Sogdiana: From Bukhara to Boston

Iran's President - An Embarrassment to the Persian-Speaking World

2005-12-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

Although I was initially dismayed when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hard-line Islamist, was elected president of Iran, I harbored hopes that perhaps he was not quite as extreme as he was reputed to be. Or, I thought that maybe even if he was personally very extreme, the existence of a large, mostly moderate post-revolution Iranian population would temper his views. Needless to say, I was totally incorrect. Although not from Iran, I feel a deep sense of shame as someone of Persian heritage that this individual is the face of Iran to the world, as Iran and Persian-speakers (even those from Afghanistan and former Soviet Central Asia) are inextricably linked. That this narrow-minded, hateful, ignorant person represents a nation with such a glorious and ancient history as Iran is an absolute travesty. First, there were his absolutely abhorrent comments about Israel, in which he described it as a "tumor" to be "wiped off the map." This is tantamount to a call to genocide, and a real cause for concern coming from the leader of one of the more formidably armed nations in the region. This angered me even more, considering that in principle, Iran has nothing to do with the Arab-Israeli conflict, despite the false attempts to cast the conflict into a Muslim-Jewish war - more on that later. For now, suffice to say that as Persians, it has nothing to do with us, and nothing to do with Mr. Ahmadinejad. Another disturbing trend has been his zeal to pursue the nuclear program. Official Iranian protests that it is simply for an energy source are laughable coming from an oil and gas-rich country that also has ample hydroelectrical resources. The fact is, they are developing weapons at enormous cost, despite the fact that the money could be better directed towards alleviating the poverty that is widespread in Iran, particularly rural areas. It is part of the larger tragedy, where Iran's wealth has been squandered by incompetent, corrupt, fanatical mullahs who have used Islam as a means to entrench themselves in the seat of power. If anyone continued to have doubts as to whether Ahmadinejad was a total fanatic zealot, he soon dispelled them in the infamous video that is circling Iran and the world. In this, he describes to another cleric how he was surrounded by divine light and filled with an unearthly power as he addressed the United Nations, transfixing the world's leaders in the glow of Islam. I consider myself a Muslim, and I am personally repelled whenever I see him speak, so I thought that was a particularly off-putting thought. Most recently, he has banned all Western music from Iran, which supposedly corrupts its people. Does he think that Iranians are so stupid and malleable that the mere sound of an American song will drive them to debauchery? I would think that a greater threat to Iranian society is the cheap heroin and opium that floods over the nation's border with Afghanistan. Perhaps instead of spending millions on nuclear weapons, he would be better advised to directing his energy and money into developing both his own country (so that the hopeless, unemployed youth will have something to do besides consume drugs), and providing increased targeted aid to Afghanistan, to achieve greater stability and the rule of law there. I highly doubt he will do this though - far easier to allow Iran's economic and societal problems to fester and blame them on the United States and Israel, as Ahmadinejad and other hypocritical Muslim leaders prefer to do.

Photo credit: www.kashar.net

Shabi Chila - The Longest Night of the Year

2005-12-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday the 21st of December is the Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. For the Iranian peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and other parts of Central and Southwestern Asia, this night is called Chila or Yalda/Yaldo (Yalda is Farsi, or Irani Persian, and Yaldo is Tajiki Persian). The name "Chila" is derived from the word "chil," which means "forty," because it falls 40 days before the next festival, which is the festival of Sada in January. Periods of 40 days are very significant in Tajik and other Iranian cultures - for example, there is a 40-day period of mourning after a death in the family, a 40-day period of seclusion for a new mother and her newborn child, etc. "Yaldo" is a later word, which is derived from the Aramaic term for "birth." The holiday gets this name because on this day we celebrate the birth of light and its victory over darkness. In the Zoroastrian religion of our ancestors, the world is a battleground between the good, divine force, Urmazd (represented by light, personified by fire), and the force of evil, Ahriman, who is represented by darkness. The two are locked in a constant battle, and on Shabi Chila (shab = night), Ahriman's power is at its zenith because the darkness lasts longer than on any other day. To ward off evil, gatherings of families and friends take place, huge meals are prepared, and activities such as fortune-telling, singing, and dancing take place. In addition, Tajik people light fires, both in their fireplaces and outside, near flowing water. The significance of flowing water is that it is thought to be a conduit between the living and the souls of our ancestors. People also burn "ispand," a holy herb that is used to ward off evil and bring blessings upon the house and those who partake in the ispand ritual. Ispand also derives from our Zoroastrian days, since it comes from the word "spinta," which means "holy" in Avestan, the language of the Zoroastrian holy book. In fact, in our dialect of Tajik, we pronounce the word "spant," rather than "ispand" as it is said in standard Tajik. After years of not celebrating the holiday because I was away from family, I am finally going to a Chila party this year, and I am very excited! I can't wait, and I'm sure I'll have something to say about it in later posts. For all of you out there, whether you are Tajik, Irani, Afghan, or from some other Chila-celebrating culture, or not, Chila is a lot of fun. Light a fire, cook some food, and have your friends over, it's a good excuse for a party!

Photo credit: The photo shows the sun rising over the "apadana" or reception hall of Great Palace at Persepolis, the old seat of the Hakhamonishi (Achaemenid) kings of Persia. This picture comes from http://www.artarena.force9.co.uk/yalda.htm. There is lots of interesting information on Chila/Yaldo and other holidays on this website if you want to learn more.

What is Sogdiana?

2005-11-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

It occured to me after someone asked that most people have no idea what Sogdiana is, which makes the name of my blog sort of strange. Sogdiana was the name of much of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in antiquity, up until the middle ages. It got its name from the Sogdian people, who were an ancient Iranian people indigenous to the region. The Sogdians, along with the Bactrians (who lived in Bactriana, just to the south) and the Parthians (who lived in Parthia, to the southwest of Sogdiana) are the primary ancestors of today's Tajiks.
The map here shows where Sogdiana was - to the north you can see the Aral Sea, and to the west, across what is now Turkmenistan, is the Caspian Sea. The cities of Bukhara and Samarqand are also there, and they were important centers of the Sogdian empire. In Persian, particularly the dialects of the former USSR and Afghanistan, there is a considerable Sogdian element in the vocabulary, and Sogdian place names abound in the region. Despite having been one of the most important languages of the region, as the Sogdians were a wealthy and cultured Silk Road civilization, after the Arab conquest the language went into decline. By the 10th century or so, it was largely dead, with one exception. In the Yaghnob valley in Tajikistan, a few thousand people, the Yaghnobis, continue to speak a Sogdian dialect. Thus, modern Tajiks, particularly those from such Sogdian centers as Bukhara, continue to have a strong sense of attachment to the Sogdian heritage. I have also put a map of Central Asia as it is today, just to get a sense of what part of the world I am referring to in many of my posts. I would also include Afghanistan in Central Asia, both from a geographical and from an ethnolinguistic point of view.

Map Credits: Sogdia map - www.proel.org, Central Asia map - www.ferninternational.com

Thanksgiving

2005-11-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

For a large part of November, I have been sort of out of action because I was out of the country. Some family matters required me to take a trip to the other side of the world, to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. It might sound like a total cliche to say this, but going over there opens your eyes to the level of misery that some people undergo in their lives. Never have I felt so rich and so blessed, while simultaneously feeling so utterly helpless and guilty in the face of human suffering. Of course, this is not my first time to that part of the world, but it is my first time as an independent adult, at a maturity level where I feel that I can truly comprehend what I am seeing. Around the city of Peshawar, it was truly heartbreaking to see the kids, mostly Afghan refugees, performing the most menial tasks for literally pennies, all just to be able to stay alive. While some might ask why they haven't gone back to Afghanistan, for many of these children, there is nothing to go back to. Their homes have long since been destroyed, the land around their villages mined, the networks of social support shattered as people were either killed or scattered by the years of violence. One child in particular sticks out...he was by the side of the road, waiting for customers to come to get their shoes polished, a service for which he charged five rupees (60 rupees = $1.00). First of all, had there been justice in the world, he would have been making tons of money here as a child model/actor. I have rarely seen a child whose looks were so striking - at the age of around 10, it was already apparent that in just a few years, he would be melting more than a few hearts. I didn't really need my shoes shined, but I gave him 10 rupees, and he insisted on polishing them anyway. Then he wanted to do the same for my grandmother, and when he was done, she gave him another 10 rupees, which he refused, saying that he'd already been paid. I was absolutely stunned by his honesty - when that small sum of money could make such a difference to him, his own goodness prevented him from taking it. She insisted he take it anyway. I spoke with him, and asked him about going to school, and he said he couldn't because his family was too poor. I asked him how he would get out of povery if he couldn't read or write, to which he replied - "I know that I will always be like this, there is no other option for me." I literally had to hold back tears at that moment, and every time I think of it. I asked him how much his shoe-shine equipment cost him, and when he told me, I gave him enough to buy his equipment for several months. At first he refused the money, but I insisted, asking him for one thing in return - that he swear to me that when he had children of his own, he would do everything to make sure that both boys and girls would go to school. When he took the money from my hand, which was the equivalent of about $5.00, his face literally lit up, and his eyes were shining with joy. All I did was give him $5.00, and he showed such pure happiness on his face, as if I'd given him a new car or something. With all the hardship in their lives, children like this still have the ability to smile, and to be happy. It really humbled me - how often do I truly appreciate the value of what I have? And how often have I been ungrateful, wishing for more, wanting more, when in reality, I have more than someone like this could ever dream of? And the difference between the two of us is nothing more than a trick of fate. We are both Central Asian, both Persian-speaking, both Muslim, we could even pass for relatives...and yet he is shining shoes by a roadside, and I have a comfortable apartment, nice clothes, and food in my refrigerator. Thanksgiving this year had extra meaning for me, because I truly am grateful from the bottom of my heart for what I have. It also renewed my resolve to try and do things in my life which will benefit children like the little shoeshiner. There are several organizations doing things for Afghan children, among the main ones being:

www.helptheafghanchildren.org

www.oxfam.org

www.savethechilren.com

Just remember, a tiny amount of money for you can make a world of difference in their lives - something to think about at this time of year, when we are giving thanks for all of the blessings that we have.

Photo credits: The picture on this post comes from www.oxfam.org - I did not take pictures for most of the trip because I was concerned about sticking out as someone from abroad with money and things to steal.

Halloween

2005-11-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Despite all the bad things happening in the world, this particular post is just going to be about what an absolute blast I had over Halloween weekend...and by weekend, I mean Saturday night, Sunday night, and Monday night! We started out the festivities on a very ethnic note, as I went to a Persian Halloween party at MIT. I went with a good group of people, so it was fun, but the turnout was a little disappointing. In previous years, the hall was packed, but this year it was maybe half-full. Also, the music wasn't great - WAY too much Arabic, English, and cheesy Iranian "techno" as opposed to good, danceable Persian music. Anyway, I still had fun. The next night, Sunday, I actually dressed up in costume, and Ryan and I went to Avalon, which was having a huge Halloween bash. As you will see in the picture, I was Alladin and Ryan was Spiderman, and if I do say so myself, I think our costumes were pretty amazing. Avalon was an absolute blast - we spent much of the night breaking it down on top of one of the boxes, and Ryan was spraying everyone with silly string although they had no idea where it was coming from. It was great....but the fun wasn't over yet. The next day, two of our friends drove up from Providence and we all went to see Gwen Stefani and the Black-Eyed Peas at the Fleet Center. Not only am I a huge fan of both, but it was my very first American concert. It was absolutely amazing...I couldn't believe how huge it was, how many people were there, and how awesome the energy of the place was. Suffice to say, I had one of the greatest nights of my life, to top off an amazing weekend.

Some Music

2005-10-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

So, after my little rant about Pakistan, I decided maybe I should put something a little more lighthearted up as well. As you can see from my profile, my music tastes are pretty eclectic. I like all kinds of music, but I have to say, I do have a soft spot for Tajik music, and other Central Asian music (if it's good), is close behind. Unfortunately, it's pretty obscure, and most Americans are unlikely to ever encounter it any time soon. You never know though, because just a few years ago, no one would ever have guessed that Arabic, Turkish, or Greek singers and music styles would have made it into the mainstream music scene either. Although Tajik and other Central Asian music is distinct from Middle Eastern styles (it's closest to Iranian), it is similar enough that I think if you like Middle Eastern music, you'll probably like ours as well. Here's a link to the mp3 of a song that is currently among my top five favorite Tajik songs -

http://mp3.music.lib.ru/mp3/v//vatanweb/vatanweb-grtochikon_gichdala-2.mp3

*I tried this link later on to make sure it worked, and it was being a little uncooperative. If you have trouble opening it, just open up a new window, and cut and paste this into the browser.

It's called "Gijdala," and it's by a group called Tojikon (which means "Tajiks" in the Tajik language). I like a lot of their songs, because they are fast and fun, and sound modern without losing the Tajik musical identity entirely. If you like it, you can download that mp3 and many other Tajik songs from the main site, VatanWeb, which is at http://music.lib.ru/v/vatanweb/ . The only problem is that the website is written in the Tajik Cyrillic script. Still, if you have a fast connection, just check out the songs, and if you like them, download them. Although I would personally love to support Tojikon and other artists and groups by actually buying their stuff, that simply isn't possible here in the United States. Some other sites for Central Asian music are http://music.arbuz.com/ , which is devoted to mp3's of Uzbek music (also in Cyrillic), and www.afghanhits.com, which is RealPlayer recordings of Afghan music (in English and Persian script). Although I prefer Tajik and Uzbek music to Afghan music, there is some good stuff on that last one as well. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you can take a look at this page http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tajik.htm to figure out how to transliterate the Cyrillic into Latin so that you can be a little less random in your choice of artists. If you do decide to do that, then take a look in my profile for some good Tajik singers and groups that you can find on VatanWeb.

If anyone knows of any other good sites for Tajik, Uzbek, or other Central Asian music, either to download or to purchase, feel free to let me know, because I am always looking for others.

Pakistan and the Earthquake

2005-10-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

The devastating earthquake in Kashmir and the surrounding areas seems to have brought an endless amount of misery to the region. The death toll, now at 54,000, is expected to continue to climb, since more than 20% of the affected areas have not even been reached since the catastrophe occurred. Additionally, cold weather, disease, and exposure continue to plague those who were fortunate enough to survive. It took days for the Pakistani government to mobilize aid to even the more accessible areas, such as the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, and other sizeable towns such as Balakot. In the absence of official assistance, the void was filled by extremist Muslim groups, who quickly martialled their legions of followers and moved in to search for survivors and provide blankets, clothing, tents, and food. Although the Pakistani military and international assistance did eventually arrive, it is difficult not to think that a critical opportunity to reduce the profile of Islamic fundamentalists in a volatile region was not squandered. Quake survivors, desperate, devastated, and embittered by a lack of government attention, would surely view Islamist groups more favorably as a result of their immediate offers of aid. It remains to be seen if Islamic fundamentalists will gain in the long-term from this tragedy, but it would seem logical to conclude that they have won at least some hearts and minds as a result of their actions.

Kashmir is a region that Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars over, and which successive Pakistani governments have passionately claimed as part of their country. The reason for this, supposedly, is to allow the largely Muslim Kashmiris to be part of a state that truly includes them and represents their interests. But if the Kashmiris and their wellbeing are so important to Pakistan, important enough to fight wars over and spend an exorbitant amount of money on defense spending, why was the response to their misery so pitiful and so late? If Pakistan is willing to commit the vast resources necessary to creating a nuclear bomb, ostensibly to defend itself from India (its opponent in the Kashmir controversy), why would it not also invest resources into developing the Kashmir region, and bettering the lives of its inhabitants? The answer, of course, is that the Kashmir issue is hollow rhetoric for Pakistan. Hyping up the importance of Kashmir and the danger of India is simply a way for corrupt, autocratic, and ineffective Pakistan officials to distract public attention from their own failures.

Neither Pakistan nor India has actually allowed the people of Kashmir to vote and choose their own destiny, whether it be as a province of one of those two countries, to remain divided as they are now, or a sovereign nation. The fundamental difference between Pakistan and India, however, is that while both have poured money into defense spending, only India has also made significant investments in its own infrastructure and taken the necessary steps to encourage economic growth. As a result, young Indians today have far more opportunities for advancement available to them, even in rural areas. Young rural Pakistanis, in contrast, have much less chance of obtaining the necessary education to pull themselves out of a life of poverty. The lack of state schools in rural Pakistan, Pakistani Kashmir included, has made attending an Islamic madrasa - staffed by Muslim extremists who indoctrinate their students with hateful and inflammatory ideas - not only attractive, but in many cases, the only option.

Picture credits: Jewel Samad/AFP-Getty Images

Tajik Dancer

2005-10-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Dancing is one of the most important folk arts of the Tajik people. Unlike in other Muslim countries, where local interpretations of Islam have inhibited the development of strong traditions of music and dance, both are highly regarded among Tajiks. This is in part due to a historic lack of Islamic extremism among the majority Sunni population, and due to minority religious groups (Ismailis and Jews) who disproportionately contributed to the advancement of the performing arts. Additionally, the pre-Islamic faiths of the Tajik people, primarily Zoroastrianism as well as pre-Zoroastrian polytheism continue to influence religious practices among Tajiks today, and music and dance played important roles in both of those traditions. As a dancer myself, I take a great interest in Tajik classical dance (traditionally performed by women) and folk dance (both men and women). This image comes from http://intangiblenet.freenet.uz/en/tad/tad35.htm. The website contains a lot of very interesting information on Tajik traditions, although the English quality leaves something to be desired.

Mountain Scenes

2005-10-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

These scenes are from the mountains of Tajikistan. These mountains, apart from being breathtakingly beautiful, are also the reason why the Tajik people have survived up to the present day. While once prevalent throughout southern Central Asia, successive waves of invaders, particularly Turkic people from the east, resulted in disaster for the Tajiks. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of outsiders, the Tajiks were either killed, forcibly assimilated, or pushed out of much of their ancestral lands. Only in the highest mountains of what is now Tajikistan and northeastern Afghanistan did the Tajik people manage to remain a majority and preserve their ancient language and culture. These images are from http://students.sabanciuniv.edu/~alisher/photos/.

Registan Square

2005-10-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Registan Square, in Samarqand in what is now Uzbekistan, is one of the finest examples of architecture in the world. Built during the era of the great king Tamerlane, who made Samarqand his capital, the three great buildings were originally madrasas, or Islamic seminaries. In addition to theology, the madrasas taught science, math, and other more worldly subjects, and attracted pupils from all over the Muslim world. Today they are no longer active madrasas, and are instead tourist attractions. This image is from www.spamann.net.

Samanid Mausoleum

2005-10-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is the 9th century mausoleum of Ismoili Somoni, the founder of the Samanid dynasty, located in Bukhara, in what is now Uzbekistan. The Samanid dynasty was the first dynasty to reestablish Persian as the official language after over a century of Arab domination in the region. Tajiks and other Persians credit the Samanids with rescuing Persian civilization after Arab attempts to wipe it off the face of the Earth. His mausoleum was one of two buildings that were not razed when the Mongols destroyed Bukhara in the 13th century, and survived only because a sandstorm had hidden it from view prior to the Mongols' arrival. This image comes from www.bukhara.net, a great place to check out if you have ever thought of visiting Bukhara or anywhere else in Central Asia.

Iraq, Politics, Tajiks, and the Gym

2005-10-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Since I am trying my very best to procrastinate as long as possible before actually going to the gym, what better time to add to the blog than now? I've been using part of my Saturday afternoon to catch up with what's actually going on in the world (aside from the fact that the Red Sox and Yankees are playing each other), and as usual, it's a bit of a downer.

Iraq is a total disaster, but when has that not been the case? Ever since we "liberated" the country, we've turned it into a slaughterhouse, and I don't see how that can change. The Sunni Arabs that are perpetrating and enabling much of the violence won't be satisfied until they regain their former position of feudal mastery over all the other groups of the country, particularly the Shias and the Kurds, and the Shias and Kurds, not surprisingly, are ready to do anything to prevent that from happening. How the two positions can be reconciled, I am not really sure. Speaking of Kurds, if we really were coming in to give the people of Iraq freedom, how about allowing the Kurds to have their own country, Kurdistan, which is what the majority of people in the Kurdish north of Iraq desire? Since the Kurds are among the most pro-American people in the region (despite the United States having shafted them on multiple occasions) and very moderate Muslims, why wouldn't we want a pro-American, oil-rich, non-fundamentalist nation in the heart of the Middle East? I forgot, freedom and liberation had nothing to do with why we went in there. Most Americans, government officials included, have no idea what the difference between a Sunni Arab, a Shia Arab, a Kurd, an Assyrian, a Turkmen, or any of the other ethnolinguistic groups of Iraq is, let alone why the animosities between them exist. We are so hell-bent on preserving Iraq's territorial integrity that we forget that Iraq has never been a historical entity. It was cobbled together by Western colonialists with no regard to the feelings of the people within its borders, nor with any regard to its long-term stability or success as a nation.

In the meantime, bombs in Indonesia have killed at least 24 people. The violence sickens me, and more so because it's being done in the name of God. These murderers are actually deluded or deranged enough to think that killing innocent civilians is an act of heroism, bound to get them into heaven. Indonesia and other Muslim countries have foolishly turned a blind eye for decades as fundamentalists gradually built up their strength and bided their time. Now, ridding themselves of this cancer will require years of vigilance, not to mention harsh punishments towards the people that aid and abet these criminals.

Speaking of fundamentalists and people that use the name of God to justify hatred and injustice, I can't wait to see Tom DeLay go down in flames. That arrogant, manipulative, dishonest man has spewed venom for long enough, and now I hope he drowns in his own poison. What a surprise - the man that rambles on about God and morality is actually nothing more than a crook! I don't care if you're Muslim or Christian or whatever else, if you feel the need to trumpet your so-called faith and parade it around, I seriously doubt that your faith is anything more than a facade. True believers keep their faith in their hearts, rather than wearing it on their sleeves.

Before I find something else to rant about and put off the gym further, I decided to post a few pictures of Central Asia, since a lot of people have no idea what it looks like. I focus on things to do with Tajik ethnic heritage, because that is what I have the most personal connection to. There are many different groups in Central Asia, and people from that part of the world are not Russians, or Arabs, or Chinese, or Indians, or any of the other things that I have heard people calling us. Tajiks are the oldest people of the region, descendants of the earliest migrants who came down from the vast steppes north of the Black Sea. Their ancestors moved into Central Asia, Iran, Kurdistan, and the Caucasus, and became the Iranian peoples, of whom the Tajiks are the easternmost group. The Tajik language is a dialect of Persian that has remained largely the same since the Middle Ages. Although someone from Iran would understand a Tajik for the most part, it would be like an American hearing someone speak in Shakespearian English.

With that said...and I said A LOT...I need to finally exercise something more than my fingers today.

2005-09-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Myself in Tajik clothes trying to look thoughtful...actually trying not to fall off the block! This picture is copyright Raymond Hettiger of Boston Fashion Photography.

A Place to Start

2005-09-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Why should I have a blog? This is something that I wondered about for a while before I decided to create one, and the simple response I came up with was a question itself....why not? I haven't seen any other Central Asian people with blogs, let alone Bukharians or Tajiks or anything remotely resembling my own origin (if I am wrong, please write to me, I would love to check out your blogs and link yours to mine). I figured that as a 20-something Central Asian American Muslim living in Boston, I might have a somewhat different perspective than what might be out there. I feel that as a member of a minority community, it's important for me to speak out in whatever way I can to make my voice heard, and do my part to reach out to others, and this blog is a small part of it. I feel that if people like myself do not make an effort, we will allow ourselves to be defined by the media, and by ignorant government officials both in the West and in the Muslim world. This blog represents my (very) small initiative to help shed light on one of the most obscure parts of the world, the land of my ancestors...Central Asia. We are the descendants of some of the greatest civilizations the world has known, whose names have faded into the realm of myth. Only now, with the "war on terror" at the forefront of US policy has the spotlight of history once more chosen to shine on this land, but it remains plagued by tyrants, ethnic hatred, the international drug trade, a wrenching economic transition, foreign interference, and a host of other problems. And yet, through it all, the beautiful and intricate cultures of the region continue to flourish, weathering the storm of the age as they have weathered countless others. For those of you visiting my blog, I would like to say -

Xush Omaded - Umedvor hastam ki ba blogam boz ham bargarded!

(Translation from Tajik: Welcome - I hope that you will return again to my blog!)