Tajikistan’s stamp history actually extends much further back than its 1991 date of independence would suggest. Tajikistan – also rendered in English as Tadzikhistan and Tadjikistan among other variants – became a Russian territory in 1868 and remained a republic within the USSR until 1991. Due to this history, and some other moments when it changed hands, Tajikistan stamps can be more complicated to collect than it seems. Which, of course, means a lot more fun for hobbyists these days!
Tajikistan Stamps Under the Uzbeks
From 1925-1929 the area known as the Tadzikh Autonomous Republic was put under the control of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. Regular Soviet stamps seem to have been used during this time. Letters and cards sent to and from Tajikistan that date from this time may feature canceled Soviet stamps and be highly collectible pieces of real history. At any rate, the Tadzikh Autonomous Republic was moved in 1929 from control of the Uzbek Republic and was now under the direct control of the USSR.
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It wasn’t until the waning days of the USSR and the momentous events of 1991 that Tajikistan’s stamp history really began. However, Tajikistan stamp collectors will be very interested in a rare overprint on a Soviet stamp in 1988, bearing the Russian (not Tajik) characters Тадж (“Tadzh”) which refer to Tajikistan.
Tajikistan Stamp Issues from Early Independence
Independent Tajikistan issued its first stamps in 1992. Demand was too high, however, and the Republic resorted to overprinting old Soviet stamps for a couple years to satisfy needs. Collectors of Tajikistan stamps nowadays often concentrate more on complete sets since the relatively short history of the country as a modern stamp-issuing body makes completeness a more realistic goal.
In 1991 Tajikistan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Although this entity has not issued its own stamps, several countries have issued stamps recognizing and/or honoring it and buyers of Tajikistan stamps may find some gems among them that fit their collections.
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A Note About the Tajik Language
Tajik is derived from Persian and is sometimes even called Tajik Persian. In the history of the Tajik area, language was variously written in Persian script, Latin, and Cyrillic. By the late 1930s, Cyrillic had become the favored script but since the fall of the USSR there has been an effort to convert the country back to the use of written Persian. Your collection of Tajikistan stamps may well feature an interesting mix of scripts and languages.
