In Tajikistan, May 12th is celebrated as the Day of Shashmakom. This musical genre of Persian origin was popularized by the Bukharan Jews, a city now located in Uzbekistan. Shashmakom was performed in Tajik (Persian) and Uzbek by Jews and Muslims, recognized as one of the traditions that unites the people of Central Asia. Tajikistan, a country with a Persian culture, has embraced it as their national classical music.
The first shashmaqam music recording was made in 1923 by Russian composer, musicologist, and ethnographer Viktor Uspensky. During the Soviet era, this style of music was denigrated and neglected due to its feudal origins. It began to be rehabilitated before the dissolution of the USSR. Today, Shashmakom holds a significant place in Tajikistan’s contemporary musical culture alongside traditional genres like roq, falak, and dargilik. Ancient pieces are still popular in the mountainous regions of the country.
Songs such as “Talqini Darvoz,” “Iroqi Darvoz,” “Ushshoqi Darvoz,” “Dilangez,” and “Chorzarb,” along with others collected and recorded by Akasharyf Juraev, attest to the longstanding presence of the shashmakom tradition in the mountains. In 2000, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Ensemble of Shashmakom of Tajikistan was celebrated. On this occasion, by decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, the status of shashmakom was elevated to that of a state, subsequently renamed the “National Ensemble of Shashmakom” after Fazliddin Shakhobov.
Shashmakom is regarded as a masterpiece of traditional Tajik music and an invaluable treasure of national heritage. On May 12, 2000, by decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, this masterpiece of Tajik classical music was elevated to the status of state music, and each year, this day is celebrated throughout the country as the Day of Shashmakom. Then in 2003, UNESCO declared Shashmaqam a masterpiece of world music and a spiritual monument of humanity.
An article from the International Almanac by BiblioMonde Editions, May 11, 2026.
