DUSHANBE, 03.09.2018. /NIAT “Khovar”/ .The teacher of history, traveler, researcher, writer, and photographer from Russia Timofei Balyko, who returned from Tajikistan in mid-August 2018, was so impressed by this region of Eurasia that he wrote a letter with his impressions to the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. We publish this letter and several reportage photos posted on Facebook and on the site of the Lev Gumilev Centre on our website.

«Salom, dear President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon!

I am a teacher of history, Social Science and Spiritual Formation of the Secondary School # 16 of the Schelkovo District of the Moscow Region of the Russian Federation, was fortunate in August 2018 to visit with ethnographic research purposes your remarkable state, and now I want to express my sincere words of gratitude for what cordiality and hospitality are shown to the traveler by ordinary Tajiks, workers of Tajikistan. Over the past ten years, I have visited research projects in various regions of our planet — China, India, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Africa, Israel, Palestine, Iran and other countries. Tajikistan, in my opinion, is undoubtedly the friendliest country in relation to travelers. Examples of goodwill and friendliness are mass. The unfamiliar people in Dushanbe, as soon as they found out that I had come from Russia, repeatedly broke away from their affairs and routes, surrounded me and said words of gratitude to Russia over many years of friendship in difficult, problematic situations; Tajiks constantly tried to treat me with dishes of national cuisine, showed responsiveness and willingness to help.

The most striking manifestation of the relationship to the traveler is the fact that the people of Tajikistan, the traders, for the most part do not seek to call the visiting person a double or even triple price for goods and services, as is customary in a large number of countries in the world. Such an attitude to a lesser extent can only be found in Iran. This attitude towards the guest very quickly created such a sense of trust in the country that I traveled a part of the way across Tajikistan by hitchhiking, and was once again pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness of the population. The truck drivers were ready to change their way and take me to remote points of Tajikistan to show all the beauty of the mountains and mountain lakes. It was very nice.

I have no doubt that this is due to the fact that the people of Tajikistan have an ancient and rich history, adherence to a tradition that you can save in your state. Russia has much to learn from Tajikistan.

In museums and from ordinary citizens, I learned with great interest new details of the history of ancient pre-Islamic Tajikistan, Sogdian statehood, and the Soviet period.

With a view to strengthening the friendship of the peoples, I already sent a letter to the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Olga Vasilyeva with a proposal to consider the possibility of increasing the number of hours allocated for studying the history of Tajikistan in Russian school programs. Equally, like other neighboring states of the Eurasian civilization. I follow with great enthusiasm the development of the humanitarian project between Russia and Tajikistan, in which teachers from Russia work in Tajikistan. I am glad that the close cooperation of our states is facilitated by the activities of non-profit public organizations and associations.

Sincere and big thanks to you for one of the best countries in the world — Tajikistan!».