Pamirs: the most mysterious people of the USSR

There are such peoples as: Yazgulyam people, Shugnano-Rushans, Rushans, Khufs, Bartangs, Roshorvs, Sarykols, Ishkashims, Sanglits, Wakhans, Munjans, Yidga. These are the peoples of the Pamirs. It just so happens that they live in four Asian countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. These are the peoples of Central Asia. There are not many of them, a little more than 200 thousand. What is their mystery, you tell me? Look at the photo below and everything will fall into place. Amazing appearance, we expect to see something completely different when we talk about the peoples of Central Asia. People of European appearance are the Pamiris, one of the mysteries of Central Asia.
Outwardly, the Pamiris are very different from all other inhabitants of Asia. They have a distinctly European appearance: rounded, soft features, rather wide face, light gray or blue eyes, light brown or reddish hair. After the 1914 expedition, I.I. Zarubin wrote, that many mountain Tajiks can be mistaken for peasants in disguise middle zone Russia. This fair-haired race continues to exist in the deep mountain valleys on the slopes of the Pamirs and Hindu Kush among a whole sea of ​​​​black-haired tribes of Asia. How such people appeared there and how they did not mix with other peoples over so many centuries is a mystery. But there are a couple of versions. They themselves consider themselves the ancestors of the army of Alexander the Great. There is another version; some ethnographers consider these people to be the ancestors of all Europeans on earth. Tens of thousands of years ago, or maybe hundreds of thousands of years ago, there was a different climate and the first people appeared in the foothills of the Hindu Kush and Pamirs, it was the promised land. These were the first people with a European appearance - the Pamiris. Who, after centuries, went to explore new lands. As a result, they populated all of Europe.
Not only are these people similar to us, but they are also very hospitable people, both from our side and ours.
Some more information about the Pamiris: the Pamiris were once Zoroastrians, then they became Buddhists, then Ismaili Muslims. Among the Pamiris there are northern (Yazgumlens, Shushgan-Rushans, Sarykolts) and southern (Ishkashims, Sanglits, Vakhans, Munjans). Most of the Pamiris are united in religious basis, they all profess Ismailism, in contrast to the main religion of the rest of the Tajiks - Sunnism. Just like the Uzbeks are Sunnis.
The man who created the religion of Islam, Muhammad, said during his lifetime that his tree would have 73 branches. It’s hard to say whether this is true or not, but there are a lot of directions in Islam. One of them is Ismailism. Ismailism left a big imprint on the spiritual culture of the Pamiris and is still one of their ethnic symbols. An important role in Pamir society was assigned to pirs and caliphs - spiritual mentors. Relations with the head of the Ismailis of the whole world, Aga Khan, which were interrupted during the Soviet period, began to improve after Tajikistan gained independence. Nevertheless, the Sarykol and Wakhan Ismailis living in the PRC are still in religious isolation.
In 1162, Imam Hasan emerged from hiding and began to rule, whose appearance his flock was eagerly awaiting. Two years later, during the 17th day of Ramadan, he abolished many of the strictures of Sharia; allowed to drink wine, women to uncover their faces, changed traditional Islamic rituals, declared all people rafiks (comrades) and brothers.
Aga Khan III had a great understanding of life and found clues for his murids. There is a firman that delivered from the imam to the Ismailis of the Pamirs, the feast of Sabzali in 1923. It says: ".....You must have a good attitude towards the Power that you now have. If you serve it with honor and conscience, it will be for You will be a pack donkey, will take upon itself the entire burden of the burden of your life. But if you are at enmity with it, it can be a dragon. This Power came to you like soft snow, and like soft snow it will melt.”
All Ismailis, at all times, paid zakat (tax to the imam). After the establishment of Soviet Power in the Pamirs, for another 15 years it was allowed to send walkers to Bombay to the Aga Khan; the OGPU closely monitored them, but did not touch them. Only in 1936 was the border completely closed and communications were interrupted. At the same time, more than 1000 bridges were erected in the Pamirs, roads were built, electricity was installed, and children began to receive an education. The Pamiris liked the Soviet Power.

Pamiris from northern Afghanistan. (photos by author)








Pamiris from GBAO.






Chechen? No! Pamiriets.

Khorozhets.


Faces of Khorog.

Well, they're Chechens.


Tombstone at the Pamir cemetery.

Looks like Uncle Vanya from the garages. (photo period civil war in Tajikistan)


In the photo are Pamiris from China. The photo was taken by a Chinese photographer.

They demarcate the men's and women's bedrooms, as well as the kitchen, living room and prayer area. And the four-tiered vault of a traditional home symbolizes the natural elements: fire, earth, water and air.

Ancient people of the Pamirs

The unique nature of the Pamirs has always interested researchers and travelers. This harsh mountain region is the homeland ancient people, about which almost nothing is known. And if before the twentieth century few people had heard about the mysterious Pamiris, because they lived in remote areas, then, starting from the USSR era, these people were most often confused with Tajiks.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the highlands have a special culture, interesting customs and traditions.

Who are the Pamiris? Why were they separated by the borders of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China and Pakistan?

What are they?

The Pamiris do not make it into world news, do not fight for independence, and do not strive to create their own state. These are peaceful people, accustomed to an isolated life in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains. Badakhshan is the name of the historical region of their residence. This ethnic group consists of many nationalities united common origin, customs and traditions, religion and history.

The Pamirs are divided into northern and southern. Among the first, the most numerous national group are Shugnans, there are more than 100 thousand of them. There are three times fewer Rushans. There are almost 25 thousand people from Sarykolt, and Yazgulyam people are considered a small ethnic group. The main part of the southern Pamirs are the Vakhans, about 70 thousand of them. And there are much fewer Sanglicians, Ishkashims and Munjanians.

All these people belong to the Pamir-Fergana subrace - the easternmost branch of the Caucasoid race. Among the Pamiris there are many fair-haired and blue-eyed people. They have oblong faces with straight noses and large eyes. If there are brunettes, they are with light skin. Anthropologists believe that the inhabitants of the European Alps and the Mediterranean are closest to the representatives of the Pamir-Fergana subrace.

Residents of Badakhshan speak languages ​​of the Eastern Iranian group of the Indo-European family. However, They use the Tajik language for interethnic communication, and it is also the language of instruction in schools. In Pakistan, the Pamir languages ​​are gradually being replaced by official Urdu, and in China by Uyghur.

Being representatives of Iranian-speaking peoples, in the 1st millennium BC, the Pamiris were adherents of Zoroastrianism. Then, along with trade caravans from China, Buddhism spread to the highlands. In the 11th century, a famous Persian poet fled to these lands Nasir Khosrow(1004-1088), who was fleeing persecution by Sunni Muslims. This creative person became the spiritual leader of the local population; under the influence of the poet, the Pamiris adopted Ismailism - a Shiite branch of Islam that absorbed some of the tenets of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Religion significantly distinguishes the Pamiris from their Sunni neighbors. Ismailis perform namaz (pray) only twice a day, while Tajiks and Uzbeks do it five times a day. Since the Pamirs do not fast in holy month Ramadan, their women do not wear burqas, and their men allow themselves to drink moonshine, then neighboring peoples These people are not considered devout Muslims.

History of the people

There is no clear answer to the question of the origin of the Pamiris. The history of this ethnic group goes back more than two thousand years. Considering that the inhabitants of Badakhshan belong to the Caucasian race, some researchers are inclined to believe that the Pamiris are the descendants of the ancient Aryans, who remained in the mountains during the Indo-European migration and subsequently mixed with the local population. However, there is no historical evidence for this theory.

According to most experts, several eastern Iranian tribes moved to the Pamirs separately from each other and in different times. It is interesting that their closest relatives were the legendary Scythians - an ancient ethnic group that created a huge empire in the 7th-4th centuries BC, stretching from Crimea to Southern Siberia.

Scientists associate the origin of the Pamiris with several waves of migrations of the nomadic tribe of Sakas, who began to populate the highlands in the 7th-6th centuries BC. Then the ancestors of the Wakhans moved from the Alai Valley, which is located east of Badakhshan. And the future Ishkashim residents moved to the highlands from the southwest. After a linguistic study of their language, scientists consider the Munjans to be remnants of the Bactrian community that survived in remote areas.

The next wave of Saka migration gave birth to the northern Pamirs, who migrated to Badakhshan from the west along the Pyanj River, subsequently breaking up into the Shugnans, Rushans, Yazgulyams and Vanjs. And even later, the ancestors of the Sarykol people moved to their current territories, which are currently part of the Chinese province of Xinjiang. All these migration waves ended by the beginning of our era.

Thanks to the rich deposits of ruby ​​and lapis lazuli, the inhabitants of the highlands were regularly visited by merchants who exchanged for gems household items, household utensils, as well as knives and axes, and other tools. Back in the 2nd century BC, caravans from China along the Great Silk Road passed through the Pyanj River valley.

Throughout the history of the Pamirs, various Turkic-speaking tribes tried to conquer this region., Chinese, Arabs, Mongols, as well as the Sassanid and Timurid dynasties. But none of them stayed in the highlands to rule over a handful of tribes. Therefore, even the nominally conquered Pamiris continued to live quietly for a long time, as they were accustomed to.

The situation changed in the 19th century, when Russia and Britain waged an active struggle for influence in Asia. In 1895, the border was officially established between Afghanistan, which was under the protectorate of the British, and the Emirate of Bukhara, which enjoyed the support of the Russians. The two empires divided their spheres of influence along the Panj River, with the Wakhan Corridor going to Afghanistan. Subsequently, the border of the USSR was established there. Neither in Moscow nor in London did anyone care about fate Pamir peoples, which were literally cut off from each other.

Now the highlands are divided between Tajikistan, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The languages ​​of the Pamir peoples are being consistently displaced, and their future remains uncertain.

Customs and manners

The Pamiris have always lived rather isolated. The harsh nature of the highlands, which is located between 2 and 7 thousand meters above sea level, had a significant impact on their life and morals. Every element of the house here has symbolic meaning. The Pamiri people's homes are supported by five pillars named after Muslim saints: Muhammad, Fatima, Ali, Hussein and Hassan. They demarcate the men's and women's bedrooms, as well as the kitchen, living room and prayer area. And the four-tiered vault of a traditional home symbolizes the natural elements: fire, earth, water and air.

Previously, the Pamirs lived in large patriarchal families, all relatives ran a joint household, unquestioningly obeying the elder. But later such mini-communities were replaced by ordinary monogamous families. Moreover, among the Pamirs there are marriages between cousins, which is often due to the reluctance to pay a large bride price for a bride from another family.

Despite the fact that Islam has significantly influenced the position of women, marriages among the Pamiris are matrilocal. That is, After the wedding, the newlyweds settle in the house of the bride's parents.The traditional occupations of these people are agriculture and animal husbandry. Cows, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys are raised in the highlands. The Pamirs have been engaged in wool processing, weaving, pottery, and jewelry making for many centuries. There were always many skilled hunters among them. The Pamiri diet usually consists of wheat cakes, sheep cheese, homemade noodles, vegetables and legumes, fruits and walnuts. A poor resident of the highlands drinks tea with milk, and a rich one also adds a little butter to the bowl.

The unique nature of the Pamirs has always interested researchers and travelers. This harsh mountain region is the homeland of an ancient people about whom almost nothing is known. And if before the twentieth century few people had heard about the mysterious Pamiris, because they lived in remote areas, then, starting from the USSR era, these people were most often confused with Tajiks.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the highlands have a special culture, interesting customs and traditions. Who are the Pamiris? Why were they separated by the borders of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China and Pakistan?

What are they?

The Pamiris do not make it into world news, do not fight for independence, and do not strive to create their own state. These are peaceful people, accustomed to an isolated life in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains. Badakhshan is the name of the historical region of their residence.

This ethnic group consists of many nationalities united by a common origin, customs and traditions, religion and history. The Pamirs are divided into northern and southern. Among the former, the most numerous national group are the Shugnans, numbering more than 100 thousand people. There are three times fewer Rushans. There are almost 25 thousand people from Sarykolt, and Yazgulyam people are considered a small ethnic group.

The main part of the southern Pamirs are the Vakhans, about 70 thousand of them. And there are much fewer Sanglicians, Ishkashims and Munjanians.

All these people belong to the Pamir-Fergana subrace - the easternmost branch of the Caucasoid race. Among the Pamiris there are many fair-haired and blue-eyed people. They have oblong faces with straight noses and large eyes. If there are brunettes, they are with light skin. Anthropologists believe that the inhabitants of the European Alps and the Mediterranean are closest to the representatives of the Pamir-Fergana subrace.

Residents of Badakhshan speak languages ​​of the Eastern Iranian group of the Indo-European family. However, for interethnic communication they use the Tajik language, and it is also the language of instruction in schools. In Pakistan, the Pamir languages ​​are gradually being replaced by official Urdu, and in China by Uyghur.

Being representatives of Iranian-speaking peoples, even in the 1st millennium BC the Pamiris were adherents of Zoroastrianism. Then, along with trade caravans from China, Buddhism spread to the highlands. In the 11th century, the famous Persian poet Nasir Khusrow (1004-1088) fled to these lands to escape persecution by Sunni Muslims. This creative person became the spiritual leader of the local population; under the influence of the poet, the Pamiris adopted Ismailism, a Shiite branch of Islam that absorbed some provisions of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Religion significantly distinguishes the Pamiris from their Sunni neighbors. Ismailis perform namaz (pray) only twice a day, while Tajiks and Uzbeks do it five times a day. Since the Pamirs do not fast during the holy month of Ramadan, their women do not wear burqas, and their men allow themselves to drink moonshine, neighboring peoples do not classify these people as devout Muslims.

History of the people

There is no clear answer to the question of the origin of the Pamiris. The history of this ethnic group goes back more than two thousand years. Considering that the inhabitants of Badakhshan belong to the Caucasian race, some researchers are inclined to believe that the Pamiris are the descendants of the ancient Aryans, who remained in the mountains during the Indo-European migration and subsequently mixed with the local population. However, there is no historical evidence for this theory.

According to most experts, several eastern Iranian tribes moved to the Pamirs separately from each other and at different times. It is interesting that their closest relatives were the legendary Scythians - an ancient ethnic group that created a huge empire in the 7th-4th centuries BC, stretching from Crimea to Southern Siberia.

Scientists associate the origin of the Pamiris with several waves of migrations of the nomadic tribe of Sakas, who began to populate the highlands in the 7th-6th centuries BC. Then the ancestors of the Wakhans moved from the Alai Valley, which is located east of Badakhshan. And the future Ishkashim residents moved to the highlands from the southwest. After a linguistic study of their language, scientists consider the Munjans to be remnants of the Bactrian community that survived in remote areas.

The next wave of Saka migration gave birth to the northern Pamirs, who migrated to Badakhshan from the west along the Pyanj River, subsequently breaking up into the Shugnans, Rushans, Yazgulyams and Vanjs. And even later, the ancestors of the Sarykol people moved to their current territories, which are currently part of the Chinese province of Xinjiang. All these migration waves ended by the beginning of our era.

Thanks to the rich deposits of ruby ​​and lapis lazuli, the inhabitants of the highlands were regularly visited by merchants who exchanged household items, household utensils, as well as knives, axes, and other tools for precious stones. Back in the 2nd century BC, caravans from China along the Great Silk Road passed through the Pyanj River valley.

Throughout the history of the Pamirs, various Turkic-speaking tribes, Chinese, Arabs, Mongols, as well as the Sassanid and Timurid dynasties tried to conquer this region. But none of them stayed in the highlands to rule over a handful of tribes. Therefore, even the nominally conquered Pamiris continued to live quietly for a long time, as they were accustomed to.

The situation changed in the 19th century, when Russia and Britain waged an active struggle for influence in Asia. In 1895, the border was officially established between Afghanistan, which was under the protectorate of the British, and the Emirate of Bukhara, which enjoyed the support of the Russians. The two empires divided their spheres of influence along the Panj River, with the Wakhan Corridor going to Afghanistan. Subsequently, the border of the USSR was established there. Neither Moscow nor London cared about the fate of the Pamir peoples, who found themselves literally cut off from each other.

Now the highlands are divided between Tajikistan, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The languages ​​of the Pamir peoples are being consistently displaced, and their future remains uncertain.

Customs and manners

The Pamiris have always lived rather isolated. The harsh nature of the highlands, which is located between 2 and 7 thousand meters above sea level, had a significant impact on their life and morals.

Every element of the house here has a symbolic meaning. The Pamiri people's homes are supported by five pillars named after Muslim saints: Muhammad, Fatima, Ali, Hussein and Hassan. They demarcate the men's and women's bedrooms, as well as the kitchen, living room and prayer area. And the four-tiered vault of a traditional home symbolizes the natural elements: fire, earth, water and air.

Previously, the Pamirs lived in large patriarchal families, all relatives ran a joint household, unquestioningly obeying the elder. But later such mini-communities were replaced by ordinary monogamous families. Moreover, among the Pamirs there are marriages between cousins, which is often due to the reluctance to pay a large bride price for a bride from another family.

Despite the fact that Islam has significantly influenced the position of women, marriages among the Pamiris are matrilocal. That is, after the wedding, the newlyweds settle in the house of the bride’s parents.

The traditional occupations of these people are agriculture and animal husbandry. Cows, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys are raised in the highlands. The Pamirs have been engaged in wool processing, weaving, pottery, and jewelry making for many centuries. There were always many skilled hunters among them.

The Pamiri diet usually consists of wheat cakes, sheep cheese, homemade noodles, vegetables and legumes, fruits and walnuts. A poor resident of the highlands drinks tea with milk, and a rich one also adds a little butter to the bowl.

The colder it gets outside, the more pleasant it is to remember hot countries - for example, Tajikistan, which I had the opportunity to travel through this summer.

And I’ll start, perhaps, with what I liked the most there - the Pamiris. I liked the people of the Pamirs even more than the mountains - which is surprising, since I usually go to the mountains to relax from people;)

When meeting people, the first thing Pamiri say is that they are not Tajiks: they have a different language, a different religion and different customs.
Actually they have 8 different languages for 7 thousand people (each gorge has its own). And the religion is really their own - they are Ismailis, and do not attach much importance to the ritual side of Islam. They have no mosques, practically no one fasts during Ramadan, women are not forbidden to walk with their heads uncovered, when they meet, it is customary to shake hands and kiss (regardless of gender and age)... but in the complete absence of ostentatious piety, they will always feed the hungry and give drink thirsty, shelter a traveler, raise an orphan (and sincerely do not understand how it could be otherwise).

They know how to enjoy little things and do not hold a grudge against anyone, accepting all the vicissitudes of fate with patience and gratitude... They are grateful to the Kyrgyz, who during the four-year blockade sold them food at exorbitant prices (there was nothing left in the houses, not even spoons and bowls - but thank you, that they were not allowed to die of hunger); grateful to the government for the fact that there is no war and famine; We are grateful to Moscow employers for the opportunity to send our family 500 dollars (on which eight people live there). And we are simply endlessly grateful to the benefactor of all Badakhshan, Imam Aga Khan 4. Like this happy character- they don’t forget good, they don’t remember evil...

Pamiri people in faces:

This is Zohid, with whom we lived in Dushanbe.

Pamir hospitality began on the Moscow-Dushanbe plane: a random fellow traveler (Pamir!), having learned that I was going to the Pamirs, immediately provided us with a “table and a house”, a guide to Dushanbe and a solution to all pressing issues with OVIR and a jeep to Khorog. At the same time, all our attempts to at least buy something for the table were perceived with bewilderment: “Are you crazy? You are guests!”

Rustam, who invited us to visit Shirgin (and the next day he took us 200 km to Ishkashim - this is precisely the moment of getting ready and captured). 8 children live in his house - 5 of his own and 3 nephews, sent to their grandmother while their parents work in Moscow.

Grandmother and grandchildren.

The Pamir taxi is a truck that delivers rice, sugar and pasta for the winter to villages (which we had an absolutely wonderful ride on - bags of rice provide amazing comfort!)

The entire village went out to meet food for the winter (in September the passes will be closed - until the end of spring they will be cut off from the world)

"Dweller of the Peaks" - never left Gorno-Badakhshan in his life

Another hospitable family (living in a house with adobe floors and no electricity)

The boys no longer know Russian - those days are gone...

Women habitually wait for the boiling UAZ engine to cool down.

And here are the heroic boys who undertook to take us 30 km in a UAZ, decommissioned during the Afghan wars... Every 10 minutes they sealed the burst cameras (consisting entirely of patches), and in the end we had to change the vehicle;)

.

But, of course, we finally took a photo with the heroic children - as a souvenir)

Shepherd's granddaughters. All summer they live on a high-mountain pasture (at an altitude of approximately 3700 m), and managed to tame a hare :)

Khorog: people meet the president (but that’s a different story)))

We are exotic and an ordinary Pamiri girl)))

(she found us so exotic that she came up to us on the street and asked permission to take a photo with us)

Composition "Friendship of Peoples" (from left to right: Tajikistan - Kazakhstan - Russia - Afghanistan)

In general, the situation is typical for those places: after spending a week in Khorog and Vakhan, we never spent the night in a tent, didn’t walk a single kilometer (not counting walks), never lit a burner... and got a little homesick on autonomous life. Having forcibly fought off those who wanted to give us a lift, we decided to walk at least 7 km uphill - to the ancient fortress... But that was not the case! And we didn’t even make it a kilometer - a car caught up with us, and they began to persuade us in Russian and English to drive up to the destination with them at the same time (“Completely free!”, “How come in the evening - and on foot,” etc.). As a result, we swam in a “sacred” thermal spring, spent the night at a campsite for free (in a tent - we barely managed to get a free room in a hotel) and danced with local youth:

The guys turned out to be wonderful - former classmates, who had gone to institutes in different cities, agreed to get together for the holidays and travel around their native mountains. Took big car, a large tent - and the eight of us went on such a fun trip.

My friend Vovka even arranged a master class in salsa for them (for nothing, he’s been doing it for 3 years;))

These are the nice people who live in the Pamirs. And it's very easy to get along with them. I’m sharing a secret: be like children!
And this will be quite enough.

And, in general, we have a lot to learn from them;))

(Dari), Uyghur

Caucasian

Pamiris(self-name in Taj. “Pomiri”, also called Badakhshani) - a set of small Iranian peoples inhabiting the high mountainous regions of the Pamir-Hindu Kush (historical region of Badakhshan), divided between Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China (southwest of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region). They speak heterogeneous Pamir languages ​​of the East Iranian group of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family, which is how they differ from the Tajiks themselves, whose language (see Tajik language) belongs to the West Iranian languages. In addition, most of the Pamiris are united on a religious basis by the confession of Ismailism, which is also opposed to the main religion of the Tajiks - Sunnism.

Settlement

The areas of settlement of the Pamirs - the western, southern and eastern Pamirs, contiguous in the south with the Hindu Kush - are high-mountain narrow valleys with a rather harsh climate, almost never falling below 2,000 m above sea level and surrounded by steeply sloped ridges covered with eternal snow, the height of which in some places approaches 7,000 m. To the north of the Hindu Kush watershed, the valleys belong to the upper Amu Darya basin (Upper Kokcha, Panj, Pamir, Vakhandarya. The eastern slopes of the Pamirs belong to the Yarkand river basin, to the south of the Hindu Kush begins the Indus basin, represented by the Kunar (Chitral) rivers and Gilgit. Administratively, this entire territory, which had long been an eclectic but unified area, was divided between Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China as a result of the expansion of the Russian, British and Chinese empires and their satellites (the Bukhara and Afghan emirates) in the 19th century. As a result, the areas of many Pamir peoples were artificially divided.

The ethnogeographical units in the Pamirs are the historical regions: Shugnan, Rushan, Ishkashim, Wakhan, Munjan, Sarykol, Yazgulyam - in general, they initially coincided with the nationalities that formed in them. If in terms of material and spiritual culture, the Pamir people, thanks to thousands of years of mutual contacts, have become significantly closer to each other, then the study of their languages ​​shows that different Pamir peoples came from at least four ancient eastern Iranian communities, only distantly related to each other and brought to the Pamirs independently.

Pamiro-speaking peoples

The classification of the Pamir peoples is usually based on linguistic principles.

Northern Pamirs

• Yazgulyamtsy- inhabit the Yazgulyam valley (Taj. Yazgulom, Yazg. Yůzdom) in the Vanj district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (hereinafter GBAO) of Tajikistan, 8 - 10 thousand people.
• Shugnan-Rushans- a group of peoples inhabiting adjacent valleys that do not have a common identity, but speak closely related languages-dialects, which allows them to understand each other tolerably when communicating; often the most prestigious Pamir language, Shugnan, is used as the intervalley Shugnan-Rushan language.
  • Shugnans- Shugnan (Taj. Shugnon, Shugn. Xuγ˘nůn) - part of the river valley. Pyanj in the Khorog region, the valleys of its right tributaries (Gunt, Shahdara, Badzhuv. The right bank of the Pyanj River belongs to the Shugnan and Roshtkala regions of GBAO Tajikistan, the left bank - to the Shignan district of the Afghan province of Badakhshan. The leading ethnic group of the Pamirs, numbering about 110 thousand people, of which in Afghanistan about 25 thousand
  • Rushantsy- Rushan (Taj. Rushon, Rush. Rix˘ůn), the area downstream of Shugnan along the Pyanj at the confluence of the Bartang River. The right bank part is located in the Rushan district of GBAO Tajikistan, the left bank - in the Shignan region of the Afghan province of Badakhshan. Total number - approx. 30 thousand people It also includes small related groups with separate languages ​​and separate identities:
    • Khufians- Khuf (Taj. Khuf, khuf. Xuf) southeast of Rushan;
    • Bartang people- middle and upper reaches of the river. Bartang;
      • Roshorvtsy- Roshorv (Taj. Roshorv, rosh. Rōšōʹrv, self-described rašarviǰ) - upper reaches of the Bartang.
• Sarykoltsy(Chinese: 塔吉克语 Tǎjíkèyǔ"Tajiks") inhabit Sarykol (Uyg. ساريكۆل, Chinese 色勒库尔 Sèlēikùěr) in the river valley Tiznaf (Tashkurgan-Tajik Autonomous County) and the upper reaches of Yarkand in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. This is an isolated group of Shugnan-Rushans who have found themselves in isolation and have lost mutual understanding and unity with them. Number approx. 25 thousand people

Southern Pamirs

The Southern Pamiris are a relict population group south of Shugnan, speaking two closely related dialect languages:

Close and neighboring peoples

Tajik-speaking Pamiris

From the west, the valleys of the Pamir peoples are surrounded by territories occupied by Tajiks, speakers of the Badakhshan and Darvaz dialects of the Tajik language (Dari). The Badakhshani-Tajiks are largely close to the Pamiris proper. In some areas, the Tajik language has supplanted the local Pamiri languages ​​in historical times:

• Darvaz (Taj. Darvoz, Dari درواز, Darvaz district of GBAO and the district of the same name in the province of Badakhshan) - in the 14th century. (unfixed "Darvazian language")
• Yumgan (Dari یمگان, Yamgan, district of the same name in Badakhshan province) - in the 18th century. (Shughni language)
• Vanj (Taj. Vanj, Vanj district of GBAO) - in the 19th century. (Old Vanj language)
• Zebak (Dari زیباک, district of the same name in Badakhshan province) - in the 20th century. (Zebak language)

In addition, in the massif of Pamiro-speaking peoples there are Tajik-speaking groups of villages:

• Goron region (Taj. Goron) on the river. Pyanj between Ishkashim and Shugnan (right bank in the Ishkashim region of GBAO)
• Right Bank Vakhan (4 villages).

Neighboring peoples

Ethnogenesis and history

The origin of the Pamirs, who speak heterogeneous Eastern Iranian languages, is associated with the expansion of the nomadic Sakas, which most likely took place in several waves, in different ways, and various Iranian-speaking communities that emerged outside the region participated in the settlement of the Pamirs. One of them, the Pravakhans, was initially close to the Sakas of Khotan and Kashgar and penetrated into Wakhan, apparently from the east - from the Alai Valley. In historical times, the Kirghiz came to the Pamirs along the same route. The Praishkashim people formed in Tajik and Afghan Badakhshan and penetrated here from the southwest. The Munjan language shows the greatest affinity with the Bactrian language and more distantly with Pashto. Probably, the Munjanians are the remnant of the Bactrian community, surviving in the mountains like the Yagnobis - the remnants of the Sogdians. The North Pamir community, which split into Vanjians, Yazgulyamians and Shugnan-Rushans, judging by the dialect division, penetrated the Pamirs from the west along Pyanj and its expansion ended in Shugnan. Approximate dates for the beginning of the Iranianization of the region (according to linguistic data and archaeological excavations Saka burial grounds) - VII-VI centuries. BC The earliest waves are the Pravakhans and pre-Ishkashims. It should be noted that initially the Pamirs inhabited only the Pyanj basin and its tributaries. The expansion of the Sarykol people into Xinjiang, and the Yidga and Wakhan people into the Indus Valley date back to a later era.

For a long time, probably long before Iranianization, the mountains of Badakhshan were one of the main suppliers of lapis lazuli and ruby ​​for ancient world. Nevertheless, the life of the ancient Badakhshans remained very closed. The isolation of the Pamiris was interrupted starting from the 2nd century. BC e., when, with the establishment of Central Asian-Chinese connections through the Pyanj valley, caravan trade was established, which became known as the Great Silk Road (in the form of its southern section). Numerous attempts to conquer the Pamirs by world empires (Sassanids, Turks, Chinese, Arabs, Mongols, Timurids, etc.) either failed or ended only in temporary successes and the establishment of nominal dependence on external power. In fact, until the 19th century. the Pamir regions were independent or semi-independent principalities. During the Great Game and the struggle for Central Asia after the Russian Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan, which was under the influence of the British Empire, finally established the boundaries of the zones of influence; in the east of Central Asia, the border passed along Pyanj. At the same time, the Wakhan corridor went to Afghanistan as a buffer between the Russian and British empires. The Russian government helped its dependent Bukhara Emirate to subjugate the Pamir principalities. Border along the river The Panj between Afghanistan and Bukhara, and later the USSR, essentially passed through “the living”, dividing the Pamir peoples along the banks of the river and interrupting intra-valley ties.

Religion

With the establishment starting from the end of the 1st millennium BC. e. connections with the lowland Iranian world, Zoroastrianism began to strongly influence the polytheistic Iranian beliefs of the ancient Pamiris. The connection of this religion to solar cults was reflected in the naming of the sun in the Ishkashim language remozd, derived from the name Ahura Mazda (*Ahura- Mazdā-). The position of Zoroastrianism was especially strong in Shugnan, where open fire temples were built on the hills, some of which operated until the 14th century. Legends about ancestors “fire worshipers” and “kafirs-siyavush” (distorted under the influence of the name of the Iranian hero Taj. siyopush “dressed in black”) are still popular in the Pamirs.

Another important religion of the Pamirs was Buddhism, which penetrated here from India by caravan route. The position of Buddhism was especially strong in Wakhan, through which Buddhist preachers from India and pilgrims from Khotan and China moved en masse.

Settlement and housing

A specific habitat with complex terrain was the most important natural-geographical factor in the construction of settlements and the formation of the architecture of this nationality. In addition to the specific relief on folk architecture influenced by a dry climate with contrasting temperatures. The long warm period of the year is characterized by an almost complete absence of precipitation and sharp daily temperature fluctuations. The cold period begins in November and lasts until April. The minimum temperature in winter is −30, the maximum in summer is +35. The temperature regime also changes with altitude. The abundance of water sources ensures irrigated agriculture, and the meadows in the side gorges at an altitude of over 3000 m provide transhumance. (Mamadnazarov 1977: 7-8) Pronounced building traditions determine the regional character of settlements, estates and residential buildings. When choosing a settlement site, the possibilities of rockfalls, avalanches and flood waters were taken into account. The traditional form of settlement of mountain Tajiks is the village of Pri large quantities land convenient for farming, the dwellings in the village are located freely, each house has a yard of larger or smaller size and very often vegetable gardens and small plots of fields.

There are villages in which the dwellings are located in several groups at a considerable distance from each other, creating the impression of separate farmsteads connected to each other by common ditches, between which areas of fields and gardens stretch almost continuously. Closely related families usually live in such farmsteads. If the village is located in a place inconvenient for farming, then the location of the dwellings is very concentrated. There are almost no courtyards in such a village, and the houses are located in steps along the mountain slope. Such villages are usually found in narrow mountain gorges. Water supply to villages varies. Based on the sources of supply and use of water, villages can be divided into three categories: 1 - villages using water from mountain springs; 2 - using water mainly from turbulent mountain streams and rivers; and 3 - using very long ditches coming from afar with a more or less slow flow of water. The housing of mountain Tajiks, despite the apparent monotony, however, presents very significant differences, depending on natural building resources, climate, household skills and the social and property status of its owner. Usually the dwelling is one-story, but if it is located on a steep slope, then sometimes a barn is built below. An attached second floor is very rare in larger, wealthier homes. The material for construction is usually earth (loess or clay), from which the walls are made. In villages located in narrow gorges on rocky soil, where loess is expensive and inaccessible, most of the dwellings and all outbuildings are made of stones held together with clay. The basis for the roof is several logs laid on the walls, on which a flooring of poles is placed, covered with earth and clay on top. From the inside of the building, the roof is supported by pillars. The home is usually divided into winter and summer premises. The winter part - hona - is a square or rectangular room, most of the floor of which is raised in the form of a platform or adobe bunks, which are used for sleeping, seating, etc. In the passage between the bunks, under a hole in the ceiling, a hole is dug for water drainage, covered with wooden lattice. A small door leads into the hona either from the street or yard, or from the summer room. A window for transmitting light is a hole in the wall, usually having a wooden sash.

Until the 1930s, there were almost no glass windows anywhere in mountain villages. To heat the room, there is a fire pit, which is used for baking bread (cakes). Food is cooked in a hearth, which is a recess in the form of a cone cut from the top and sides, with smooth walls and a wider bottom. A fire is built at the bottom of the recess, and a flat, wide cauldron is placed on top. Why is it arranged either in a special elevation in a corner or along one of the walls, or in a passage thicker than a bunk. Young livestock and poultry are kept in the hona in winter, for which purpose a special room closed with a door is installed on the side of the entrance. It is necessary to mention the so-called. “letovyas”, where livestock is driven away for the summer and where most of the women of the village live with small children for several summer months, procuring dairy products for future use. Small huts made of stones, often not covered or insulated, are used for housing. Almost every village has a mosque, with the exception of the smallest ones (Ginsburg, 1937: 17-24). The houses of the Pamir Tajiks are not like the houses of other peoples. Their structure remains unchanged for many centuries, passing from generation to generation. Every architectural element Pamir house has its own esoteric meaning - pre-Islamic and Islamic. Every element of a house has a meaning in a person's life. The house embodies the whole universe, reflecting the divine essence of man and the harmony of his relationship with nature. The support of a Pamir house is 5 pillars. They are named after 5 saints: Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussein. The Muhammad pillar is the main one in the house. This is a symbol of faith, male power, the eternity of the world and the inviolability of the home. A newborn boy is placed in a cradle near him. The Fatima pillar is a symbol of purity, the guardian of the hearth. During the wedding, the bride is dressed and decorated near this pillar so that she is as beautiful as Fatima. Ali's pillar is a symbol of friendship, love, fidelity, agreements. When the groom brings the bride to his house, they are seated near this pillar so that they family life was full of happiness and they had healthy children. The Hasan pillar serves the earth and protects it, taking care of its prosperity. Therefore, it is longer than other pillars and is in direct contact with the ground. The Hussein pillar is a symbol of light and fire. Prayers and religious texts are read near him, namaz and the ritual of lighting a candle (“charogravshan”) are performed after the death of a person. The four-step vault of the house - “chorkhona”, symbolizes 4 elements: earth, water, wind, fire.

Marriage and family

The most archaic form of family among the mountain Pamirs was a large patriarchal family, based on the principles of agnatic kinship. The undivided economy was the basis of existence big family, which in turn was based on joint ownership of land. At the head of such a family was an elder who managed all property, distribution of work in the family and other matters. Patriarchal relations dominated within the family, the younger ones unquestioningly obeyed the elders, and all together obeyed the elder. However, with the penetration of commodity-money relations into the areas of settlement of mountain Tajiks, the communal structure was undermined, which led to the disintegration of large patriarchal families. The patriarchal family was replaced by a monogamous family, which still retained patriarchal relationships to one degree or another.

With the establishment of Islam, the superiority of men over women was legalized. According to Shariah norms, the husband had an advantage in the matter of inheritance; as a witness, the husband's right to divorce was legalized. In fact, a woman’s position in the family depended on the degree of her participation in production and rural labor, therefore, in mountainous regions, where a woman took more part in productive activities, her position was relatively freer. Among the Tajiks, consanguineous marriages played a significant role; they were also stimulated for economic reasons. Cousin marriages were especially popular, mainly marriage to the daughter of the mother's brother and the daughter of the father's brother.

Among the mountain Tajiks, the first ceremony associated with marriage was matchmaking. The next stage of the marriage was the engagement. After matchmaking and engagement, the bride and groom begin to hide from their new relatives. During the year, the entire bride price is collected and paid to the bride's father; relatives help the groom's father in collecting it. Kalym was mainly of a natural nature. Marriage is matrilocal (Kislyakov 1951: 7-12). As a trace of matrilocal marriage, there remains the custom according to which the bride, after the wedding, stays in her husband’s house for only 3-4 days, and then returns to her father’s house and the actual marriage begins here. (Peshchereva 1947: 48)

Traditional food

Due to the predominance of agriculture over cattle breeding, meat is rarely eaten, there are few meat dishes, and they are prepared very primitively. The main food products are wheat in the form of flour (noodles, dumplings, mash, flatbreads), in crushed form (for thick or thin porridge), fruits, walnuts, legumes and vegetables, sheep cheese and sour milk, tea with milk, with the addition of butter (tea of ​​Tibetan lamas), in Pamir “shirchoy”. They often drank tea with milk, and only wealthy people could afford butter. Dishes made from wheat or flour are cooked with vegetables and fruits; flour dishes are never cooked with meat. Ritual dishes include pancakes, havlo, ozaq - pieces of dough fried in oil, and “kashk” - porridge prepared from wheat, beans, peas and lentils during the firing of dishes, and the pot in which the kashk is cooked is placed near a pile of fired dishes and the kashk must be cooked on this fire. Only craftswomen and other women eat it, and it is not given to men. (Peshchereva 1947: 48)

Traditional activities

• Agriculture, cattle breeding
  • The main occupation of the mountain Pamirs is high-mountain farming with artificial irrigation in combination with livestock raising. The peasant farm had cows, sheep and goats, and less often horses and donkeys. In the highlands, as an exception, one could find a yak called “kutas”. Cattle were no different good quality, had little endurance, was short. Annual cycle caring for livestock was divided into two main periods: the winter stay of livestock in the village, in the barn, and grazing of livestock on summer pastures, in the distance from the village, far in the mountains. Between these main periods wedged in two other short periods, falling in spring and autumn, when cattle roamed freely across the still unsown or already compressed village fields or were driven to the sparse grassy areas near the village.

Bulls and donkeys were not driven out to pasture in the spring, since during this period they were needed in the village for agricultural work. (Kislyakov 1949: 38-39) The areas of settlement of mountain Tajiks are characterized by extreme land scarcity. Most of the land is occupied by so-called waste land (glaciers, rocks, steep slopes, piles of stones). The irrigation system is unique: water is discharged from the main irrigation canal through a series of waterfalls or discharges. From these, water is diverted through canals to plowed fields and irrigation furrows. (Monogarova 1972: 52)

• Traditional crafts
  • Home crafts are mainly wool processing, fabric dressing, patterned knitting of long socks from colored wool, felting, woodworking, women's hand pottery, hunting, jewelry making, blacksmithing. Women were engaged in processing wool; they beat the wool with the string of a special small bow and spun it on a hand spindle, as well as on a spinning wheel of the usual Central Asian type. Weaving was a traditional male occupation. Clothing fabrics were woven on a horizontal mill. In winter, men usually wove striped, lint-free carpets from goat and yak wool using a vertical weaving machine. Felts were made mainly by women. The processing of horns, especially of wild goats, was developed. Knife handles and combs were made from horn.
    • • Among the Pamir peoples, the national wrestling-gushtingiri, reminiscent of sambo, is popular. In modern sports, representatives of the Pamir peoples show themselves in such sports as sambo, boxing, martial arts and other martial arts, as well as volleyball.

Famous Pamiris

• Famous statesmen:
  • Shirinsho Shotemur - Hero of the Republic of Tajikistan - one of the founders of the Tajik SSR
  • Mastibek Toshmukhammedov - Soviet military leader, major general (1962), the first Tajik general by nationality in the USSR.
  • Goibnazar Pallayev - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan (1984-1990)
  • Shodi Shabdolov - Chairman of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.
  • Nazarsho Dodkhudoev - Soviet Tajik statesman, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Tajik SSR (-), Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Tajik SSR (-).
  • Mamadayoz Navdzhuvanov - commander of a military unit of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, and subsequently Minister of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Tajik SSR (1989-1992). Career Soviet officer, major general (1989). The regiment under the leadership of M. Navzhuvanov became the winner of the All-Union Socialist Competition in the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
  • Davlat Khudonazarov - Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR (1990).
  • Ojiev Rizoali - Chairman of the USSR Internationalist Warriors
• Famous athletes:
  • Vladimir Gulyamkhaydarov - born February 26, 1946, Master of Sports of the USSR, Honored Coach of the Republic of Tajikistan, famous football player FC "Energetik" Dushanbe (1964-1968, 156 games, 11 goals), "Pamir" Dushanbe (1971-1977, 241 games, 30 goals) and Torpedo Moscow (1969-1970, 19 games, 3 goals), member of the USSR Olympic team (1968-1970, 8 games, 3 goals), Vakhsh Kurgan-Tube (2 games), coach of FC Vakhsh » Kurgan-Tube, "Pamir" Dushanbe.
  • Azalsho Olimov - Master of Sports of the USSR, the first champion of the USSR and Europe in sambo from Central Asia,
  • Raimkul Malakhbekov - Honored Master of Sports of Russia, two-time world boxing champion 1995 and 1997, bronze medalist 26 Olympic Games 1996 in Atlanta (USA), silver medalist of the 27th Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney (Australia), multiple champion of Europe and Russia.
  • Oleg Shirinbekov is a master of sports of the USSR, a famous football player of FC Pamir Dushanbe and Torpedo Moscow.
  • Khursand Jamshedov is an international master of sports, 2006 world, European, Russian kickboxing champion, European professional kickboxing champion, two-time champion of the KITEK league.
  • Artur Odilbekov is a multiple champion of Russia in martial arts.
  • Ruslan Zarifbekov is the champion of Tajikistan and medalist of Russia in sambo.
  • Umed Khasanbekov is a prize-winner of Tajikistan and Russia in sambo.
  • Sanjar Sarfarozov is a prize-winner of Tajikistan and Russia in sambo.
  • Khushbakht Kurbonmamadov is the winner and prize-winner of international and all-Russian judo tournaments in Russia, 5th place at the European Cup in Orenburg 2010-2011 and the European Cup among juniors (under 20 years old) in St. Petersburg 2011.
  • Madadi Nagzibekov is a bronze medalist of the Asian Boxing Championship, multiple winner of the Governor's Cup of St. Petersburg, winner of the international Amber Gloves tournament 2006.
  • Shomirzoev Hakim - Prize-winner of the World Championship in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 2009 Dubai, Repeated champion of the Moscow Sambo Championship, Prize-winner of the Russian Sambo Championship, repeated champion of Europe and the Super Cup in Jiu-Jitsu, Prize-winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2012.
  • Shomirzoev Amir - Master of Sports of international class in Kyokushinkai Karate, 5-time champion of Russia, multiple champion of Moscow and Europe, Prize-winner of the World Championship in Kyokushinkai Karate
• Famous artists:
  • Daler Nazarov - winner of the competition