On Tuesday, November 17, 2023, the 4th Borderless Onsite Meeting was held in conjunction with the International Bureau Global Commons.
Ms. Davronova Farangis, a 4th-cohort NipCA Fellow from Tajikistan, delivered a presentation on the topic of “Exploring Tajikistan’s Persian heritage”.
Ms. Davronova highlighted various distinctive aspects and attractions of Tajikistan, including the fact that the currency is named after Somoni, derived from Ismail Samani (849-907), the amir of the Samanid dynasty, and the rich yet challenging nature of the Pamir plateau. While Central Asian republics share many cultural similarities, such as traditional horse-riding competitions, and Nowruz – the historic rite observed on 21 March, Tajikistan stands out as the sole Persian nation in Central Asia, thereby boasting numerous differences from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which had been previously introduced by other NipCA Fellows. Ms. Davronova also introduced the audience to the national dishes, which are unique to Tajikistan.
As in the previous meetings, tables were adorned with Tajik folk art, and the foreign students in attendance provided detailed explanations of each piece.
Given the linguistic closeness of the Tajik language to Farsi, Ms. Davronova and a staff member who had lived in Iran occasionally conversed in Tajik and Farsi.
The next Borderless Onsite Meeting will be held on Friday, January 26, where a NipCA Fellow from Azerbaijan will present and introduce their country.
