Two universities in Tajikistan – Russian-Tajik (Slavonic) University and Kulob State University Named after A. Rudaki – held "Geography Not-Lessons". The participants of the “Russian Footprint in Central Asia” expedition, organized by the members of the Novosibirsk Regional Branch of the RGS, gave lectures to students about the contribution of Russian scientists to the study of the Pamirs, their scientific discoveries in the field of geology, ethnography, and botany.
The educational project of the Russian Geographical Society "Geography Not-Lesson" is about interesting, outlook-changing activities that make you get up from your desk or get up from the couch and go on a hike. And the lessons from the travelers from the Novosibirsk Branch of the RGS are doubly interesting: our colleagues follow the routes of the first Russian scientific expeditions in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The collected material in the field of various sciences – from geology to botany – will strengthen international scientific ties, and the routes are supposed to be mapped with notes, photographs and used to introduce Russian tourists to the little-explored territories of the mountainous regions of Central Asia.
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The "Geography Not-Lessons" were conducted by Honored Traveler of Russia Olga Masloboeva, Irina Negoda, and students from Novosibirsk State University Ekaterina Morozova and Ivan Botov, as well as the head of the Research Center of Russian-Tajik (Slavonic) University, culturologist Olga Ladygina, who has been teaching Tajik students for 15 years. Together with Novosibirsk residents Irina Negoda and Olga Masloboeva, she participated in an expedition to the Pamirs two years ago.
“The students listened to us with sincere interest, asked a lot of questions,” said Irina Negoda, a member of the Novosibirsk Regional Branch of the RGS, head of the children's and youth geological movement in Novosibirsk.
There is a Russian Space Hall at RTSU. It houses an exhibition of drawings by Novosibirsk schoolchildren based on Russian fairy tales.
“It was very nice to see the exhibition of children's drawings at the university, very emotional works. The interest in our culture among the peoples of Tajikistan is very high," Olga Masloboeva noted.
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A warm welcome awaited travelers from Russia at Kulob State University Named after A. Rudaki, which closely cooperates with the Russian scientific community.
The expedition "Russian Footprint in Central Asia" began on August 26. During the seven-day trip through the Pamirs, the expedition members visited Khorog, then moved south to Ishkashim, where they got acquainted with the work of an experimental station for creating new cultivars of wheat, rye, and barley. Then the way lay to the ancient fortresses of Vrang and Yamchun. The travelers studied rock carvings near the village of Lyangar, visited the hot springs of Garm-Chashma, Avj, and Bibi Fatima-i Zahro which are considered sacred. And then along the Panj River by the Wakhan Corridor, passing the Khargush Pass, reached the main Pamir Highway. Then they crossed the Koitozek Pass, went down the Gunt River, and found themselves in Khorog again.
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“In general, the Pamirs, in addition to the special beauty of this place, struck us with the fact that almost all the locals speak Russian here. They asked us with great interest about the goals of our trip, expressed their willingness to help in any matter," Olga Masloboeva said.
At the moment, the Tajik part of the expedition has been completed, the travelers have left for the border with Afghanistan, where the second stage of the project will begin.
The expedition is being implemented with the support of the Novosibirsk and Altai Regional Branches of the RGS, the company “Data East”, the Foundation for the Development of Geoinformation Technologies, Novosibirsk State University and Russian-Tajik (Slavonic) University.
Ekaterina Vronskaya