•
In late 2022, Minority Rights Group International released a report that laid bare a long-standing truth: Tajikistan’s ethnic minorities are being systematically underserved, particularly in health, education, and political representation. For Yaghnobi communities — already facing the pressures of migration, cultural erosion, and environmental fragility — the findings came as no surprise. But they…
•
In early 2017, UNESCO updated its Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, a global reference for tracking the vitality of minority and Indigenous languages. For the first time, the map brought wider visibility to a silent crisis in Central Asia: Tajikistan’s linguistic diversity is vanishing faster than many realized. Among the more than…
•
Every ten years, Tajikistan counts its people. The results of the 2010 national census, published in late 2012, offered a statistical snapshot of the nation: how many people live in each region, what languages they speak, and how they identify. But for some communities, the numbers didn’t just count — they erased. Among the…
•
In the mountains of Tajikistan, distance has always shaped life. For the people of Yaghnob, the steep passes and narrow valleys do more than separate villages—they preserve traditions, languages, and ways of living that have lasted centuries. But in 2011, things began to shift. That summer, a new bridge opened in Vanj, linking eastern…
•
In the wake of the 2007 summit in Dushanbe, the idea of a Yaghnob Natural-Ethnographic Park arose as a solution, merging environmental protection, cultural heritage, and community development. Although the park hasn’t been formally established as of 2011, renewed interest and similar projects suggest re-evaluating its feasibility. Roots of the Proposal In the early…
•
In October 2007, a conference called “Ancient Sogdiana: Past, Present and Future” was held in Dushanbe. It brought together government officials, academics, community leaders, and people from the Yagnobi community. For two days, the Yagnob Valley was the main topic, focusing on how to protect its culture, promote sustainable development, and encourage cooperation. The…
•
In 2009, the Republic of Tajikistan passed a new Law on the State Language, which formally came into effect in 2010. While the law reinforced the use of Tajik as the national language, it also included a notable provision: minority languages such as Yaghnobi and Pamiri were explicitly recognized as part of the country’s…
•
It has been several months since scholars, development agencies, government officials, and Yaghnobi community members gathered in Dushanbe for the First International Conference on the Preservation and Sustainable Development of the Yaghnob Valley. Held in October 2007 under the title “Ancient Sogdiana: Past, Present and Future”, the event marked a turning point in Tajikistan’s…
•
Inside the 2007 Conference “Ancient Sogdiana: Past, Present, and Future” The halls of the Kayon Hotel in Dushanbe were unusually animated this October. It is the first time that local elders, government officials, international linguists, and ecologists are sitting at the same table — not just to discuss research or reminisce over ancient history,…