Tajikistan

Where the name comes from

Tajikistan joins Tajik, the name of Persian-speaking peoples of Central Asia, with Persian -stan, “land”; the earlier history of the word Tajik is debated.

First people

Persian-speaking peoples lived here for thousands of years, and Sogdian traders from cities such as Panjakent ran Silk Road commerce.^1,2,3

Known for

Tajikistan is mostly mountains, with the Pamirs, called the Roof of the World, and Tajik is a form of Persian.⁴

Outside contact

Russia conquered Khujand in 1866, and eastern Bukhara came under Soviet control in 1920; Soviet rule created a separate republic in 1929.⁵

The modern country

Independence in 1991 turned that republic into a country.¹