Russia has been habitually critical of the United States’ unilateral policies in the region. On the outward, Russia has been apparently following a multilateral policy at international level and has been encouraging the United States to follow suit by adopting similar policies. However, when it comes to Central Asia and Caucasus, Russia has been itself pursuing totally unilateral policies. Russia’s political behavior in this regard has been an obstacle to multilateral cooperation with such Asian countries as India, Iran and China. Moscow is actually willing to bolster its own influence in this region. Although Russia has close ties with a country like China, its major policy and measures taken by Moscow in the strategic regions of Central Asia and Caucasus have been largely unilateral.
Tag: Iran
» Ferdowsi’s Legacy: Examining Persian Nationalist Myths of the Shahnameh Ajam Media Collective
Epic literature occupies a key role in formulating and maintaining cohesive national and cultural identities– elucidating the spirit and values of a society as well as exploring mythic and historical origins. Works of epic literature are often retroactively embedded with political meaning, particularly after the rise of ethnic nationalisms in the 19th and 20th centuries. For modernizing nationalists, epics served a key role as tools to both create and strengthen ethnic and linguistic unity by highlighting (and almost always, distorting) a shared national history.
The Shahnameh (Book of Kings), completed by Hakim Abul-Qasim Ferdowsi in 1010 CE, is the undisputable national epic poem of the pan-Persian-speaking world. Composed of nearly 50,000 couplets, its narrative covers Creation to the Islamic conquest of Greater Iran (Iran Zamin) in the 7th century. Accentuating this chronicle are the tales of kings and heroes— from legendary champions like Rostam to historical personalities such as Alexander the Great. Cherished by communities in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, the Caucasus, and their respective diasporas, the Shahnameh links these societies to an imagined shared cultural past.
Due to his inclusion of pre-Islamic Iranian mythology, Ferdowsi is often accurately categorized as a pioneer of linguistic and cultural preservation for the Persian-speaking world. However, many rulers of Central Asia and the Iranian Plateau have politicized the Shahnameh by promoting it as a quintessential text that delineates “Persian-ness”— standing as a testament to the perseverance of Persianate culture in the face of Arab and Turkic domination. While there is no doubt that the Shahnameh has helped conserve the rich cultural heritage of the Iranian peoples, nation-states have historically propagated several misconceptions about the Shahnameh unrelated to its content and artistic form. These myths have attained the status of legend among many of the Shahnameh‘s most avid fans, despite their falsehood.
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Towards a Multicultural Perspective
The purpose of this post is not to diminish the importance of Ferdowsi and Shahnameh for Iranian national heritage. It is vital, however, that we not take 20th century notions of ethnic separatism and apply them to 10th-11th century works. Ferdowsi’s work speaks to the cultural invigoration of the Iranian Peoples and the lands of Ajam, a revival summarized in the following couplet popularly attributed to Ferdowsi to note his monumental achievement:**
بسى رنج بردم در اين سال سى
عجم زنده كردم بدين پارسى
I struggled greatly during these thirty years,
I gave life to the Ajam with this Persian.
It is crucial to recognize the centrality of the Shahnameh to Iranian or Persianate transnational culture and heritage not because it combats Islam or foreign dominance, but exactly because it engages with and combines varied cultural influences. Ajam did not come alive because Ferdowsi denied our past and the diverse Persian, Arabic, and Turkic roots that helped formulate notions of Iranian, Afghan, and Tajik nationhood; Ajam came alive because Ferdowsi recognized that cross-cultural pollination enriches us all.
**Editor’s note: The couplet mentioned in the article was not composed by Ferdowsi, but has been attributed to the text centuries after its completion.
» Ferdowsi’s Legacy: Examining Persian Nationalist Myths of the Shahnameh Ajam Media Collective.
Iran may import 1bn cubic meters of potable water from Tajikistan – Tehran Times
TEHRAN – Iran is in talks with Tajikistan to import as much as one billion cubic meters of potable water, Iranian Energy Minister Majid Namjou said on Sunday.
The volume to be imported has not been yet finalized, but it is anticipated that one billion cubic meters of water will be imported, Namjou added.
He made the remarks on the sidelines of the 9th meeting of the Iran-Tajikistan Joint Economic Commission, which opened in Tehran on Sunday.
The Iranian energy minister also stated that Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan have agreed to create a joint water and electricity corridor.
via Iran may import 1bn cubic meters of potable water from Tajikistan – Tehran Times.
Iran Willing to Join China-Tajikistan-Afghanistan Railway Link, 7 May 2012 Monday 13:40
Monday, 7 May 2012
Iranian Minister of Road and Urbanization Ali Nikzad voiced Tehran‘s willingness to join a railway line which is due to connect China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Fars News Agency reported.
The issue was raised by Nikzad in a meeting with Tajik Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov here in Tehran on Sunday.
Nikzad called on the Tajik official to provide the needed maps for the Iranian company in charge of the feasibility studies of the project in a bid to enable Metra company to wrap of work and present the results by the next three months.
The Iranian company, Metra, is conducting the feasibility study for the construction of a Tajik stretch of a rail link that will connect Kashgar (China) and Herat (Afghanistan).
via Iran Willing to Join China-Tajikistan-Afghanistan Railway Link, 7 May 2012 Monday 13:40.
Tajikistan: Dushanbe Building Boom Blocks Out Economic Concerns | EurasiaNet.org
A building boom in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe — one that has given rise to Central Asia’s largest library, tallest flagpole and the soon-to-be most spacious teahouse – is prompting some residents to joke that the city is becoming a showcase for a new-ish architectural style, “dictator chic.”
While a few may laugh, the government’s apparent preoccupation with building has plenty of other Dushanbe residents grumbling. At a time when the majority of Tajiks are fighting a desperate battle againstpoverty, critics contend that vast state layouts for showpiece construction projects cannot be justified.
The pace of new construction was at its fastest during the months leading up to the 20th anniversary of Tajikistan’s independence last fall. To celebrate the occasion, authorities commissioned several hundred so-called “jubilee objects.” Officially, the state spent $212 million on anniversary preparations, an amount equaling 10 percent of the national budget, and six times the annual assistance the United States Agency for International Development gives Tajikistan.
Although the independence anniversary has come and gone, the penchant for urban renewal remains strong. In February, Dushanbe authorities published a list of several dozen buildings located along the so-called “protocol highway” – on which President Imomali Rahmon and other senior officials drive to work – that have been designated for demolition. Many of these buildings are solid apartment blocks that are home to several thousand people. Officials are mum on kind of compensation owners can anticipate, and residents expect to be moved to the distant suburbs: they’ve seen the relentless development approaching for years, including high-rise, “elite” apartments in their neighborhood.
via Tajikistan: Dushanbe Building Boom Blocks Out Economic Concerns | EurasiaNet.org.
President Ahmadinejad visits Tajikistan سفر رييسجمهور به تاجيکستان – YouTube
President Ahmadinejad visits Tajikistan سفر رييسجمهور به تاجيکستان – YouTube.
http://youtu.be/14js8UrgRvY
Persian phrasebook – Wikitravel
Persian phrasebook
http://wikitravel.org/en/Persian_phrasebook
Persian is an ancient language of Indo-European family. You can find many grammatical similarities between Persian and the other languages of this family. However, Persian is similar more to its coeval languages like Latin than to relatively newer languages. For instance, both Latin and Persian have a SOV word order (they both have free word order, though), which is uncommon among most modern European languages (even the descendants of Latin).
Today, Persian is mainly spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Bahrain. It has official status in the first three countries but was once the official, court, or literary language of many more places ranging from Turkey through India. At this time, many Persian poets emerged from Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and the regions under the control of Ottoman Empire. It is still appreciated as a literary and prestigious language among the educated elite. Many people in Iran and neighboring countries know Persian fluently even though it’s not their mother tongue. It’s because Iran (formerly “Persia” until 1935) was historically much bigger before losing many territories, especially to its neighbor Russia (for more information, see Wikipedia: Greater Iran). After the 1979 revolution, many Iranians migrated to the West and as a result, there are numerous Persian-speaking communities throughout the world, particularly in USA. Persian is the second language of Islam so in many Islamic countries you can find someone knowing Persian.
The local name of the language is Farsi (officially, Fârsiyè Dari (Dari Persian), which means “Official/Court Persian”). The word Farsi has also entered English mainly because West-migrated Iranians didn’t know about the native English name of their language (i.e.Persian) and began to use Farsi, which still prevails although somewhat decreased. Persian has three main dialects: Iranian Persian (Farsi), Afghan Persian (Dari) and Tajik Persian (Tajik). They are all mutually intelligible. The written form is the same for Farsi and Dari, both using the Arabic alphabet; Tajik is generally written with the Cyrillc alphabet.
Note – The contents of this page are written in bookish Persian so that you can use them not only in Iran but also in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and other countries. See Dari phrasebook for Afghan Persian and Tajik phrasebook for that dialect.
Ethnologue report for Tajikistan
See language map.
[See also SIL publications on the languages of Tajikistan.]
Tajikistan. 7,011,556. National or official language: Tajiki. Literacy rate: 99%. Immigrant languages: Aimaq, Armenian (6,000), Bashkort (5,410), Belarusan, Dungan, Georgian (810), Hazaragi, Kazakh (9,610), Korean (13,000), Lak (860), Lithuanian (470), Osetin (8,000), Romanian (580), Russian (237,000), Standard German, Tatar (80,000), Turkish, Turkmen (14,000), Ukrainian (41,000), Uyghur (3,580), Western Balochi (4,840). Information mainly from S. Akiner 1983; B. Comrie 1987; A. Kibrik 1991; T. Sebeok 1963. The number of individual languages listed for Tajikistan is 12. Of those, all are living languages.
Arabic, Tajiki Spoken
[abh] 1,000 in Tajikistan. Population total all countries: 6,000. Khatlon Province, Vakhsh Valley villages; Kuliab and Leninabad cities. Mainly small villages. Also in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan. Alternate names: Arabic, Bukhara Arabic, Buxara Arabic, Central Asian, Jugari, Tajiji Arabic. Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
Farsi, Western
[pes] 50,000 in Tajikistan (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001). Alternate names: Persian. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Southwestern, Persian
Kyrgyz
[kir] 64,000 in Tajikistan. Classification: Altaic, Turkic, Western, Aralo-Caspian
Parya
[paq] 3,000 in Tajikistan (2008). Population total all countries: 4,250. Hissar Valley. Also in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan. Alternate names: Afghana-Yi Nasfurush, Afghana-Yi Siyarui, Laghmani, Pbharya. Dialects: May be Marwari [rwr] dialect, related to Panjabi[pan], or Laghman dialect of Southeast Pashayi [psi] of Afghanistan. Subgroups: Kalu, Jitain, Juni, Maggar, Bisiyan, Mussali, Shuiya. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Unclassified
Pashto, Southern
[pbt] 4,000 in Tajikistan (1970). Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pashto
Sanglechi-Ishkashimi
[sgl] 500 in Tajikistan. Ethnic population: 1,000 in Tajikistan (1990 A. Kibrik). Dialects: Ishkashimi (Ishkashim, Eshkashmi), Zebak (Zebaki), Sanglich. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pamir
Shughni
[sgh] 40,000 in Tajikistan (1975 SIL). 20,000 Shugan, 1,500 to 2,000 Oroshor, 15,000 Rushan. Population total all countries: 60,000. Ethnic population: 73,000 (1990 A. Kibrik) including 50,000 Shugni, 2,000 Oroshor, 18,000 Rushan, 800 Khufi, 3,000 Bartang. Gorno-Bagakhshan, Pamir Mountains. Also in Afghanistan. Alternate names: Shugnan-Rushan. Dialects: Rushani (Rushan, Roshani, Oroshani), Bartangi (Bartang), Oroshor (Roshorvi), Khufi (Khuf, Chuf), Shughni (Shugan, Shugnan, Shighni, Khugni). Khufi and Bartangi dialects may be separate languages. Oroshani may be separate from Rushani. Not intelligible with Sarikoli [srh] (called ‘Tajiki’ in China). Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pamir, Shugni-Yazgulami
Tajiki
[tgk] 3,340,000 in Tajikistan (1991). Population total all countries: 4,457,500. Also in Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation (Asia), Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. Alternate names: Galcha, Tadzhik, Tajiki Persian. Dialects: 4 groups of small dialects; no distinct boundaries. Dialect blending into Dari Persian [prs] in Afghanistan. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Southwestern, Persian
Uzbek, Northern
[uzn] 873,000 in Tajikistan. Classification: Altaic, Turkic, Eastern
Wakhi
[wbl] 7,000 in Tajikistan (1993 UBS). Ethnic population: 20,000 in Tajikistan (1990 A. Kibrik). Gorno-Badakhshan, Pamir Mountains. Alternate names: Guhjali, Khik, Vakhan, Wakhani, Wakhigi. Dialects: Western Wakhi, Central Wakhi, Eastern Wakhi. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pamir
Yagnobi
[yai] 12,000. Zafarabad; north of Dushanbe; Yagnob River, (the homeland) high mountain valley. Alternate names: Yaghnabi, Yaghnobi, Yaghnubi, Yagnabi, Yagnob, Yagnubi. Dialects: Western Yagnobi, Eastern Yagnobi. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Northeastern
Yazgulyam
[yah] 4,000 (1994 UBS). Ethnic population: 5,710. Along Yazgulyam River, Gorno-Badakhshan Ao. Alternate names: Iazgulem, Yazgulam, Yazgulyami. Dialects: Upper Yazgulyam, Lower Yazgulyam. Little dialect difference. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pamir, Shugni-Yazgulami
Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/.
Economic participation top agenda at Dushanbe Summit | Business | DAWN.COM
DUSHANBE: Iran and Tajikistan plan to construct a railway line through Afghanistan and to improve energy and water supply links between the three countries, the office of Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon said on Monday.
Rakhmon signed a joint declaration with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on improving after talks between the three leaders in the Tajik capital on Sunday, the presidential office said in a statement.
It said the three presidents “reached an understanding on how to cooperate more productively to accelerate construction of a railway from Iran to Tajikistan through Afghanistan”.
The countries also plan to build an “energy line” across the three countries to supply Iranian oil products and gas, as well as to link the electricity grids of the three countries and to supply drinking water from Tajikistan to Iran.
Tajikistan, a mountainous Central Asian state of 7.7 million people, is the poorest of 15 former Soviet republics. It relies on imported fuel, mainly from Russia, and plans to develop a hydroelectric power industry, partly with Iranian investment.
Tajikistan shares historical and cultural ties with Iran, which has the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves after Russia. Both countries border Afghanistan.
“Other countries could also become participants in these projects,” the Tajik presidential office said in the statement.
via Economic participation top agenda at Dushanbe Summit | Business | DAWN.COM.
Tajikistan Highlights Persian Roots with Novruz Celebration | EurasiaNet.org
Nothing highlights the Tajik government’s efforts to forge a distinct national identity better than the country’s annual Novruz festivities. This year, officials emphasized Tajikistan’s Persian roots during the week-long celebration. Carefully stage-managed public events steered clear of religion and politics.
Banned for much of the Soviet period, the festival of Novruz – also, Nowruz, Nawruz and a few other alternatives – derives its name from the Persian for “New Day” and marks the arrival of spring. The holiday, centering on the vernal equinox, is celebrated in much of greater Central Asia, as well as parts of the Caucasus and by Turkey’s Kurdish minority, and is believed to have originated as the Zoroastrian New Year in ancient Persia. In 2009, it was added to UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In Tajikistan, the holiday has become part of the country’s quest for a new, post-Soviet national identity. As in many former Soviet republics, that quest has involved turning to the distant, sometimes mythologized past. For Tajikistan, where the primary language is closely related to modern Farsi and the Dari spoken in Afghanistan, tapping into the lore of ancient Persia is a logical way to distinguish Tajiks from the Slavs and Turkic peoples of formerly Soviet Central Asia.
“Blessed Novruz is the greatest and most beautiful festival for the Aryan people,” read banners quoting President Imomali Rahmon, displayed around the capital, Dushanbe. The ancient Aryans are believed to be forebears of today’s Persian-speaking peoples: “Iran” is a Persian word for “land of the Aryans,” and the ancient Greeks called the greater region including Afghanistan and present-day Tajikistan “Ariana.”
via Tajikistan Highlights Persian Roots with Novruz Celebration | EurasiaNet.org.