|date=August 2008}}. The term is mainly used as opposed to "Turk" and "Mongol".
 ==== History of the name ====
@@ Line 87: / Line 79: @@
 It is clear that he, too, uses the word as opposed to ''Turk''. The oldest known reference of this usage 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 present-day Afghanistan.<ref>[[Clifford Edmund Bosworth|C.E. Bosworth]]/B.G. Fragner, "Tā<u>dj</u>īk", in [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]], Online Edition: ''"...&nbsp;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]]{{Fact|date=August 2008}}. 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]], [[Aryan|Arian]], [[Kabul]] 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.
+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 Persian-speaking 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]]
-The Tajiks are the principal ethnic group in most of [[Tajikistan]], as well as in northern and western [[Afghanistan]]. North and western [[Pakistan]].  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}}
+The Tajiks are the principal ethnic group in most of [[Tajikistan]], as well as in northern and western [[Afghanistan]].
 ===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 four of the largest cities in Afghanistan ([[Kabul]], [[Mazar-e Sharif]], [[Herat]], 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.
+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 four of the largest cities in Afghanistan ([[Kabul]], [[Mazar-e Sharif]], [[Herat]], 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]] and [[Ghor Province|Ghor]], large parts of [[Konduz Province]], and they predominate in the city of [[Herat]] and large parts of [[Farah Province]].
-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/>
+In Afghanistan, the Tajiks do not self-identify as Tajik, and refer to themselves by their region, province, city, town, or village they are from; such as ''Badakhshani'', ''Baghlani'', ''Mazari'', ''Panjsheri'', ''Kabuli'', ''Herati'', etc.<ref name=LOC/>
 ===Tajikistan===
@@ Line 130: / Line 117: @@
 {{Main|Demographics of Turkmenistan}}
 According to the [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php?reg=14 last Soviet census in 1989], there were 3,149 Tajiks in Tukrmenistan, or less than 0.1% of the total population of 3.5 million at that time. The first population census of independent Turkmenistan conducted in 1995 showed 3,103 Tajiks in a population of 4.4 million (0.07%), most of them (1,922) concentrated in the eastern provinces of [[Lebap Province|Lebap]] and [[Mary Province|Mary]] adjoining the borders with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.<ref>''Population census of Turkmenistan 1995'', Vol. 1, State Statistical Committee of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 1996, pp. 75-100.</ref>
-===Pakistan===
-{{main|Demographics of Pakistan}}
-{{refimprovesect|date=December 2008}}
-Tajiks have inhabited Pakistan's north western valleys which lay adjacent to [[Tajikistan]] since ancient time, though many are not counted as ethnic Tajik's due to Census irregularities.  Tajik's historically, travelled to the Indus region of Pakistan as religious mystics (''Sufis''), for commerce/trade and as learned scholars.  There are many shrines doted throughout Pakistan in honour of noted Tajik noblemen.  In recent years, many Tajiks from [[Tajikistan]] have also settled in Pakistan due to the economic conditions prevailent in their home country, many have settled in the northern city of [[Ishkuman]].  In 1979, with the invasion by the [[Soviet Union]] of [[Afghanistan]], a large number of [[Tajiks|Tajik]] refugees from that country came and settled throughout Pakistan.  Exact numbers are difficult to ascertain as many don't have official identity cards or are counted as being Chitrali or Gilgiti in official census figures.{{fact|date=January 2009}}
-===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===
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 ==Physical characteristics==
 [[Image:Children in Tajikistan 25042007.jpg|thumbnail|right|175px|Children in Tajikistan]]
-On the whole, Tajiks are a genetically eclectic population, displaying a wide range of phenotypes.<ref name = LOC/> Physically, most Tajiks resemble the [[Mediterranean race|Mediterranean]]-[[Caucasian race|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 typical Tajik has dark hair and eyes, and medium to fair skin. Lighter hair and eye colors are relatively common and are the majority in western Afghanistan (e.g., [[Herat]] and [[Ghor]]). A small minority of Tajiks in Central Asia also show a [[Mongoloid race|Turko-Mongol]] admixture. Remote mountain Tajiks more closely resemble the ancient [[Indo-European]] populations who dominated the region prior to the Turko-Mongol invasions and migrations.
+On the whole, Tajiks are a genetically eclectic population, displaying a wide range of phenotypes.<ref name = LOC/> Physically, some resemble the [[Mediterranean race|Mediterranean]]-[[Caucasian race|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> whereas some Tajiks in Central Asia also show a [[Mongoloid race|Turko-Mongol]] admixture.
 The government of Afghanistan officially distinguishes Tajiks from the [[Farsiwan]] and other [[Persian]] subgroups, such as [[Aimak|Chahar Aimak]] or [[Hazara people|Hazara]], usually due to religion or physical appearance.
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 ===Language===
 {{main|Tajik language|Persian language}}
-The language of the Tajiks, as of their 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]] that is part of the Iranian language group. Tajiks speak an eastern dialect of Persian, historically called [[Dari]] 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 westward only to drive the Arabic language out as the mothertongue of ethnic Persians. In [[Afghanistan]], unlike in [[Tajikistan]], Tajiks continue to use the Perso-Arabic script as well as in Iran. However, when the [[Soviet Union]] introduced the Latin script in 1928, and later the Cyrillic script, the Persian dialect of Tajikistan (''soghdi dialect'') came to be considered a separate (Persian) language. This dialect remains greatly influenced by Russian for historical reasons.
+The language of the Tajiks, as of their 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]] that is part of the Iranian language group. Tajiks speak an eastern dialect of Persian, historically called [[Dari]] 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 westward only to drive the Arabic language out as the mothertongue of ethnic Persians. In [[Afghanistan]], unlike in [[Tajikistan]], Tajiks continue to use the Perso-Arabic script as well as in Iran. However, when the [[Soviet Union]] introduced the Latin script in 1928, and later the Cyrillic script, the Persian dialect of Tajikistan came to be considered a separate (Persian) language. This dialect remains greatly influenced by Russian for historical reasons.
 A transcribed Tajik text can, in general, be easily read and understood by Persians outside Tajikistan, and vice versa, and both groups can converse with each other. The languages of the Persians of Iran and of the Tajiks of central Asia have a common origin. This is underscored by the Tajiks' claim to such famous writers as [[Omar Khayyám]], [[Firdausi]], [[Anwari]], [[Rumi]], other famous Persian poets. [[Russian language|Russian]] is widely used in government and business in Tajikistan as well, but the government of Tajikistan is trying to replace it gradually with full Persian.
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 ==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 [[Russian language|Russian]] suffix "-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= 2007-04-25|publisher= The Jamestown Foundation|}}</ref>  In an interview to Iranian news media in May 2008, Tajikistan's deputy culture minister said Tajikistan would study the issue of switching its [[Tajik alphabet#Cyrillic|Tajik alphabet]] from [[Cyrillic]] to [[Perso-Arabic script|Persian]] script used in [[Iran]] and [[Afghanistan]] when the government feels that "the Tajik people became familiar with the Persian alphabet".<ref>[http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=53991&sectionid=351020406 "Tajikistan may consider using Persian script when the conditions are met"], interview of Tajikistan's Deputy Culture Minister with Iranian News Agency, 2 May 2008.</ref>
+The collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[civil war in Afghanistan]] both gave rise to a resurgence in Tajik [[nationalism]] across the region. For instance, the [[President of Tajikistan]], [[Emomali Rahmon]], dropped the [[Russian language|Russian]] suffix "-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= 2007-04-25|publisher= The Jamestown Foundation|}}</ref>  In an interview to Iranian news media in May 2008, Tajikistan's deputy culture minister said Tajikistan would study the issue of switching its [[Tajik alphabet#Cyrillic|Tajik alphabet]] from [[Cyrillic]] to [[Perso-Arabic script|Persian]] script used in [[Iran]] and [[Afghanistan]] when the government feels that "the Tajik people became familiar with the Persian alphabet".<ref>[http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=53991&sectionid=351020406 "Tajikistan may consider using Persian script when the conditions are met"], interview of Tajikistan's Deputy Culture Minister with Iranian News Agency, 2 May 2008.</ref>
 == See also ==
 {{col-begin}}{{col-2}}
-* [[Tajiks in China]]
 * [[Persian culture]]
 * [[Persian language]]