The Tajik form the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.
Estimates in 1995 averaged around 4.3 million. Afghan Tajik live
mainly in the Panjsher Valley north of Kabul and in the northern
and northeastern provinces of Parwan, Takhar, Badakhshan, and
also Baghlan and Samangan. Tajik also extend into the central
mountains. There is a tendency of some non-Tajik groups to classify
any Dari speaker as a member of this group. Some also tend to
categorize any urban resident who has become detribalized as Tajik.
This is particularly true in Kabul. Tajik are also found north
of Afghanistan's border in their own state of Tajikistan.
Tajik are physically from the Mediterranean substock. They speak
various Tajiki dialects of Dari, an Iranian language in the Indo-European
language family. Most are Hanafi Sunni, although a sizeable number
living in areas from Bamiyan to eastern Badakhshan are Ismaili
Shia. Tajik are not organized by tribe and refer to themselves
most often by the name of the valley or region they inhabit, such
as Panjsheri, Andarabi, Samangani, and Badakhshi. Those living
among non-Tajik, such as those living among the Pushtun who refer
to them as dehqan, often describe themselves simply as
Tajik.
Tajik are predominantly fully sedentary mountaineer farmers and
herders, who often make short-range seasonal migrations to alpine
grazing meadows during which whole families move up to the mountains
to harvest grain and melons. The Tajik areas are famous for a
wide variety of fruits and nuts which are acknowledged to be among
the finest in the country.
Many Tajik migrated to the cities, especially to Kabul, which
was primarily a Tajik town until Timur, the son of Ahmad Shah
Durrani, moved his court to Kabul in 1776 and declared it to be
the Pushtun capital. In Kabul the Tajik are still dominant and
well-represented in the uppermiddle class. Many are active in
business and in government service; others find employment as
cooks, houseboys or gardeners in the homes of foreigners. On the
off-agricultural season Tajik may join the workforce at industrial
complexes near their villages. Whether seasonally or permanently
based in cities, Tajik tend to maintain close links with their
rural kin.
Except for the short rule of the Tajik known as Bacha Saqqao
in 1928, the Tajik have not dominated politically. Since 1978,
however, several Tajik military leaders have gained substantial
recognition, the most renowned being Ahmad Shah Masood from the
Panjsher Valley. Burhanuddin Rabbani who served as President of
The Islamic State of Afghanistan from 1992-1996 is a Tajik from
Badakhshan.
Country
name Afghanistan conventional long form Islamic State of
Afghanistan conventional short form Afghanistan local long
form Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form Afghanestan former Republic of Afghanistan
Area
- total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Terrain
- mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Climate
- arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Geography
- landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide
the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in
the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
Waterways
- 1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
Natural hazards - damaging earthquakes
occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Information
Courtesy: The Library of Congress - Country Studies
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