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I could find one instance of Tajik being mentioned and all it says is this; "According to this view, the Bon religion of Zhangzhung represents the first wave of Buddhism into Tibet, and the great Bon-po preceptor gShen-rab (also spelt gShen-rabs), known as dMu-ra in Zhangzhung, is in fact the Buddha. The Bon religion came to Zhangzhung from Bactria and Sogdiana, an area which early Tibetan historians refer to as Ta-zhig or Tag-zig and which, according to Snellgrove (1987: 400), is cognate with `Tajik'". In other words, either am I missing something here or you are (respectfully) engaging in WP:SYNTH. Moreover, I fail to see how this is an expert source on the topic, and scholarship ultimately agrees that "Tajik" is from the Arabic word "tazik/tazig". Please see WP:DUE. --HistoryofIran (talk) 16:10, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
If Tazig refers to Bactria/Sogdia and is cognate with Tajik, it suggests that the term Tajik may have originally referred to the people of these regions rather than being derived from Tazi (Arab). This would imply that the Tajiks are directly linked to the ancient populations of Bactria and Sogdia, although only Snellgrove stated It's cognate with tajik while others maintained It referred to Bactria/Sogdia, In
https://www.google.se/books/edition/Tibet/RpLAKGG1ZX4C?hl=sv p.99, it says " The story told by Loden Nyingpo's treasure is something like this. The founder of Bon was a man called Shenrab, who lived in Tazig (the land of the Tajiks, in or near Persia) " ... " The Bonpos believe that the teachings of Shenrab travelled from the land of the Tajiks to the ancient Tibetan kingdom of Zhangzhung long before Buddhism came to Tibet "
P.419, Prominent scholars such as Giuseppe Tucci and Jan Van Driem have argued that the term Tazig is more likely linked to Bactria and Sogdia rather than Arabia. Tucci, in his research on Tibetan and Central Asian connections, suggested that Tazig referred to the region of Bactria, where the ancient cultures of Central Asia flourished. Similarly, Van Driem's work on the ethnolinguistic history of the region also supports the idea that Tazig refers to the Iranian-speaking peoples of Bactria and Sogdia, not Arabs. Both scholars align with the notion that the term Tajik could have evolved from Bactria/Sogdia, This interpretation challenges the more commonly accepted view that Tajik derives from Tazi, meaning "Arab."
Furthermore, Berthold Laufer (in the same source I pointed out before) proposed that Bon was not an indigenous Tibetan religion, as traditionally assumed, but rather one that originated in the west, specifically in Bactria and Sogdiana. It writes: "Subsequently, Berthold Laufer formulated the theory that Bon was not an indigenous religion of Tibet, as had hitherto been thought, but a religion which had its roots further west in Bactria and Sogdiana: Es ist irrtümlich, wie bisher zuweilen geschehen, die Bon-Religion ohne weiteres mit der einheimischen tibetischen Volksreligion zu identificiren.... Sie ist... keine tibetische, sondern eine fremde Religion, die auf persischer Grundlage basirt ist, mit allen möglichen fremden Elementen vermischt in Dardistan entwickelt wurde, von da zunächst nach Guge in den westlichen Teil Tibets und später in das centrale Tibet gelangte... Ihre ältesten Traditionen weisen aber, wie gesagt, deutlich genug auf Persien hin. (1908: 13)
Laufer's theory seems to be supported by later studies on the Bon religion by Helmut Hoffmann (1950) and David Snellgrove (1967). So Laufer's thesis has been supported by later scholars, including Helmut Hoffmann (1950) and David Snellgrove (1967).
William M. Gorvine, in his work Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary, also affirms that Tazig was home to ancient kingdoms such as Bactria and Sogdiana. (P.24)
Beyond the Tazig hypothesis, some scholars have also drawn connections between Tahia/Daxia/Ta-Hsia-the Chinese term for the Bactrians- In The Search for the Lost Kingdom of Sagala, historian Charles Allen explicitly associates Tahia with tajik, writing : " They passed through Tayuan [Ferghana] and to the west they smote Ta-hsia [Tajik/Bactria] and subdued it.'. "
This hypothesis is further reinforced in The Emergence of Modern Afghanistan, https://www.google.se/books/edition/The_Emergence_of_Modern_Afghanistan/gphzQgAACAAJ?hl=sv which notes: Some Western historians believe the Tajiks are the descendants of the ancient Bactrians, who were called Ta-hia by the Chinese traveler Chian-K'ien in 128 B.c. (see Fraser-Tytler, Afghanistan, pp. 54-55; Wilber, Afghani-stan, 1st ed., p. 45; and Grousset, Auboyer, and Buhot, p. 66). (P.33)
Again, please refrain from engaging in WP:SYNTH. We have an expert source in the article that says that Tazig being Arabic is the "most plausible and generally accepted origin", so cherrypicking random citations by books which doesn't even focus on the topic by non-experts in the topic ain't going to help here. Also, is this your first account? If not, you need to make that clear on your userpages. HistoryofIran (talk) 17:34, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Haha, it mentions both of these hypothesis, but I think you have misunderstood me on this matter, I am only intending to share this hypothesis to show another side, I don't intend to actually remove the tazi one, I have given you alot of experts who suggested this, that's why I think it should be noted, but no I haven't really had any other accounts, I'm new here. I actually wanted to respond to one of your messages but apparently you deleted it? DarvoziKhan (talk) 17:46, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I removed it because I misread. It says "The most plausible and generally accepted origin of the word is Middle Persian tāzīk 'Arab' (cf. New Persian tāzi), or an Iranian (Sogdian or Parthian) cognate word.", in other words, it's from a Middle Persian/Sogdian/Parthian and meant "Arab". Please read the policies I posted, including WP:RS. HistoryofIran (talk) 17:53, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I have reviewed the sources, but I don't believe I am the one drawing this conclusion. The hypothesis I have shared is directly cited in the sources I provided. I also trust the reliability of these sources, as the hypothesis is noted in Iranica, the Stanford publication I referenced earlier, alongside the Tazi hypothesis, and by the prominent scholar David Snellgrove.
But again I think you've misunderstood me, I only intend to share another hypothesis, while keeping the tazi one, I don't see a problem since these sources say it and are pretty reliable! DarvoziKhan (talk) 17:59, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Why are you ignoring Encyclopedia Iranica I just told you about, That's reliable aswell as the Standford and Oxford publications? But yeah I think Snellgrove is good, since he specializes in Tibet and this hypothesis is mostly derived from the Tibetans who adhere to Bonpo Shenrab. DarvoziKhan (talk) 18:04, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I've told you many times already, I only intend to add this hypothesis, and to keep the tazi one aswell. I am being Neutral, And who the hell is Sohrab? DarvoziKhan (talk) 18:14, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
What? You accuse me of being some random person when I respond to everything you say, I've proven all my sources directly state what I shared here, and that they are reliable, I don't understand your problem? DarvoziKhan (talk) 18:23, 30 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
After the Arab conquest of Iran (7th century), Persians used the word “Tāzī” (تازی) to mean “Arab.”
When Turkic tribes later entered Central Asia (8th–10th centuries), they adopted a version of that word — “Tajik” or “Täžik” — but used it to label Muslim Persian-speaking people (since most Muslims they met were Persians, not Turks).
Over centuries:
“Tāzī” → meant Arab.
“Tajik” → shifted in Turkic usage to mean Persian-speaking Muslim.
Eventually, Persians in that region themselves accepted the label.
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Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Mellk (talk) 10:27, 6 September 2025 (UTC)
