The disintegration of the Soviet Union in late 1991 left all the former republics scrambling. Self-rule was a surprise for many, certainly for the leadership in Central Asia.
Among the many pressing matters in those days was establishing signs of sovereignty — a flag, a national anthem, and so on.
They also needed a history; roots for building a new nation and national identity. No heroes had emerged from independence — the U.S.S.R. simply fell apart and suddenly there were five countries in Central Asia.
Lacking contemporary heroes, the five governments searched the rich history of Central Asia, looking for known figures who could assume the role of founders of these new nations.
The respected writers of Central Asia’s past were obvious choices.
The “founding father” for Tajikistan became Ismail Somoni, the late 9th-century conqueror whose Samanid Empire included what is now northern Iran, northern Afghanistan, and Central Asia south of the Syr-Darya River. His tomb is in Bukhara, in what is currently Uzbekistan.
Tajik authorities also claimed as native sons two of the best-known writers from the late, and post-Samanid, period — Abu Abd Allah Jaar ibn Muhammad al-Rudaki, or Rudaki (858-941); and Abu Ali Ibn Sina, or Avicenna (980-1037).
The Father Of Persian Poetry
Rudaki is called the father of Persian poetry and is credited with making enormous contributions to modern Persian language. But he was also a prototype for Central Asian writers. Rudaki composed verse and he also played music.
In a time and place where illiteracy was high, music helped carry poetry throughout the region and would continue to be a main transmitter of Central Asian poetry for the better part of the next millennium.
Rudaki was also from Panjikent in what is now western Tajikistan. His tomb is there today, reinforcing Tajikistan’s attachment to the poet.
Curiously, the mausoleum was originally built in 1958, by Soviet authorities (they dug up the body first to make sure he was really there). Such was the respect Rudaki commanded, and still commands.
