Tajik Americans () are Americans who trace their origin to

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 ...

, or

Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...

and

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

region of

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. The majority of Tajik Americans 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'' ...

. A significant amount are also non-Tajik Bukharian Jews or Russians.

Demography

About 6,000 Tajiks live in the US, although this number could be as high as 100,000 if you consider the Tajiks who migrated to the US as Uzbek nationals. Most reside in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

as well as in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Many come to the U.S. to study and work. Most Tajiks who emigrated to work get the right of permanent residence. Most second-generation Tajiks can speak their original language, while those of mixed descent mainly speak English. Many marry other Tajiks because of their cultural affinity.INTERVIEW: Tajik American community and other Central Asian diasporas in the United States
Rethink: Institute Washington DC (source in Russian language, but is the only source found about Tajiks living in US, apart from the articles about their associations in the US). Posted in July 2015. Retrieved on April 27, 2016.

Associations

Several Tajik associations operate in the U.S. One is the American-Tajik Association, established in Brooklyn, whose goal is to unite the Tajik diaspora, giving them a forum to gather and celebrate their culture. In May 2012, the Tajik American Cultural Association (TACA) was founded by Tajik local volunteers Vladimir Fedorenko, Anvar Samadzoda, Akobir Akhmedov and Faridun Nazarov in

Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...

as a non-profit, non-governmental, cultural, professional, and educational organization. The mission of TACA is to promote and facilitate intercultural understanding and cooperation by organizing educational and cultural programs that focus on issues concerning the Tajik American community. In addition, TACA strives to address the needs of the Tajik community in America. TACA believes that building cultural bridges among Tajik and American communities is needed and aims to promote further integration, encourage cooperation and establish close relations with other US communities.

Notable people

Malika Kalontarova Malika Yashuvayevna Kolontarova (born 2 September 1950, born Mazol) is a Bukharian Jews, Jewish–American dancer. She is known as the "Queen of Tajik and Oriental dance, Oriental Dance." Biography Kolontarova was born with the name Mazo ...

, dancer of

Bukharian Jewish Bukharan Jews, also known as Bukharian Jews, are the Mizrahi Jewish sub-group of Central Asia that dwelt predominantly in what is today Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. The group's name is derived from the Emirate of Bukh ...

origin * Rus Yusupov, businessman of

origin

References

{{Demographics of the United States American people of Tajikistani descent Central Asian diaspora in the United States Tajikistani diaspora in the United States

Demography

Associations

Notable people

See also

References