Tajiks of Xinjiang

The Tajiks in China ( Chinese:塔吉克 族; Pinyin: Tǎjíkèzú ) are one of the 56 official people of China. They live in the Tajik Autonomous County Taxkorgan in the district of Kashgar of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the south of the western border of China. They are also called " Selekuer - Tajiks ". " Selekuer " is a place name meaning " High Mountains" or highlands. In 2003 lived in Xinjiang 40,900 Tajiks, which were 0.21 percent of the total population. At the census in the year 2010 51.075 Tajiks were counted in all of China.

Dissemination of Tajiks in China

Distribution at the provincial level according to the data of the census of 2010 ( as of 1 November 2010)

Dissemination at the district level according to the data of the 2000 census

Here only values ​​from 0.5 % have been considered. AG = Autonomous Region; AB = Autonomous District; AK = Autonomous District; RB = county.

Language

The Tajiks of China have their own language, but they have not developed their own writing. The language belongs to the Iranian branch Pamirischen speech language family and it is usually the Wakhi and Sarikoli dialects that are spoken. In the Autonomous District Taxkorgan prevails the Tajik nationality. Here the Sarikoli dialect is spoken by the majority, a small minority speaks the Wakhi dialect. Currently, 60 percent of Tajiks speak the Uyghur language.

Religion

The Tajiks known sooner to Zoroastrianism, in the second half of the 11th century they were followers of Islam.