Yagnob Valley
Encyclopedia
Yagnob Valley North West Tajikistan
, is situated between the southern slope of the Zarafshan Range
and the northern slope of the Gissar Range
. The valley is formed by the Yagnob River
and belongs to the Zarafshan basin. It is between 2,500 and 3,000 metres above sea level and virtually inaccessible for six months of the year.
Yagnob Valley is home to the Yaghnobi people
, a people directly descended from the ancient Sogdian
civilization of Central Asia
. Due to its natural isolation and limited accessibility, the people of Yagnob Valley have been able to preserve their distinct lifestyle, culture and language, Yagnobi, which is closely related to ancient Soghdian. One can also find that pre-Islamic beliefs and customs are still alive in the valley today. The valley contains approximately ten settlements, each housing between three and eight families.
led the first scientific expedition to Yagnob Valley. The so called “Mystery of Yagnob” was introduced to the world by German scientist G. Kapusa in 1883 in his article Yagnob Valley and its People, published in the European Journal of Geography. The author highlighted the unique nature of this valley, the language of its people and the need for further research.
However, the valley has only become the focus of public attention in the last 17 years, with a number of expeditions, as well as national and international publications dedicated to Yagnob Valley. In 1990, after Glasnost
, reforms made it possible for the Tajik Cultural Fund to organize expeditions, and historian Oleg Panfilov published articles on the valley. The subsequent period of Civil war in Tajikistan put any further field research by international researchers on hold. Nevertheless, some Russian scientists continued their research. In the early 90s, the Mountain Geo-system Research Lab of the Institute of Geography at the Russian Academy of Science, with support from private sector, the Soros Foundation
and Tajik Social and Ecological Union, were actively engaged in field research in the valley. In 2001 Alexei Gunya presented the findings in his book,Yagnob Valley – nature, history, and chances of a mountain community development in Tajikistan – which presents the most complete history of the valley, its agricultural practices and topography.
, who swept through Central Asia
. The ancient Sogdians, and their direct descendants, the Yagnobi, continued to live in their isolated valley home for centuries, surviving the successive waves of invaders that destroyed surrounding areas.
farmers continued to graze their herds in the valley, and maintain their cemeteries and sacred places.
Provincial Executive Committee issued a decree which authorized limited government assistance to the returning Yagnobis. Some state funds were allocated, and a new road was built between Margib and Khishirtoba.
During the time of Perestroika
, Yagnobi people had an opportunity to return to their native land. However, it is disappointing to see that up until now the government has not turned its attention to this issue and has not made enough effort to provide all the necessary social-economic conditions for life in the valley. At the same time, the Tajik authorities and society have been striving to discover the roots of their magnificent past in other ancient civilizations, whilst overlooking the fact that the Yagnob Valley, its people and its language, hold direct links to their past.
The residents of Yagnob Valley pooled their own resources, and built a road up to Bedef village. However, this road is deteriorating as there is no more funding for maintenance work. The valley is still effectively isolated for more than six months of the year and people are deprived of access to the outside world, and most importantly, to emergency health services.
Recently a new road leading to the very heart of the valley was built. It has brought mixed blessings to the Yagnobis: On one hand, they have increased access to the outside world, but on the other hand, more and more outsiders are tempted to use the valley for economic activities.
The current population of the valley is about 280-350 people (70-120 families), depending on the season, but younger people have been less eager to settle there due to the lack of health and educational facilities available to them.
In 2007, TSEU, Ayni Development Committee, UNDP-Ayni Regional Office, the UK government and independent researchers renewed these initiatives to save and protect the valley, and the lifestyles and language of its people. They prepared a report entitled, Brief scientific feasibility study and proposed pre-project activities for establishing the Yagnob Natural Ethnography park (YNEP).
Advocates have been long calling for a special status to be given to the valley and the Yagnobi language. One way of doing this would be to create the YNEP - the first in the northern region of Tajikistan
. It would protect the valley from increased environmentally damaging activities such as overgrazing
, and would encourage sustainable and responsible tourism.
Plans for the YNEP were discussed and approved in the first international scientific conference on the environmental and developmental issues in Yagnob Valley, Ancient Sogdiana: Past, Present and Future (conducted on 18–19 October 2007 in Dushanbe
, Tajikistan
.
The conference delegates have produced an appeal to the government and citizens of Tajikistan
, and to international organizations, for support in the establishment of the Yagnob Natural Ethnography Park and for help in sustainably and responsibly developing the Yagnob Valley and improving its infrastructure.
The conference concluded that the main task is to improve living conditions for Yagnobi people and enhance their lives. The Yagnobi community, for its part, should play a more active role and be involved in all subsequent actions, designing and implementing their own development projects.
sada):
Lower Dictrict: Khishortob, Farkow
, Pushoytamen, Worsowut
;
Middle District: Marghtumayn
, Mushtif, Alowmayn
, Waghinzoy, Shakhsara, Showeta, Dumzoy
, Khisoki Darv
, Nomitkon
, Chukkat
, Bidew
, Kashi
, Pulla Rowut
, Tag-i Chanor
, Pitip;
Upper District: Upper Gharmen
, Lower Gharmen
, Simich
, Sokan
, Dahana, Qul
, Piskon
, Padipast
, Nodmayn, Dehbaland, Witikhon
, Tagob
, Kansi
, Kiryonti
, Dehkalon
, Navobod
.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, is situated between the southern slope of the Zarafshan Range
Zarafshan Range
The Zarafshan Range is a mountain range in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, part of the Pamir-Alay mountains. It stretches south of the Zeravshan River. The range extends over 370 km in the east-west direction along the south of Sughd Province in Tajikistan, reaching the highest point of 5,489 m in its...
and the northern slope of the Gissar Range
Gissar Range
Gissar Range is a mountain range in Central Asia, in the western part of the Pamir-Alay system, stretching over 200 km in the general east-west direction across the territory of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan...
. The valley is formed by the Yagnob River
Yaghnob River
The Yaghnob River is a tributary of the Zeravshan River of Sughd , Tajikistan. Its valley is the location of the Yaghnobi people and Yaghnobi language. The river flows west south of and parallel to the upper Zarafshan River. It joins the east-flowing Iskander River to form the Fan River which...
and belongs to the Zarafshan basin. It is between 2,500 and 3,000 metres above sea level and virtually inaccessible for six months of the year.
Yagnob Valley is home to the Yaghnobi people
Yaghnobi people
Yaghnobi people, or Yagnobian people, is the name of an isolated people who live in the Sughd province of Tajikistan in the valleys of the Yagnob, Kul and Varzob rivers. These are the last living relics of the great Sogdian nation that once inhabited most of Central Asia beyond the Oxus/Amu Darya...
, a people directly descended from the ancient Sogdian
Sogdian
Sogdian may refer to* anything pertaining to Sogdiana, an ancient civilization of Iranian peoplesand in particular to* the Sogdian language* or the Sogdian people...
civilization of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. Due to its natural isolation and limited accessibility, the people of Yagnob Valley have been able to preserve their distinct lifestyle, culture and language, Yagnobi, which is closely related to ancient Soghdian. One can also find that pre-Islamic beliefs and customs are still alive in the valley today. The valley contains approximately ten settlements, each housing between three and eight families.
Expeditions to Yagnob Valley
Topographers and Russian military expeditions have been visiting the valley since the 1820s. In the 1870s General Abramov of RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
led the first scientific expedition to Yagnob Valley. The so called “Mystery of Yagnob” was introduced to the world by German scientist G. Kapusa in 1883 in his article Yagnob Valley and its People, published in the European Journal of Geography. The author highlighted the unique nature of this valley, the language of its people and the need for further research.
However, the valley has only become the focus of public attention in the last 17 years, with a number of expeditions, as well as national and international publications dedicated to Yagnob Valley. In 1990, after Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
, reforms made it possible for the Tajik Cultural Fund to organize expeditions, and historian Oleg Panfilov published articles on the valley. The subsequent period of Civil war in Tajikistan put any further field research by international researchers on hold. Nevertheless, some Russian scientists continued their research. In the early 90s, the Mountain Geo-system Research Lab of the Institute of Geography at the Russian Academy of Science, with support from private sector, the Soros Foundation
Soros Foundation
A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and self-proclaimed philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the...
and Tajik Social and Ecological Union, were actively engaged in field research in the valley. In 2001 Alexei Gunya presented the findings in his book,Yagnob Valley – nature, history, and chances of a mountain community development in Tajikistan – which presents the most complete history of the valley, its agricultural practices and topography.
Early history
The valley first became inhabited in the 8th century. The population was made up of Sogdians, fleeing the armies of the Arab CaliphateCaliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
, who swept through Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. The ancient Sogdians, and their direct descendants, the Yagnobi, continued to live in their isolated valley home for centuries, surviving the successive waves of invaders that destroyed surrounding areas.
The Soviet Years
Yagnob Valley faced major challenges in the 1970s, when its entire population was forcibly removed and resettled in the Zafarabad region. However, links to the valley were not entirely cut - some YagnobiYaghnobi people
Yaghnobi people, or Yagnobian people, is the name of an isolated people who live in the Sughd province of Tajikistan in the valleys of the Yagnob, Kul and Varzob rivers. These are the last living relics of the great Sogdian nation that once inhabited most of Central Asia beyond the Oxus/Amu Darya...
farmers continued to graze their herds in the valley, and maintain their cemeteries and sacred places.
Recent history
A slow renaissance of the valley began at the end of the 1980s when some Yagnobi families returned to their ancestral homes. In 1990, LeninabadLeninabad
- Azerbaijan :*Leninabad, Nakhchivan*Leninabad, Shamkir*Sanqalan*Təklə, Gobustan...
Provincial Executive Committee issued a decree which authorized limited government assistance to the returning Yagnobis. Some state funds were allocated, and a new road was built between Margib and Khishirtoba.
During the time of Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, Yagnobi people had an opportunity to return to their native land. However, it is disappointing to see that up until now the government has not turned its attention to this issue and has not made enough effort to provide all the necessary social-economic conditions for life in the valley. At the same time, the Tajik authorities and society have been striving to discover the roots of their magnificent past in other ancient civilizations, whilst overlooking the fact that the Yagnob Valley, its people and its language, hold direct links to their past.
The residents of Yagnob Valley pooled their own resources, and built a road up to Bedef village. However, this road is deteriorating as there is no more funding for maintenance work. The valley is still effectively isolated for more than six months of the year and people are deprived of access to the outside world, and most importantly, to emergency health services.
Recently a new road leading to the very heart of the valley was built. It has brought mixed blessings to the Yagnobis: On one hand, they have increased access to the outside world, but on the other hand, more and more outsiders are tempted to use the valley for economic activities.
The current population of the valley is about 280-350 people (70-120 families), depending on the season, but younger people have been less eager to settle there due to the lack of health and educational facilities available to them.
Yagnob Natural Enthonography Park
In 1991 a team led by Anvar J. Buzurukov, Head of Protected Areas Department of Ministry of Environment and Tajik Social&Ecological Union (TSEU), with support from Ayni district authorities began development of a technical proposal to develop a natural and ethnographical park in Yagnob Valley. Unfortunately, the civil war of 1992-97 put these plans on hold.In 2007, TSEU, Ayni Development Committee, UNDP-Ayni Regional Office, the UK government and independent researchers renewed these initiatives to save and protect the valley, and the lifestyles and language of its people. They prepared a report entitled, Brief scientific feasibility study and proposed pre-project activities for establishing the Yagnob Natural Ethnography park (YNEP).
Advocates have been long calling for a special status to be given to the valley and the Yagnobi language. One way of doing this would be to create the YNEP - the first in the northern region of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
. It would protect the valley from increased environmentally damaging activities such as overgrazing
Overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or by overpopulations of native or non-native wild animals.Overgrazing reduces the...
, and would encourage sustainable and responsible tourism.
Plans for the YNEP were discussed and approved in the first international scientific conference on the environmental and developmental issues in Yagnob Valley, Ancient Sogdiana: Past, Present and Future (conducted on 18–19 October 2007 in Dushanbe
Dushanbe
-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
.
The conference delegates have produced an appeal to the government and citizens of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, and to international organizations, for support in the establishment of the Yagnob Natural Ethnography Park and for help in sustainably and responsibly developing the Yagnob Valley and improving its infrastructure.
The conference concluded that the main task is to improve living conditions for Yagnobi people and enhance their lives. The Yagnobi community, for its part, should play a more active role and be involved in all subsequent actions, designing and implementing their own development projects.
Villages of Yaghnob
Yaghnobi villages were divided into 3 dictricts (YaghnobiYaghnobi language
The Yaghnobi language is a living East Iranian language . Yaghnobi is spoken in the upper valley of the Yaghnob River in the Zarafshan area of Tajikistan by the Yaghnobi people...
sada):
Lower Dictrict: Khishortob, Farkow
Farkow
Farkow is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Pushoytamen, Worsowut
Worsowut
Worsowut or Worsowt is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
;
Middle District: Marghtumayn
Marghtumayn
Marghtumayn is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Mushtif, Alowmayn
Alowmayn
Alowmayn or Olowmayn is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Waghinzoy, Shakhsara, Showeta, Dumzoy
Dumzoy
Dumzoy is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Khisoki Darv
Khisoki Darv
Khisoki Darv or Khisoki Dawr is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Nomitkon
Nomitkon
Nomitkon is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Chukkat
Chukkat, Yaghnob
Chukkat is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Bidew
Bidew
Bidew or Bidev is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Kashi
Kashi, Yaghnob
Kashi is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Pulla Rowut
Pulla Rowut
Pulla Rowut is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Tag-i Chanor
Tag-i Chanor
Tag-i Chanor or Rowut is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Pitip;
Upper District: Upper Gharmen
Upper Gharmen
Upper Gharmen is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Lower Gharmen
Lower Gharmen
Lower Gharmen is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Simich
Simich
Simich is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Sokan
Sokan, Yaghnob
Sokan is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Dahana, Qul
Qul
Qul is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Piskon
Piskon
Piskon is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Padipast
Padipast
Padipast is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Nodmayn, Dehbaland, Witikhon
Witikhon
Witikhon is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Tagob
Tagob
Tagob is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Kansi
Kansi, Yaghnob
Kansi is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Kiryonti
Kiryonti
Kiryonti is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Dehkalon
Dehkalon
Dehkalon is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
, Navobod
Navobod
Navobod or Nawobod is a village in western Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province north east of Anzob....
.