Nigora Fazliddin: The Social Media Storyteller Bringing Life in Tajikistan to the World
For all its beauty and Silk Road history, Tajikistan remains one of the least visited countries on earth. Life in its epic mountain ranges is rarely captured by photographers, and documentary films are few and far between – mainly half-hearted vlogs by the foreigners who pass through on the Pamir Highway. But in recent years, one Tajik filmmaker and travel influencer has made it her mission to show both her own people and the wider world what makes her homeland so extraordinary. Nigora Fazliddin, a former journalist from Dushanbe, is part of a new generation of creators using social media to bridge cultural distances. Posting simple videos and photographs from her journeys in Tajikistan, she captures the landscapes and communities that outsiders, and even many Tajiks, rarely get to see. "This love I have for our land – its wild beauty, its silence, its soul – I try to share with others," she tells The Times of Central Asia. "On X I mostly reach an international audience, since it's not very popular in Tajikistan. But on Instagram, it's a different story. That’s where Tajiks find me, and where I find them." [caption id="attachment_35211" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Image: Nigora Fazliddin[/caption] One of her favorite discoveries, she says, is Shirkent National Park in the south-west of the country, where fossilized dinosaur footprints mark the earth. "It gives you goosebumps to stand there and imagine creatures walking those same paths millions of years ago," she adds. Then there are the Pamirs, often called “the roof of the world.” At 7,495 meters, Peak Somoni attracts mountaineers from Central Asia and further afield. The region is also home to the rare Marco Polo sheep and shaggy yaks, which are found only here. But what lingers most for Fazliddin is not the challenge of climbing or the sight of wildlife, but the solitude of valleys so remote that no car can reach them. She also cherishes journeys into the Yaghnob Gorge, where people still live as their ancestors did. There she met a shepherd in his seventies, Mirzoali, who has spent four decades with his flock among the peaks. "He told me, “I’ve been a shepherd for 40 years – and I never get tired of it.’” His secret? Clean air, peace, a healthy routine – and living in the mountains year-round. That’s the kind of wisdom you can only find in the mountains," she says. [caption id="attachment_35209" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Image: Nigora Fazliddin[/caption] What Fazliddin shares online is more than travel content. For many Tajiks, especially those in cities, her images bring new perspectives to familiar places. "My Instagram has become like a mirror where people can see themselves, their roots, and the beauty they grew up with – but may have never really looked at," she explains. The responses have been moving. Her social media followers now invite her to visit their villages. For Fazliddin, these moments confirm that her work is worth doing: "It makes me feel like what I do matters – even in...
