Now Playing:The fifteenth anniversary of the independence of Tajikistan ( Tajik dancing) 2
Description: Tajikistan means the "Land of the Tajiks" in Persian. Some believe the name Tajik is a geographic reference to the crown (Taj) of the Pamir Knot, but this is a folk etymology. The word Tajik was used to differentiate Iranians from Turks in Central Asia, starting as early as the 10th century. According to some other sources, the name Tajik (also spelled Tadjik or Tadzhik) refers to a group of people who are believed to be one of the pure and close descendents of the ancient Aryans. Their country was called Aryana Vajeh and the name Taa-jyaan from which came the word Tajik is mentioned in The Avesta. Zoroaster's Gathas were also directed to an Aryan audience and there are several references to this community as being situated in the "home" of the Aryans.