Tajikistan Trivia

1. Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan, but what was the city's name between 1929-1961?

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Stalinabad

What is now Dushanbe was known as "Dyushambe" in Russian until 1929, when the city was renamed "Stalinabad" after Soviet dictator, Josef Stalin. The name "Dushanbe" means "Monday" in the Tajik language and was named so because of a popular market that was held every Monday when Dushanbe was a small village, expanding the industry, commerce and population of the area.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Afghanistan

Tajikistan does border Kyrgyzstan, but Kyrgyzstan lies north. Tajikistan also borders Uzbekistan and China, but Uzbekistan lies north and west and China lies north and east. The border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is around 610 miles (985 km) and stretches from the tripoint border around Uzbekistan, to the one with China. The border has been a state of contention between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and clashes along the border (including disputes about water supplies) occurred throughout 2021-2022. The border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan is just over 840 miles in length, (around 1,360 km) and has also been subject to border clashes and international disputes throughout history.

From Quiz What's the Plan, Stan? Tajikistan, That Is

Answer: Seven represents perfection

There is a Tajik legend about heaven. It states that heaven is comprised of seven beautiful orchids. The orchids are separated by seven mountains, and each mountain has a radiant star on top. As the Islamic religion states that seven is the "perfect" number in many instances, seven "perfect" stars were chosen to place on the flag, to symbolize the perfect Islamic heaven.

From Quiz Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Answer: Monday

Dushanbe was called Dyushambe until 1929, when it adopted the name Stalinabad. It was named for the word 'Monday', because the city was developed in a village that was at one time a popular Monday marketplace.

From Quiz Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Answer: Soviet Union

Tajikistan, or Tajik SSR as it was known, was one of 15 republics that made up the USSR, or the Soviet Union. They controlled the area until Tajikistan gained its independence in 1991.

From Quiz What's the Plan, Stan? Tajikistan, That Is

Answer: Black Lake

Qaraqul (more commonly called Karakul or Black Lake) is Tajikistan's largest lake, and is only 32 miles in diameter. The lake lies in an impact crater created millions of years ago. The lake has no outlet; no flow of water goes anywhere. Water loss is only through evaporation.

From Quiz Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Answer: Mountainous

Tajikistan is covered by the mountains of the Pamir mountain range. Over half of the country has an altitude of over 3000 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level!

From Quiz What's the Plan, Stan? Tajikistan, That Is

Answer: Raiony Respublikanskogo Podchineniya

Dushanbe, the country's capital, is found within the Region of Republican Subordination, which is known as RRP. This is the abbreviation for the Russian name of the province: Raiony Respublikanskogo Podchineniya. The other three regions are Sughd, Khatlon, and Gorno-Badakhshan (abbreviated as GBAO). These provinces are further divided into 58 districts and 367 jamoats. The jamoats are further divided into qyshloqs (villages).

From Quiz What's the Plan, Stan? Tajikistan, That Is

Answer: Ismoil Somoni Peak

Ismoil Somoni (or Ismail Samani) ruled over the Samanid Dynasty from 892 to his death in 907. The Ismoil Somoni Peak, the highest in Tajikistan, stands at 24,590 feet (7,495 meters). Samani is an important figure in Tajikistan; there is also a large statue of him in Dushanbe.

From Quiz Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Answer: Wakhan Corridor

The Wakhan Corridor is part of Afghanistan and it runs between Tajikistan and Pakistan. It is sometimes called the Wakhan Salient, and in some places is less than ten miles wide. It was once part of the Silk Road, but was later closed to normal traffic.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Rudaki

Rudaki was an 8th century poet and is often described as "Adam of the poets." Unfortunately, only a small fragment of his work has survived history, but he is still considered the father of classical Persian literature. Other renowned authors on the wall include the poet Mirzo Tursunzoda (1911-1977), the Russian author, Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), the Iranian astronomer and mathematician, Omar Khayyam (1048-1131), Iranian writer Abolqasem Lahouti (1887-1957), Uzbeki author and intellectual Sadriddin Ayni (1878-1954) and the Afghani poet, Nūr ad-Dīn 'Abd ar-Rahmān Jāmī (1414-1492), as well as others. The Writers Union Building was constructed in the 1980s by architect E. Salikhov. Although it is purported to be a Tajik writers monument, only two of the writers featured on the wall were Tajik born, including Mirzo Tursunzoda and Rudaki, the latter of whom has a nearby park named after him. However, Sadriddin Ayni was born in the area of what is now Uzbekistan, but was the first to write a complete novel in the Tajik language. The tomb of Rudaki is located in the Fan mountains, in the north-west of Tajikistan. After Rudaki's grave was found and confirmed to be authentic, the area was turned into a mausoleum in 1958.

From Quiz Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Answer: Tajik

Tajik is the only official language of Tajikistan. However, Russian is its unofficial language for inter-ethnic communication. Tajik is a variety of the Persian language and is the most common language in Tajikistan.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Penjikent

The Penjikent murals are one of the most famous and well-preserved examples of pre-Islamic society in Sogdiana. Sogdiana (also called "Sogdia") was an ancient Iranian society spanning an area of what is now modern-day Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Sogdians were successful traders along the Silk Road between the 5th and 8th centuries. The murals show Sogdian society was heavily influenced by Indian culture, with depictions of Weshparkar, the Sogdian equivalent of the Hindu god, Shiva. There are also depictions from the Panchatantra, a series of fables from India. There are also depictions of Rostam, a hero in Persian mythology. Many of these murals are displayed in Dushanbe's National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan, and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Penjikent is located on the river Zeravshan, a river known for its gold deposits (with "Zeravshan" meaning "spreader of gold" in Persian), in Tajikistan's Sughd province.

From Quiz Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Answer: Civil War

The civil war in Tajikistan began in 1992 with protesters who were against the presidential elections and who felt they were not fairly represented in the country. On June 26, 1997, the two sides came to an agreement and a peace accord was signed, ending the fighting. Over 50,000 were estimated to have been killed during the war.

From Quiz What's the Plan, Stan? Tajikistan, That Is

Answer: Sunni

Islam is by far the most prevalent religion practiced in Tajikistan. In fact, it is practiced by roughly 98% of the population. 95% of the population practices Sunni Islam, and only 3% practice Shia Islam. The remaining 2% of the religious population is scattered across many other minority religions, including Catholicism and Buddhism.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Ismoil Somoni

The statue of Ismoil Somoni had stood in the middle of Dushanbe since 1999, and honors the 10th century founder of the Samanid dynasty, Ismoil Somoni. Somoni is revered as a national hero by most of Tajikistan, and the statue of the ancient king is adorned with gold against the rest of its darker contours. The arch surrounding the statue is just over 140 feel (43 m) tall. The statue itself is around 42 feet (13 m) tall. The statue holds a sceptre displaying seven stars in its right hand, which also features on the national flag of Tajikistan. The statue was established on the 1,000th anniversary of the Samanid State, which was in existence between 819 - 999. Somoni used his power as leader of this dynasty to spread Islam throughout the country.

From Quiz What's the Plan, Stan? Tajikistan, That Is

Answer: They have a system of free education

Tajikistan has a population of well over seven million, and most of the population are very poor. However, they maintain an old Soviet system of free education. This allows even the poorest of children to be able to learn the basics; reading and writing. However, girls do not usually complete their primary education due to being below the poverty line, and also because there is a strong gender bias in the country. However, they learn enough to be considered literate; therefore, Tajikistan has an extremely high literacy rate. In fact, in 2011, on a list of countries with the highest literacy rate, Tajikistan ranked 12th!

From Quiz Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Answer: Land of the Tajiks

The territory of Tajikistan was once part of the Persian Empire and has continued to be influenced by Persian culture. The word "Tajik" has been used to define the difference between Turks and Iranians since the 10th century.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Bokhtar

Bokhtar is located in the southwest of Tajikistan, around 60 miles (100 km) south of the capital, Dushanbe. The city of Kunduz, Afghanistan, is around 90 miles (150 km) south of Bokhtar. Bokhtar is the largest city in the south of Tajikistan and faced Bolshevik invasion and occupation in 1922. The area then became industrialized, with what is now Bokhtar becoming the centre for cotton production in the country. Irrigation canals were established, and the swampy marshes converted into cotton fields. As a result, there was an increase in the area's population. Bokhtar was also once called Kurganteppa (Russian), and Bokhtar International Airport is still often referred to by its Russian name. After Tajikistan gained independence, a civil war broke out in the country with Bokhtar taking the brunt of the fighting, beginning in 1992. The casualties are estimated between 20,000-150,000.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Istaravshan

Located atop a staircase of around 300 steps, the bust of Lenin is located just south of the town of Istaravshan, on the edge of a reservoir. Standing since the Soviet era of Tajikistan, the bust is not the tallest statue of Lenin in Tajikstan, with the standing statue of Lenin in Khujand, Tajikistan, being the tallest at 78 feet (12 m) high. However, the statue of Lenin around Istaravshan is the largest statue of him in the country in the style of a bust. The fingers of the statue measure over 3 feet (1m) in length, and the bust is around 65 feet (20 m) tall.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Khoja Mashad

The Khoja Mashad Mausoleum is the only carved wooden mausoleum to have survived history in Central Asia. It is a very rare extant example of a pre-Mongolian madrasa. The complex is actually two mausoleums which are joined by a passageway. It consists of baked brick and wood designed in a fir tree pattern. It is located around 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Dushanbe. Khoja Mashad arrived what is now Tajikistan in the late 9th century, or the early 10th century. He was a wealthy man and used his means to preach Islam in the area. The mausoleum is believed to have been built by him, and the locals decided to bury him there after how much he had put in to it.

From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan

Answer: Tursunzoda

Construction began on the Tajik Aluminium Company (TALCO) in 1972, and was fully in use by 1975. The true ownership of the plant has been subject to speculation for many years, with management changes happening frequently and unclear offshore finances. Tajikistan does not mine aluminium of its own, but imports materials via tolling arrangements. In 2008, TALCO provided a third of the country's GDP. The plant was in the papers during the four year case, TALCO v. Abdukadir Ganievich Ermatov, as one of the most expensive court proceeding to ever take place in London High Court. The Tajik government was criticiseds for spending so much money on court proceedings during a cold winter, as thousands of Tajik families were suffering electricity shortages alongside bitter temperatures. The case centred on accusations of corruption and bribery. Tursunzoda is located in the west of Tajikistan, near the country's border with Uzbekistan, just under 40 miles (60 km) west of Dushanbe.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:50 AM

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