TAJIKISTAN: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

Tucked in the corner of the grey areas of the map where its name may not be familiar to some, is a country surrounded by a snow-covered mountain backdrop. It’s a hidden gem for those who want to avoid the touristy areas and embrace the outdoors. It’s a place for those who are looking to get away from their Western lifestyles into something different.

The name Tajikistan literally means “land of the Tajiks.” But where the term Tajik came from is up for debate. The main dispute is whether the original people were of Turkish or Iranian descent. Because of the Russian influence in its history, you may also see the name of this country written as Tadjikistan.

Tajikistan is one of the former Russian countries of Central Asia. This landlocked area is surrounded by Kyrgyzstan to the north, China to the east, Afghanistan to the south, and Uzbekistan to the west. The Tajik people are native to this area but they also lived in areas of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan as well. This country is highly mountainous: located in the Pamir Mountains, more than half the country is above 9800 ft above sea level. These mountains also give way to the Amu Darya and the Panj Rivers and over 900 lakes (Calm down, Minnesota. Your 10,000 lakes are still cool).

People have lived in these lands for a very long time. It was once part of the Archaemenid Empire and later was conquered by Alexander the Great. The Silk Road passed right through this area, and the northern parts did quite a bit of trade with China. It used to be quite religiously diverse, but once the Arabs moved into the area, it soon became an Islamic state. It changed hands so many times, from being under Persian rule to falling under Genghis Khan’s Mongol invasion to eventually, the Russians. During the late 1800s, Russia slowly moved into Central Asia with their Imperial interests at hand. The Tajiks really weren’t all that excited about the Russians being there, and there were conflicts over it. During the times following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Bolshevik forces burned down any building associated with organized religion. Much of the Tajik areas were part of Uzbekistan before breaking off to be its own republic in 1929. It was known as Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, and their soldiers were conscripted into the Russian army during WWII. They remained under Russian control until the breakup of Russia in 1991; Tajikistan finally gained its independence. They fell into a civil war right away following their independence. A ceasefire was reached in 1997, and although they’ve held functional elections since then, it wasn’t without tension. Between tensions in their own country and the nearby war in Afghanistan, there have been troops of various nationalities stationed in the capital and other areas of the country.

Because of the civil war, Tajikistan’s economy has struggled. And struggle is probably an understatement to a degree. A little less than half of its GDP comes from remittances sent back from people who’ve moved to other countries for work (mainly to Russia). They also receive assistance from other countries, especially since droughts and other factors have led to a high number of people living with food insecurity. After the civil war ended, some industry has grown, especially in energy and utilities. Unfortunately, money from drug trafficking is a constant problem in this area.

The capital city of Dushanbe is located in the southwest corner of the country. It literally means “Monday,” named after a village that used to have a large bazaar held on Mondays. It sounds weird, but then again, we have stores named Tuesday Morning and Weekends Only. During the Communist years under Russia, it was renamed Stalinabad, after Joseph Stalin. (...See, we knew Stalin was bad. They practically spelled it out.) They generally have a Mediterranean climate since the mountains keep back a lot of the colder Siberian air. Today, it has several universities, sporting venues, shopping centers, arts centers, and museums. Dushanbe also boasts the second tallest freestanding flagpole in the world. At 541 feet, it’s only 14 feet shorter than the Washington Monument. (It’s only second to the one in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, coming in at 561 feet.)

Although technically Tajikistan is a secular country, about 96-98% of the people here are Muslim. And more specifically, they follow the Hanafi school so Sunni Islam. You’ll also find small populations of Christians (mostly Russian Orthodoxy and various Protestants), Buddhists, and Zoroastrians.

The official language spoken here is Tajik, a language that is related to Persian. Because of their historical ties to Russia, the Russian language remains to be used in business as well as in communications between different ethnic groups. There has been some debate as to whether the country should get rid of Russian or keep it, but in the end they decided to keep it around as a lingua franca.

So, if you’re a woman who hates plucking their eyebrows, then you’re in luck! Tajik women are famously known for their unibrows that would make Frida Kahlo nod with approval. And if you’re a woman who doesn’t really have one naturally, many women will take these special herbs and brush them across their brow; after it sits there for a period of time and they wipe it off, it will resemble the coveted unibrow. When asked why they like their unibrows, it’s the same reason why Western women put on make-up or paint their nails: because it’s pretty. You do you, boo.

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LIBYA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

 

On New Year’s Eve, I finally showed my kids the movie Back to the Future. And as we were watching it, I realized it was Libyans who were supposedly the ones firing on Doc Brown at the scene at the mall where he was showing the capabilities of the car/time machine to Marty. Of course, it would be Libyans. Why not? This movie was set in 1985, and I suddenly realized that up until a few years ago, Libya I knew was actually Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya. In fact, my mom was barely out of high school and my dad was a senior when he took over. Practically all of our general views on the country are that of oppression. Looking back to five years ago, I don’t think I realized what an impactful event it was when he was killed. 

The Italians renamed this land Libya in 1934, reviving the old Greek name for the area. The ancient Greeks actually used the term Libya to refer to all of Northwest Africa (minus Egypt). Before Italy usurped the land, it actually consisted of three territories. 

Libya is a country in North Africa, surrounded by Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. It also has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Sea of all the North African countries. It is directly across the Mediterranean from Italy, Greece, and Malta. Most of the major cities in Libya are located along the coast, mostly because the Libyan Desert covers the rest of the country. There are some places that haven’t seen rainfall for 5-10 years, even though one location hasn’t had a recorded rainfall since 1998. Some record high temperatures have also been recorded in the desert, but the areas along the coast tend to be milder. 

The Berbers were the first peoples to live in this area before the Greeks spread their kingdom across North Africa and into where Libya is now. They founded the city of Cyrene, a major city at the time, lending its name to the region called Cyrenaica. It was later handed over to the Romans and converted to a Christian state. As the Roman Empire fell to ruin, it was swept in as part of the Byzantine Empire before the Muslims took it as theirs. For the next several centuries, Libya was ruled by several different Caliphates from the Middle East, and of course the Ottoman Empire moved in during the early 1500s. They took control of Tripolitania (the region that includes Tripoli), and they eventually took over Cyrenaica as well. War broke out between the United States and Tripolitania in a series of wars known as the First and Second Barbary Wars. (This is referenced in the “Marine’s Hymn” of the US Marine Corps: “From the Halls of Montezuma/To the shores of Tripoli…”) This was the first land battle the US fought on foreign soil. As the Italians and the Turkish fought in 1911, the Italians took these Libyan regions and turned them into their own colonies. In 1934, they finally decided both regions (Italian Tripolitania and Italian Cyrenaica) along with a region south of Tripolitania called Fezzan were to be renamed as Libya, based on the original Greek term. The Italians didn’t treat the Bedouins well at all, to say the least: some estimates say that nearly half of the Bedouin population were killed, many through disease and starving in camps. Libya finally declared its independence in 1951 and was headed by King Idris I. However, in 1969, Muammar Gaddafi led a band of militants in a coup and took over the office. His position was more or less a non-official, symbolic position. He published his famous book, The Greek Book, in 1975, essentially outlining his political philosophy and guidelines. Libya was involved in several conflicts during the 1970s, but they also discovered oil during that time as well. This created a stronger economy, which led to a higher quality of life for many Libyans. A full-scale revolt in 2011 would leave the country combing through the wreckage of its civil war. Violence spread to several cities and lasted for many months until the final days when rebels captured and killed Muammar Gaddafi. A year later, Islamist militants launched an attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi (the Republican’s favorite word), killing four including the US Ambassador to Libya. They continue to struggle with the presence of ISIL taking up arms in Libya. Today, the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council are working together to create some stability for the country. 

Tripoli is the largest city in Libya, and it serves as its capital. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, the Port of Tripoli is one of the country’s major ports. The city was actually founded by the Phoenicians, who sometimes called it Tripoli of the West so as not to confuse it with the Tripoli of their homeland, Lebanon. Tripoli acts as center for banking and finance as well as its media and communications hub. Many businesses and corporations are located here, and the city is also home to many colleges and universities. With a modern infrastructure, people in Tripoli enjoy sports, the arts, shopping, restaurants, and a variety of other sights. Throughout the city, people can see evidence of the Ottoman influence as well as Italian architectural styles; modern buildings standing next to ancient ones.

The vast majority of Libya’s economy depends on its oil reserves and its exports. Libya’s economy is ranked as one of the highest in Africa. Although they have a stronger economy, they also deal with weak political stability and unemployment. Libya has experienced a surge in immigrant workers in the past decade, even though the numbers have decreased during the war. Even before the Civil War, infrastructure was lacking due to negligence, but it is now slowly being rebuilt.  

Islam is the dominant religion in Libya with the majority belonging to Sunni Islam. There are smaller numbers of other Muslim denominations that are found there as well. After the fall of Gaddafi’s regime, the super conservative sects of Islam infiltrated the holes left in the instable government. There are also small numbers of Christian denominations found in Libya, the largest being the Coptic Orthodox Church. Libya was also home to large numbers of Jews, until the Italians came over. Many of the Jews died in concentration camps the Italians set up. By the time Libya gained its independence, most had emigrated by that point. 

Arabic is listed as the official language; Libyan Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic are the two of the most spoken varieties in Libya. There are many Berber languages still spoken in Libya as well: Suknah, Ghadamis, Nafusi, Awjilah, and Tamasheq. English and Italian are understood and used in the larger cities, especially in commerce. 

And as I was doing my research on Libya, I read through some information more than once that made me stop and think: yes, life under Gaddafi may not have been the best on many grounds, but socio-economically, there was a lot of good decisions made regarding the money made from oil. Citizens could get loans at zero interest. The country practically has no foreign debt. Students got an allowance from the government to study anywhere in the world. They were also paid for the profession they were going into as they were studying it. Married couples get a free apartment or house when they start out, and cars are sold at the factory cost. The list goes on. I read about similar measures Kuwait took with its oil money being put back to its people. So, I think there’s a lot of learn here. At least a lot to learn that’s not quite mentioned in the mainstream media.

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KUWAIT: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

I was in 5^th grade when I first heard about Kuwait. It was 1991. I was at the age when I was just beginning to understand the world around me on a global scale. I watched Yugoslavia and Russia break up as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall two years earlier. I didn’t understand what was going on exactly, but I watched it and tried to piece it together in my 11-year-old head. This was the year the US entered Kuwait to fight against the Iraqi occupation and annexation of Kuwait. I can distinctively remember the night-vision videos of the scud missiles, green streaks across a blackened screen.

 

The name Kuwait is stemmed from a diminutive form of the word kut or kout, which means “fortress on the water.” The country was named after the capital city of the same name. Kuwait’s strategic location on the Persian Gulf has been beneficial throughout its history. This small country is located at the head of the Persian Gulf, surrounded by Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It also includes nine islands, eight of which are uninhabited. During the summers in Kuwait, the temperatures are very hot (I just looked the other day, and it was 109ºF.), and they are often subject to dust storms during this season. Their winters are still moderately warm with the average daytime temperatures in the 50-60s and lows in the 20-30s.  

The ancient Mesopotamians first settled on the island of Failaka (the only inhabited island). The ancient Greeks eventually started moving into this area, and Alexander the Great took the area in the name of Greece. Then the Sassanid Empire moved in and took over, calling the place Meshan. By the 1500s, the Portuguese moved into this area and built a fortress settlement. A small fishing village called Kuwait was built on the bay during the 1600s. Although it changed hands many times, it quickly grew to be a major port city for the shipping industry. In fact, the city of Kuwait was one of the major stops for goods and spices from Southeast Asia to enter the Middle East and Europe. Likewise, it was also an important city for the boat-building industry as well. Because of all of this trade, the city was booming and built a reputation for being a very wealthy city. However, this all changed with WWI: Britain imposed a sanction on the country because of their support for the Ottoman Empire, which had a crippling effect on its economy. Their once-revered pearling industry also collapsed at the same time. During much of the 1920s-1930s, Saudi Arabia placed economic and military actions against Kuwait, eventually taking much of their land for themselves. Luckily for its impoverished citizens, oil was discovered. From the time after WWII to the early 1980s, Kuwait saw immense growth in the public and private sector, mostly driven by its investments in oil. The country developed in areas reflective of Western countries; they enjoyed a free press, a thriving theatre arts scene, Western style clothing, and a high quality of life. Although Kuwait supported Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein later claimed that Kuwait was a province of the country as a means to invade (although during his last days, Saddam claims that Kuwaiti officials insulted and threatened his family and that’s why he acted as he did. Who knows how much truth is in any of this?). After the U.S. got involved, the Iraqis did retreat but not before they lit hundreds of oil fields on fire as they were leaving. Today, Kuwait is still a freer country in comparison with some of its neighbors in the region and enjoys a comfortable quality of life for most people. 

  

Kuwait City is the capital city and largest city in Kuwait. The city has a little over 2 million people in its metro area, making it about the same size as Houston, Texas or Havana, Cuba. Lying on the Kuwait Bay, it serves as a major port in the Persian Gulf. Kuwait City is not only the center of the government, but it’s also the cultural, financial, and educational capital of the country as well. Roughly 98% of Kuwaitis live in the urban areas. When the Iraqis burned many of the oil fields in the early 1990s, it left large sections of land unusable due to soil contamination. However, Kuwait has taken many of its oil dollars and put it back into its country, its people, and its infrastructure. This city is very much a modern oasis in the desert. It’s known for its space-age-looking buildings, towers, and technology. 

  

Because of Kuwait’s oil being a driving factor in its economy, its currency, the Kuwaiti dinar, is the most valuable currency in the world. Nearly 94% of their exports are in petroleum-based products. Kuwait is also seeing a rise in young entrepreneurs. Real estate is prime and can be very expensive, and many of these young entrepreneurs are often technologically savvy when it comes to marketing, often utilizing Instagram to advertise their businesses. I think this is great. (I have two Instagram accounts: for this blog, I post to @kayosmada, and I have one called @indyinblackandwhite where I take photos of areas in and around Indianapolis in black and white.) Because Kuwait practically has no agriculture of its own other than some fishing, it must import almost all of its food from other countries. It is also the leader of the Arab-region countries in foreign investments. 

The vast majority of Kuwaitis are Muslim (mostly Sunni). There are also significant pockets of Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Bahá’í, and Christians.

 

The official language in Kuwait is Arabic, and more specifically Kuwaiti Arabic. They also have their own version of sign language. However, English is often understood by many people and is often used in business. 

Several years ago, Oprah did a special on “Women at 30,” highlighting how 30-year-old women live around the world. One of her guests was a woman from Kuwait. She made waves because her great-uncle was the Emir, and she chose to marry outside of royalty. But she also highlighted several things about Kuwait that surprised me: when Kuwaitis marry, the Emir gives them $12,000 to get started on their lives. They also get free education (including college), free medical care, and no one pays taxes (I believe they use the revenues from oil to fund projects we would normally pay for in tax dollars—how different than how it works in the US where the CEOs of the oil companies pocket the majority of these dollars and don’t spread it out. If trickle down economics worked like they say it does, then gas station employees should be making $22/hour or something). People live fairly comfortable lives here, and unemployment is around 3.5%. However, even as one of the most democratic countries in the Middle East, women still don’t have the right to vote here. But what they do have are some tasty recipes, many of which are inspired from all over the Arab world and Asia, and I can’t wait to try them out.

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JORDAN: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

As another country that doubles as a first name, you’d be hard pressed if you haven’t heard of Jordan, especially if you pay any attention to the news. I suppose there are more than a few who only watch the dumbest of TV shows, and well… I promised I would stop going off on tangents, even though that is certainly tangent worthy. But it’s a topic for another time. There’s a lot going on in this area of the world. And I’m hoping to shed some light into the culture where this is taking place. 

 

This country is named after the Jordan River, a major river in this area. It essentially runs from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and partly serves as the border between Israel and Jordan. 

Jordan lies in the Middle East in an area sometimes called the Levant. This is the area that is closest to the Mediterranean Sea. It is surrounded by Israel (along with the West Bank and the Golan Heights) to the west, Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, and Saudi Arabia to the south and east. Jordan also shares a border with the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea, which are really the most significant bodies of water in the entire country. The Dead Sea is actually the lowest place on earth at 408 m (1338.58 ft) below sea level. The country varies between arid desert plateaus and arable mountain regions and generally has a Mediterranean climate. 

This area is steeping in Biblical history, and several of the kingdoms mentioned in the Bible originated here, like the Kingdom of Moab, the Kingdom of Ammon, the Kingdom of Edom, and others. It was also included as part of other kingdoms that extended its way into this region: the Akkadians, the ancient Egyptians, the Hittites, the Persians, the Greeks, the Nabateans, a number of other empires including at times, the Israelites. The Nabateans were the ones who developed the Nabatean alphabet, originally based on Aramaic, and eventually became the basis of the Arabic script. The Nabateans also left us the city of Petra, known for its rock-cut structures and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This country began to be known as Transjordan, and this name will stick around until they declare their independence. There were many Jewish settlements in this area, but Christianity quickly spread across the region because of the Roman Empire. But like most places in this region, the Ottomans eventually took over (and stayed for the next 400 years), bringing with them Islam. While the fighting of WWI was happening in Europe, there was another fight happening: the Transjordan troops were fighting against the Ottoman Empire and were generally supported by the Allies. (This revolt was highlighted by T.E. Lawrence and served as the basis of the movie Lawrence of Arabia.) Afterwards, Transjordan was placed under the British Mandate for Palestine. In 1946, Transjordan gained its independence, officially becoming the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. A few years later, the “trans” was dropped, becoming the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. They went through Palestine to attack Jerusalem. Throughout the latter part of the 20^th century, Jordan and Israel would fight several wars over the Palestinian states and land occupation, and several peace treaties have been signed.

The capital and largest city, Amman, has about 4 million people, making it about the size of Los Angeles. Because it’s one of the largest cities in this area, it’s also a center for government, media, arts, education, and business. Amman is also one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world. At one time, the city was renamed Philadelphia by the Macedonian Greek ruler of Egypt at that time. The Ottomans moved the capital to the city of Salt, but when the British took control, it was moved back to Amman. The city itself now spreads across 19 hills, and it can actually get cold enough to snow (which seems weird to me because I always think of it as a warm country). Although the city has very ancient roots, it is very much of a modern city today. Complete with several universities, mass transit, growing financial and commercial sectors, sports, and a thriving culinary scene, Amman enjoys a large tourist season throughout much of the year. 

Jordan enjoys a moderately high economy and benefits from trade agreements with Turkey and the European Union. Larger portions of their economy are based on the production of various fertilizers, medicaments, and textiles. The country suffers from low natural resources, which forces them to become reliant on foreign aid and trade for food and energy resources. It’s the only country in this region to not have its own oil reserves. Battling high unemployment and poverty, they also suffer from having the top students choosing to work abroad and send their remittances home. However, their growing financial, commercial, and tourism industries are helping the country regain some of its footing. 

The official language is Standard Arabic, which is the language of education and government business. English is so widely spoken that many college courses are taught in English, and it’s become the de facto language of commerce and banking as well.  You’ll also find French and German taught, but mostly in the private and elite sections. Along with those languages, there are several other languages that have pockets of speakers throughout the country: Chechen, Circassian, Armenian, Tagalog, and Russian. 

The vast majority (about 92%) practice Sunni Islam, and there is a smaller percentage of other Islamic denominations. There is also a small Christian population in Jordan. Christian lawmakers actually have a certain number of seats reserved, and many business owners traditionally have been Christian. Smaller pockets of other religions like Druze and Bahá’í are spread throughout the country. Although religious freedom is technically on the books, there is some controversy as to how protected the minority religions are. 

Jordan is an ancient land, and there are many places mentioned in the Bible that are widely believed to be in present-day Jordan. Moses’ burial place is thought to be near Mount Nebo. The ancient city of Petra that was carved into rock is thought to be nearly 2000 years old, but it wasn’t known to the western world until the 19^th century. John the Baptist was imprisoned in a Jordanian palace near the city of Madaba. The culture here is different from other areas, especially in comparison to European-based cultures. Jordanians are a very welcoming people and often offer coffee or tea to friends and visitors. They are especially cautious about admiration and praise and often warn against it. Admiring something in someone’s home will often prompt the owner to give it to their guest, and praising children excessively is often viewed as bad luck. There are a lot of customs concerning eating and being in the home and in public. But I will throw caution to the wind, however, and say that I have picked out some really good recipes and cannot wait to make them.

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