Question about Tajikistan?

[Karachi]

Today I met a person from Tajikistan and her last name was (Negmatov)

I am just wondering is she an ethnic Tajik or actually a Russian? She looked very (russian) and had blonde hair, but when I asked her where is she from she said Tajikistan. How many Russians are there in tajikistan? and are they like assimilated in to the culture / society?

few months ago I went to a Tajikistan Restaurant and even over there most people looked Russian

[HalloIsBack]

because of russian colonization people in caucasus and zentralasia get the ending -ov/-ev in their name
during su there were lots of russian but because of the civil war lots of them leaved tajikistan
russians in tajikistan are orthodox
where have you met her? is she moslem or christian?
russians in diaspora love to visit restaurants which offer food from the former su like ukrainian or tajik restaurant

[HalloIsBack]

russians are integrated but not assimilated into tajik culture/ society

[HalloIsBack]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Russians_ethnic_94.jpg

from1994

[HalloIsBack]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Tajikistan

i know wiki
but hopfully arevapasht will help us

arevapasht we are waiting for you

[Tjanaparh]

Her last name is Tajik from the root! Negmatov is not a russian family name!
Before Emomali Rahmons reform all Tajiks had family names with -ov and some keep it till now.
There are many people who even did not have a Surname culture beforse SU, so many nations became the family name culture under SU and all have or surnames with -ov or even some have it with Russian roots(some Buryats, Yakuts....).
Negmat/Nigmat is however no russian Name to form a surname, so supposedly the woman will have at least partly Tajik roots.
In Tajikistan further there are not too many Russians compared to the other republics.
Tajiks look I would say quiet different from Russians.

[torkham]

In fact all many muslims (by name and ancestry) were required to 'russianise' their names. For example karim becomes karimov and farzana become farzanova. -ov being masculine and -ova feminine.

Tajikistan tajiks are majority of muslim descent, some are athiest/ agnostic due to pressures of soviet times.

Blondism can be attributed to possible recent slavic / russian intrrmarriages and also inherent blondism, though on much smaller numbers, due to ancestral intermarriages with european russians and nearer slavs.

Go farther to kazakhstan you will find very oriental features, epicanthic folds, straight black hair and remarkably fair skin, also muslim with similar -ov and -ova suffixes to their names.

[Wahe Guru]

Today I met a person from Tajikistan and her last name was (Negmatov)

I am just wondering is she an ethnic Tajik or actually a Russian? She looked very (russian) and had blonde hair, but when I asked her where is she from she said Tajikistan. How many Russians are there in tajikistan? and are they like assimilated in to the culture / society?

few months ago I went to a Tajikistan Restaurant and even over there most people looked Russian

I would have thought it would have been better if you could have asked these questions of the lady directly and published the answers here?

[Wahe Guru]

In fact all many muslims (by name and ancestry) were required to 'russianise' their names. For example karim becomes karimov and farzana become farzanova. -ov being masculine and -ova feminine.

Tajikistan tajiks are majority of muslim descent, some are athiest/ agnostic due to pressures of soviet times.

Blondism can be attributed to possible recent slavic / russian intrrmarriages and also inherent blondism, though on much smaller numbers, due to ancestral intermarriages with european russians and nearer slavs.

Go farther to kazakhstan you will find very oriental features, epicanthic folds, straight black hair and remarkably fair skin, also muslim with similar -ov and -ova suffixes to their names.

I think there are also some people in Tajikstan remote areas who became Muslims only fairly recently and perhaps still a last few who did not become Muslim - this is before Soviet times..

[HalloIsBack]

In fact all many muslims (by name and ancestry) were required to 'russianise' their names. For example karim becomes karimov and farzana become farzanova. -ov being masculine and -ova feminine.

Tajikistan tajiks are majority of muslim descent, some are athiest/ agnostic due to pressures of soviet times.

Blondism can be attributed to possible recent slavic / russian intrrmarriages and also inherent blondism, though on much smaller numbers, due to ancestral intermarriages with european russians and nearer slavs.

Go farther to kazakhstan you will find very oriental features, epicanthic folds, straight black hair and remarkably fair skin, also muslim with similar -ov and -ova suffixes to their names.

Outward people had to be athiest but in the reality people practiced their religion secretly. To say people are athiest because of soviet times is not correct.

[Tjanaparh]

Dear Torkham, the russianization of the name was not only given to muslims but to everyone. Pay attention that many didn't have before real family names, like the russians have. And some do not have even now! For example I know a Tajik from Uzbekistan, whose name is Ozar Mirzaev, his son is named Khurshed Ozarov(so he has an other family name than his father), and many do the same. To the religion, for example the Pamirians, who are today seen mostly as Ismaili, still keep a lot of their ancient faith. We have here a user who is Pamirian, with the Nickname Pamiri Khukhnun, who told me a lot of their ancient beliefs and traditions which mostly correspond to those of the Ossetians.


However not all people changed family names to Russian, most Armenians, Georgians, some Azeri and Taleshi, most Abkhazians and some Ossetians for example kept their endings.
Also I would like to say that the people were mostly not directly forced to change their name, much more most people did it as it was seen as politically convenient, same did my relatives with whom I had serious discussions on that, Infact I would like to change my family name to the right verion and not to che changed one.

About Kazakhs, You cannot compare tham to Tajiks I think. Many Tajiks, even if not blond are quiet Europoid , the Mongolan looking Tajiks are more assimilated Karluk tribes from the valleys, while Kazalh are pure Turkic with Mongoloid faces.

I think by the way that Kazakhs intermarried much more with Russians than Tajiks, that is because the Kazakh culture is quiet open to that question, while Tajiks or Caucasians too, difficultly intermarry with others.