Empires and influence

Tajikistan used to be part of the Soviet Union, and there's a lot of Russian influence here. I teach at a branch of Moscow State University. I see and hear the Russian language a lot in my circles here in Dushanbe. People watch Russian TV. When the Russian economy booms, there are jobs there which draw Tajiks north. Russia is considered a good ally.

Front entrance of Moscow State University (Lomonsov), Dushanbe branch

A Russian-Tajik school

But there are also signs that the old Soviet empire is no more. Soviet memorabilia is something for souvenir stores. Statues of the old heroes are only found in out-of-the-way locations.

Souvenir shop on Rudaki Blvd.

Lenin statue on the campus of a technical institute in Panjakent

The new influence is from the east: China. Signs of China's investment in Tajikistan, part of the New Silk Road initiative as well as a focus on border security, are quite visible. (Or maybe I'm just paying attention to these signs because of my two years in China and interest in the country.) They range from the small:

Chinese-made goods in the so-called "China Bazaar," Dushanbe

to the very significant:

Big new road project in the middle of Dushanbe. Many new roads in Tajikistan are Chinese-built.

Construction near our apartment in the center of Dushanbe (new state theater?)

Some seem a bit quaint now:

"Tajik China Friendship Bus"

Others represent the current sophisticated reach of the Chinese brand:

A Li-Ning store in Dushanbe's new shopping mall (it's like a Chinese Nike)

"Palace of China-Tajik Friendship"

I've also met people who teach Chinese at the Confucius Institute as well as people studying there.

And what of the U.S.? Well, my presence here is part of the U.S. State Department's goal, through the Fulbright program, of "advancing mutual understanding."

Teacher workshop at the Kulob American Corner

The American Corners and Education USA rooms here are very popular.

Education USA room in the Dushanbe American Corner

According to embassy social media posts and website documents, the U.S. cares about and invests in border security, reducing narcotics trafficking, disaster preparedness, USAID projects in agriculture and clean water, women in sports, freedom of the press, etc.  For what it's worth, I think our ambassador here is wonderful.

This post wouldn't be complete without talking about the empires of the past which are being used to shape Tajik identity today. Scythia, Sogdiana, Persia, Sassanid, and Samanid were all empires that ruled this part of the world in the past. The Emir of the Samanid empire (892-907), Ismail ibn Ahmad, in particular, has been appropriated as a worthy ancestor of Tajiks. He's known here as Ismoil Somoni.

Ismoil Somoni statue, Rudaki Park

From the same era, they have claimed the Persian poet Rudaki (858-941) as the father of their literary traditions.

Empires come and go, don't they? Hoping to see "what remains forever" have an influence in Tajikistan as well.