30 Facts About Tajikistan

Tajikistan, also known as Tadzhikistan, is a Central Asian country bordered by Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

It is known for its rugged mountains, which are popular for hiking and climbing.

The Fann Mountains, located near the national capital Dushanbe, have snow-capped peaks that rise over 5,000 metres.

The range includes the Iskanderkulsky Nature Refuge, a notable bird habitat named after Iskanderkul, a turquoise lake formed by glaciers.

Tajikstan means "place of the Tajik (people)". The Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so Tajikistan literally means "Land of the Tajik [people]".

Tajikistan has been inhabited at least since the fourth millennium BC. Sarazm, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains the remains of settlements dating from the fourth to the end of the third millennium BC. It is one of Central Asia's oldest.

Tajikistan was conquered by Genghis Khan in the 13th century, along with the rest of Central Asia, and became part of the Mongol Empire.

Tajikistan was divided after 1860, with the north falling under Russian control and the south annexed by the Emirate of Bukhara.

Tajikistan became a full-fledged constituent republic of the USSR as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in 1929, after previously being part of Turkestan (1918-24) and then Uzbekistan (1924-29).

Tajikistan's flag is horizontally striped red-white-green with a gold crown in the centre. Green represents agricultural production, red represents "state sovereignty," and white represents Tajikistan's famous cotton. Above the crown is an arc of seven gold stars representing unity among the country's various social classes, including workers, peasants, and intellectuals.

Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Tajik republic declared independence and adopted the name Tajikistan.

Following anti-government protests, a civil war erupted. The war lasted from 1992 to 1997 and killed at least 20,000 people.

Tajikistan was central to the historic Silk Road, a vast network of ancient trade routes that linked China to Europe and the Middle East.

The lake of Iskanderkul, a mountain lake 4km long and 2,195m high, is one of Tajikistan's most striking beauty spots. The lake was named after Alexander the Great and is thought to be the location where his horse, Bucephalus, drowned during a battle. During the day, the water appears to change colour from turquoise to milky white.

Tajikistan is extremely mountainous, with over 90% of its territory classified as upland.

The Pamir Mountains are known locally as the "Roof of the World" due to their elevation of over 7,000 metres.

Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs) is located in the heart of the so-called "Pamir Knot," a confluence of the highest mountain ranges on the Eurasian continent.

The Fedchenko Glacier in the Pamir Mountains is the longest glacier outside of the polar regions, stretching 77 kilometres.

There are at least 1,085 glaciers listed on the site, as well as 170 rivers and over 400 lakes.

Tajikistan is the location of the world's second-highest dam. The Nurek spans the 70-kilometer-long Nurek Reservoir.

Tajikistan also began construction on what is expected to be the world's tallest dam in 2016. The planned 335m Rogun Dam will be taller than China's 305m Jinping-1 Hydropower Station. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2028.

The Pamir Highway, the world's second-highest road, is located in Tajikistan. The Pamir Highway, also known as the M41, is famous for its breathtaking scenery and remote location.

Tajikistan was struck by one of the world's deadliest earthquakes in 1907. Two earthquakes struck Qaratog and surrounding mountain villages in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, killing 12,000 people.

Tajikistan's capital city was named after a weekday. The city was founded at a crossroads where a large market took place on Mondays. Dushanbe is Persian for Monday, the second day (du) after Saturday (shambe).

Tajikistan has the second-tallest flagpole in the world. The Dushanbe Flagpole, at 165 metres, was the tallest in the world until 2014, when Saudi Arabia broke the record with a 171-meter flagpole in Jeddah.

Every year, millions of dollars in opium (heroin) pass through Tajikistan. The country shares a 1,300-kilometer border with northern Afghanistan, which produces 90% of the world's heroin. The CIA call it "one of the world's highest volume illicit drug trafficking routes".

Villagers in Tajikistan's mountains used to trick visitors into looking for Yetis (or "Abominable Snowmen"). Each village would have a designated 'Yeti witness,' whose job it was to guide visitors to remote valleys where sightings were allegedly occurring and charge them a fee for the service.

Tajikistan has the world's third-highest average elevation, after Bhutan and Nepal, at 3,186m.

Gushtingiri, a type of traditional wrestling, is Tajikistan's national sport. Towns were traditionally divided into mahallas (districts), with each district having its own alufta (tough) who was the best wrestler. The alufta, who was usually a respected member of the community, was frequently challenged by lower-ranking individuals.

Tajikistan also participates in the winter sport of Buzkashi. The game originated in Persia and is similar to polo in that it is played on horseback. The goal is to pick up a dead carcass (usually a goat) and drop it into a goal.