PENJIKENT: ANCIENT CITY, MODERN PROBLEMS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000928 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS SCA/CEN; ECA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID SOCI UZ TI SUBJECT: PENJIKENT: ANCIENT CITY, MODERN PROBLEMS DUSHANBE 00000928 001.2 OF 002 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR PUBLIC INTERNET. ¶1. (U) Penjikent, one of Central Asia's ancient cities, faces many modern problems, all compounded by its double isolation. Cut off from Dushanbe and its markets to the south by snow-blocked mountain passes six months of the year, and now restricted from the markets of neighboring Uzbekistan due to strained Uzbek-Tajik relations. With the border just a few kilometers away, trade should be bustling, but Tajiks have a hard time getting visas from Uzbekistan. While Penjikent should be a vibrant border trade town, this city of 200,000 is forced to find other ways survive. DCM and PAO visited Penjikent May 17-20 to dedicate houses built by Shelter for Life for flood victims, open a Schools Online Internet Learning Center, meet local civil society leaders, open an Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation project (septel),and visit the local gold mine (septel). ¶2. (U) Penjikent is a beautiful city, surrounded by good farmland, and further out by high mountains. It is not surprising that a local farmer found an ancient axe handle in the 1970's that led to the discovery of an ancient civilization. Penjikent claims a history of 5,500 years and many of the artifacts point to Penjikent having a rich culture and trade with cities now in India, Iran, and many other countries in the region. The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation is helping local museum curators protect and document this cultural heritage, some of which is now on display in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. ¶3. (U) Tourists could travel from Samarkand and Bukhara, also ancient Tajik cities now in Uzbekistan, but Tajik-Uzbek relations are strained and trade and tourism have dropped to a trickle. To make ends meet, many men have left their families and are working in Russia. When they return, some are HIV/AIDS positive. One civil society leader described the mix of unemployment, families in crisis, and HIV/AIDS as the most serious challenge facing the region. ¶4. (U) Penjikent is also prone to natural disasters. Emboffs dedicated 120 new homes built with U.S. funding for families whose homes were washed out last year. For the villagers, the homes provide shelter, but the new village, "Sarazm," is located on the plains, not on the mountains, and they've had to adapt to the hotter weather and more austere conditions for their livestock. The City of Penjikent also contributed to the project, along with local businesses. ¶5. (U) The U.S.-funded Relief International internet project highlighted just how much talent there is in the area. The DCM asked how many students spoke English. He then selected a volunteer to translate his remarks. The student translator did an excellent job. Although he had applied three times for an exchange program in the United States, and although his marks were "excellent," he was not selected. Post hopes Tajikistan's DUSHANBE 00000928 002.2 OF 002 more remote regions are also given consideration for exchange programs, although we recognize there is better access to quality education in Dushanbe and Khojand. ¶6. (U) Emboffs had breakfast with the Mayor and his team, and the Mayor also took part in the internet program, but he was also hosting the Iranian Ambassador and another local delegation. Iran's Anzob Tunnel project should reduce Penjikent's isolation and allow locals access to Dushanbe year round. Our trip over the pass included a half hour delay to repair the dirt road that had washed away overnight during heavy rains. Tractors were on the scene and made the repair in good time, but a first-class paved road is badly needed. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: As elsewhere in Tajikistan, the United States is seen in a good light in Penjikent. Our cultural, educational, humanitarian and exchange programs all make a real difference. And there, as elsewhere, they are waiting for American companies to come. We will put local entrepreneurs in touch with the Lancaster company, a U.S. dried fruit exporter opening its Central Asian headquarters in Dushanbe this summer. We also hope that relations with Uzbekistan improve and give farmers and businessmen in Penjikent access to Uzbek markets. Knowledgeable sources in Penjikent worry that Uzbek authorities were behind a recent attack on a northern Tajik border post, and that the Uzbeks will find pretexts like the attack to prevent relations from improving. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND