P rominent t ajik f igures of the

particular aspect of the life and culture of the Tajiks, emphasizing the
role of prominent individuals in the establishment of Soviet power in the
Republic. Undertaking this project required familiarity with Tajik history
before, during, and after Sovietization. In other words, once again I
needed an extensive amount of material on prominent figures in twenti-
eth century Tajikistan. To meet this need, I created a database which in-
cluded every person who had an entry in Ensaiklopediai Sovetii Tojik
(Soviet Tajik Encyclopedia, 1978-1988), henceforth STE. I also made
extensive use of the Central Asian entries in the Daneshnama-i Adab-i
Farsi (Encyclopedia of Persian Culture, Vol. 1, Central Asia, 1997). This
source provided updates for a number of authors whose biographies
would have otherwise remained incomplete. The Historical Dictionary of
Tajikistan, 2002, provided information on some of the most recent fig-
ures. I also made use of the data that I had collected during my five trips
to Tajikistan. In 1993 and 1994, when I was IREX Resident Scholar in

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Tajikistan, I culled a large amount of information by analyzing news
items, perusing relevant literature, and by talking to people.
Finally, before traveling to Tajikistan during the summer of 2001, I
prepared the foundation for a comprehensive volume on the lives of
prominent figures of Tajikistan. Since the Academy of Sciences of Taji-
kistan had played a major part in the education and civilizational devel-
opment of these individuals, while I was in Dushanbe, I took the project
to the Academy of Sciences and asked for assistance. Dr. Ulmas
Mirsaidov, the President of the Academy, listened to me with great en-
thusiasm, asked questions, then assured me that the Academy would ex-
tend every possible assistance. To that end, he asked Dr. Askarali
Rajabov of the Institute of History, Archaeology, and Ethnography to
assist me in the collection of new materials, as well as in updating biog-
raphies of not only the Academicians but also of all prominent figures
that should be included in the volume. Finally, he appointed Miss Zulfiya
Rahimova to act as liaison for me with the Academy.
My return trip to the United States began on September 11, 2001,
thus stranding me in Munich for a week. During that time, I prepared a
questionnaire, which would be sent to Askarali Rajabov and Zulfiya
Rahimova to disseminate among potential participants. Firuza Abdullo,
daughter of author and playwright Ghani Abdullo, volunteered to help
with the project by contacting the medical community. Once back in the
United States, with my wife Carol's help, I drew up a list of all the indi-
viduals in the database and wrote up biographies for the nearly 630 en-
tries. I sent that list back to Tajikistan so that dated biographies could be
updated. I also asked for more information on new figures that I had
found in other sources.
While working with the materials, I came across several difficult
points that I feel should be shared with the reader. The first concerns
Tajik names. While all Tajiks have a given name, some names appear in
two, or sometimes three forms. For instance, before the October Revolu-
tion, due to their Iranian ethnic background, Tajiks used either the suffix
"-zod" or the suffix "-zoda(h)" (son of) to indicate their familial relation.
During the Soviet rule, the majority replaced those suffixes with "-ov."
After the fall of the Soviet Union, some returned to the "-zod" and "-
zoda(h)" suffixes while others, for various reasons, vacillated. In some
cases the first and family name are not clearly distinguished. These fac-
tors, of course, are reflected in the names. Some use their penname as if it
were their actual name. Sorbon (caravan leader), for example, is the pen-
name of Obloqul Hamroev. He is known as Sorbon by many more people
than he is known by his actual name.

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In this material, in order to make the information as accessible as
possible, all of an individual's names are cross-referenced. The actual
entry always appears under the individual's given name. The entry for
Sorbon, therefore, is found under Hamroev, Obloqul, but there is an entry
for Sorbon, which directs the reader. The spelling of names also created
some problem. Some people have already chosen how their name should
appear in English. For the others, the names are rendered as closely as
possible to the spelling of the STE.
Publication dates for books posed another major problem. Some in-
dividuals provided a list of books without indicating either the date or
place of publication. For the more important cases, the entries were re-
corded without a publication date. Some participants merely indicated
that they have written many books and articles--the numbers mentioned
by some range from 10 to 650 books and articles. Since they did not pre-
sent citations, their contributions must go unmentioned.
In the case of accolades, too, there was a problem, While most par-
ticipants painstakingly identified their awards by date and type, some
others claimed that they had received all the prizes awarded by the State.
Again, if they did not specify actual awards, none were mentioned for
them in this volume.
As mentioned above, a large number of the entries in this volume are
based on the information in the STE. This encyclopedia, however, ac-
cording to its own admission, pursued several lines of socialist and anti-
capitalist propaganda. The biographies that it presented, therefore, were
influenced by this agenda. Great care was taken so that individuals who
were chosen for inclusion in this volume were meritorious on the basis of
their education and hard work, and that neither political nor ideological
concerns play a role either in the selection of entries or in the nature of
the information provided. The authors and personalities of the end of the
twentieth century are given more coverage, but this has not happened at
the expense of those belonging to the earlier decades. Even though
Ahmad Donish died in 1893, due to his singular position in Tajik culture,
he is given a substantial place in this volume. Many painters and carvers
are treated in the same manner.
In many cases, the biographies are not complete and, unfortunately,
they will remain so. These are lives and careers that were interrupted by
the fall of the Soviet Union. In some cases only a notice of retirement or
death is recorded. In post-Soviet times, people who lost their jobs and the
prominent positions they held, disappeared from the public arena. Many
left the country altogether. However, as is evident, many weathered the
storm and continue to contribute to the building of a newer and more

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vibrant Tajikistan. With regard to the Soviet-era contributors, great care
was taken not only to include them, but also to deal with their efforts
judiciously. For some of them, this book might be the only chance they
have to present their work in an international forum. Otherwise, as a part
of the relics of the defunct Soviet Union, they would be relegated to
oblivion.
Some authors and contributors are not included in the volume. This is
not so much because they have not made lasting contributions--in some
cases they have contributed immensely to the particular field to which
they belong--but because of the obvious limitations of time, space, and
the considerations outlined above with regard to merit. Many such fig-
ures are given space in TS (in the case of those involved in the humani-
ties), or in the STE, and sometimes in both.
Translators, whether translating from Tajiki into other languages or
vice versa, are not listed. Translators who are also authors, however, are
included. Authors of literature for children are not included. This cate-
gory includes poets, playwrights, and novelists, whose contributions must
be organized in a separate, companion volume. Minor authors, especially
those whose achievements do not reach beyond graduation from college
and composition of a few poems in local journals and newspapers, are
left out. Authors who could have been disadvantaged and those who have
assisted others in carrying out major projects are recognized in appropri-
ate places. Authors whose party affiliation either overshadowed or, in-
deed, was the reason for their inclusion in the rank of prominent scien-
tists and artists are not included.
I would like to note here as well that the present volume is not meant
to be the final word. The author hopes that this volume is only a first step
and that, in the future, the volume will be expanded to encompass all
deserving Tajik figures.
Before presenting the text of the biographical entries, I would like to
thank those who have contributed to the project. Without their unselfish
contributions, this project would not be as informative as it is, especially
with regard to the logistical difficulties surrounding travel in the region,
collection of data, and support for compilation, editing, and dissemina-
tion of this kind of information globally. First of all, I would like to thank
Dr. Ulmas Mirsaidov, who welcomed the project at the Academy and
facilitated its progress by assigning members of the Academy to contrib-
ute and collect data, as well as for his assistance in the publication of the
materials. Dr. Askarali Rajabov collected a large number of biographies
and provided sound advice regarding inclusion of deserving individuals.
He, too, was instrumental in facilitating the publication, as well as the

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dissemination of the materials. For all his assistance, I would like to
thank him. Zulfiya Rahimova, a major contributor to the project, col-
lected data, updated materials, carried out interviews, and provided Tajiki
translation for almost all the Russian titles in the volume. I would like to
thank her for all her work on this project. Firuza Abdullo contacted phy-
sicians and persuaded them to contribute to the project either by updating
their entries or by filling out questionnaires. Similarly, Sanavbar
Rahimova contacted politicians and helped secure their contributions to
the volume. Nurali Davlatov provided biographies for some less accessi-
ble Tajik personalities. For that, I would like to thank him. Mention must
be made of the contributions of two Tajik icons, Dr. Kamoliddin Aini,
son of Sadriddin Aini, and Dr. Muhammadjon Shukurov, son of Sadri
Zio. Both assisted me by checking the list of entries and by suggesting
additions and deletions. Dr. Shukurov's contributions to the entries in