The Kulobi Tajiks are a regional group of Tajiks in the southwest area of

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. The Kulobis are ethnic

Tajiks Tajiks (; ; also spelled ''Tadzhiks'' or ''Tadjiks'') is the name of various Persian-speaking Eastern Iranian groups of people native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Even though the term ''Tajik'' ...

and speak Tajik. The current government in Tajikistan is perceived to be dominated by Kulobi Tajiks.

History

The term Kulobi comes from the Kulob Oblast that existed during the

Soviet period The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...

and was merged with Qurghonteppa Oblast in 1992 to create Khatlon Province. During the

Civil War in Tajikistan The Tajikistani Civil War,, group=pron also known as the Tajik Civil War, began in May 1992 and ended in June 1997. Regional groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan rose up against the newly formed government of Preside ...

the Kulyabi Tajiks fought on the side of the government against opposition. Emomalii Rahmon, from Dangara in Kulob oblast, became president of Tajikistan in November 1992 when Kulobi militiamen took control of the capital

Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...

from opposition forces.

References

Indo-Iranian peoples Ethnic groups in Tajikistan Ethnic groups in Central Asia {{Tajikistan-stub