Persian Tajiks have been in the area now known as Tajikistan

for more than 3,000 years, and speak an ancient language

that is very similar to those of Iran and Afghanistan. The
natural landscape, agriculture, and Islamic lunar calendars
have done much to shape the culture of the nation, with
food, customs, and festivals reflecting both the religion and
particular requirements for survival in the climate of each
region. Muslims make up 90 percent of a population that is
largely artistic and family-oriented.

History

People have inhabited the area now known as Tajikistan

since around 4000 BC, when different tribes, distinguished by
language, settled the region. The various kingdoms were
absorbed into the Persian
Achaemenid Empire around the 5th or 6th century BC, which
began a long process of Tajikistan being ruled by different
empires and cultures. Alexander the Great next conquered
the region and incorporated it into the Hellenistic Greco-
Bactrian Kingdom. From the late 4th century BC until the
early 2nd century BC, the land formed part of the Bactrian
Empire. Arabs bought Islam to the area around the 5th
century, only to be supplanted by the Saminid Empire. They
established Tujik cultural centers in cities that are now in
Uzbekistan before the region become part of the Emirate of
Bukhara.

The Russian Empire spread across Central Asia in the 19th

century, capturing Tajikistan between 1864 and 1885. The
area between modern Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and the
Caspian Sea had a
large Tajik population and became known as Russian
Turkestan.

Central Asian guerillas fought a four-year war against

Bolshevik control following the fall of Imperial Russia in 1917,
during which time mosques and villages were destroyed and
the people persecuted. Bolshevik religious persecution of
Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Tajiks, including the systematic
forced closure of religious institutions, continued after the
war.

Russia merged Uzbekistan and what is now Tajikistan into the

Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924, until the
separate Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic was formed in 1929.
From this time until 1959, the Russian population in the area
increased from below one percent to about 13 percent.
Some 120,000 Tajik
people died fighting in WWII.

Tajik nationalists began calling for increased rights in the

1980s, resulting in Tajikistan declaring independence in 1991
after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Civil war, mainly
between rival Muslim groups, erupted soon after
independence. Many non-Muslims, Russians, and Jews left.
Conflict continued until 1997, by which time 100,000 people
had died and 1.2 million had become refugees.

Peaceful but controversial elections were held in 1999 when

President Rahmon was re-elected by a 98 percent majority.
Further elections in 2006 granted Rahmon another term with
79 percent of the vote. During 2010, there were several
violent incidents between Islamic militant groups and Tajik
soldiers. Further fighting erupted in 2012.
Culture

The Tajik identity and culture dates back several thousand

years, and is very similar to that of Afghanistan and Iran in
terms of language, beliefs, and habits. The vast majority of
the population is Muslim, which had shaped the culture,
particularly the art, food, music, and festivals. The Tajik
people are family-oriented, sincere, and known for
friendliness and hospitality. Decades of conflict have left
deep scars on the national consciousness, although the
mood in recent times has been cautiously optimistic. Tajiks
tend to be conservative; gender roles remain very traditional
and women do not generally wear shorts.

There remains a strong folk art tradition

across the nation, particularly with the creation of textiles,
embroidery, and other practical decorative arts such as
carving, furniture, and jewelry making. The art tends to be
based on nature. A little-known fact about Tajikistan is that
the asymmetrical ‘Black Prince’s Ruby’ in the Imperial Crown
of England originally came from here, as did the tulips for
which Holland became famous.