East is a delicate matter - many of you have probably heard this phrase. And indeed, the eastern peoples are distinguished by their special character, customs, traditions, lifestyle in general. In the East, their own special laws reign, sometimes incomprehensible to a Western European man. Often we don’t have to understand the subtleties of the eastern mentality, but also not to distinguish representatives of different Asian nationalities. And now, in the era of total globalization, the resettlement of people to other countries, each nation, it is necessary to value its originality, national characteristics. Many representatives (especially for a few nations) of a certain nationality try to defend their uniqueness. How can one not offend a person of another nation, if you cannot even identify this nation, cannot distinguish it from a person of another ethnic group?
Due to the fact that many people come to Russia to work from Central Asia, it will be especially useful for us to know how Tajiks differ from Uzbeks, because it is representatives of these nationalities who most often end up in our country.
What do Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have in common
In order to go on to describe what distinguishes Tajik from Uzbek, it is worth saying a few words about these two eastern countries, incidentally, bordering each other. Both of these states are located in Central Asia and, by the way, until 1991 were part of the USSR.
Undoubtedly, due to the geographical proximity, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have much in common both in natural conditions and in history: hot, dry climate, similar soil topography (mainly mountains and steppes), moreover, in the ninth to tenth centuries, and Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were part of one ancient state of Sogdiana. This determined that the differences between Tajiks and Uzbeks - in traditions, in mentality, even in appearance - are not visible at first glance. Needless to say, even the population of these countries is heterogeneous: it is precisely the Tajiks who live in second place in terms of the number of people after Uzbeks in Uzbekistan.
So, the overwhelming majority of the population of both states profess Islam, many national traditions (for example, celebrating weddings) overlap with each other, there are similar dishes in both cuisines (remember the same pilaf).
And how do they differ? General information
But since we are talking about how a Tajik differs from an Uzbek, let’s talk about the differences between the native countries of these eastern peoples. First, Tajikistan is much smaller than Uzbekistan in terms of area and population. Secondly, in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan they speak different languages (no, both Tajik and Uzbek are common in both states, however, Uzbek is recognized as state in Uzbekistan, and Tajik, respectively, in Tajik). By the way, these languages are completely different from each other, they are not even related: if Uzbek belongs to the Turkic languages, then Tajik is the language of the Iranian language group.
The capital of Uzbekistan is the ancient city of Tashkent, and Samarkand, Namangan, and Bukhara are also considered to be large and popular cities for tourists in this country. In Tajikistan, Dushanbe is recognized as the main city of the state, and Khunzhand and Bokhtar are also the largest administrative and cultural centers. The monetary unit of Uzbekistan is sum, in Tajikistan, somoni is paid.
Tajik and Uzbek - external differences
The first by which we distinguish one nation from another is, of course, external signs. How do Tajiks differ from Uzbeks in appearance? Let's start by defining the race of both nations. Anthropology refers Tajiks to the Caucasian race, peoples of Iranian origin, but the Uzbeks are a transitional nationality: the DNA of the Uzbeks contains genes of both the Mongoloid race and the Caucasian. Based only on this information, it can already be assumed how Tajik differs from Uzbek - it is an eye incision, skin color, and the general structure of the body. So we are dealing with two completely different nations, albeit living in the neighborhood.
Description of Tajik appearance
The average Tajik has a typical appearance of the Iranian type: medium height (for men it is about 170-180 centimeters), dark hair, black (although blue-eyed representatives of this nationality are also found) almond-shaped eyes, often large, wide-set. Tajiks are distinguished by abundant vegetation on their face and body: even among Tajik girls you can easily notice a charming fluff over the upper lip.
Description of the appearance of the Uzbeks
Uzbeks are a stunted nation, like all representatives of the Mongoloid race. The skin is dark with a yellowish tint; eyes are dark, most often brown, have a rather narrow incision; Uzbek hair is dark, stiff and straight (in contrast to slightly curled curls of Tajiks).
Love for national costumes
It is clear that in the modern world, almost every nation has the opportunity to use the latest technological advances, buy the same products, and follow the global fashion trends. In this regard, many nations become similar, lose their individuality. Many, but not Uzbeks and Tajiks. Both peoples are very fond of dressing according to tradition, if not in a national costume in its original form, then at least using the details and motifs of the national dress, styling their everyday clothes. So, the tradition of dressing authentically and distinctively is what distinguishes a Tajik from an Uzbek to a lesser extent. However, the national costumes themselves have their own characteristics and distinctive features.
Uzbek national costume
The main element of both men's and women's wardrobe in Uzbekistan is considered to be a bathrobe. It can be warm or light, simple or festive, but it is always embroidered with a special pattern that has symbolic meaning: some patterns serve as a talisman of the owner, others speak of his status. Another mandatory piece of clothing is a headdress - this is a traditional skullcap, also richly decorated, or a turban (turban), women also cover their heads with a scarf or wear a burqa. Also, Uzbek girls wear spacious dresses and harem pants (by the way, the Tajik national women's costume also combines a dress and pants). Men's trousers are called ishton - they are spacious, narrowed down. A man’s Uzbek shirt, a kuylak, is put on under the robe. The kiyikcha will also be indispensable for a man, that is, the likeness of our belt, with which the gown is belted. Shoes that are in Uzbekistan and in Tajikistan are made of thin leather, such boots are not hot in summer and not cold in winter.
