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Introducing Tajikistan
A Persian-speaking outpost in a predominantly Turkic region, Tajikistan is in many ways the odd one out in Central Asia. With its roots in ancient Sogdiana and Bactria, the modern country is a fragile patchwork of clans, languages and identities, forged together by little more than Soviet nation-building and the shared hopes for a peaceful future. That peace was shattered in the 1990s, when a brutal civil war claimed over 50,000 lives, turning the remote mountainous republic into the bloodiest corner of the former Soviet empire. Though the wounds are still raw, a decade after the war most Tajiks are moving forward with their lives, as if awakening from a bad dream, and a mood of guarded optimism has returned.
The good news is that today Tajikistan is safe, stable and scenically spectacular. The Pamirs – ‘the Roof of the World’ – are easily the country’s highlight, offering breathtaking high-altitude scenery, excellent ecotourism options, humbling mountain hospitality and the Pamir Highway – one of Asia’s greatest road trips. The Wakhan Valley is a walker's dream, Dushanbe is considered one of Central Asia's prettiest capitals, while the ancient city of Penjikent gives an interesting glimpse into the region's Silk Road past.
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Latest headlines for Tajikistan
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US finds new Afghan supply route
20 February 2009 12:18PM
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan agree to allow Nato supplies for Afghanistan through their territory, the US says.
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Country profile: Tajikistan
17 February 2009 11:32AM
Key facts, figures and dates
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Timeline: Tajikistan
17 February 2009 11:28AM
A chronology of key events
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