The culture of Tajikistan has developed over thousands of years. Tajik culture can be divided into two areas, Metropolitan and Kuhiston (Highland). Modern city centres include Dushanbe (the capital), Khudjand, Kulob, and Panjikent.
thumb|upright|A native Tajik family celebrating [[Eid ul-Fitr|Eid in Tajikistan.]]
Religion
Zoroastrianism had been adopted by Persian emperors as a state religion, and was practiced in Central Asia as well. It eventually declined after the Arab conquests. The largest celebration in Tajikistan to come from the pre-Islamic period is Navruz, which means "New Day". It is held on March 21 or 22, when the cultivation of the land starts. During Navruz, many families visit relatives, throw out old belongings, clean the house, and play field games. Special dishes are also served. Other pre-Islamic Tajik traditions like fire jumping, dancing around the fire, and fighting 'devils' with fire, still occur in the more remote regions.
Cuisine
thumb|A Tajik feast.
Tajik cuisine has much in common with Uzbek, Afghan, Russian, and Iranian cuisines. It is known for dishes such as kabuli pulao, qabili palau, and samanu. The national food and drink are plov and green tea, respectively.
Traditional Tajikistani meals begin with small dishes of dried fruit, nuts, and halva, followed by soup and meat, and finished with plov. Tea accompanies every meal, and is often served between meals as a gesture of hospitality. It is often drunk unsweetened. Tajik cuisine offers a large variety of fruit, meat, and soup dishes.
Sport
Tajikistan's mountains provide many opportunities for outdoor sports, such as hill climbing, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and mountain climbing. The facilities are limited, however. Mountain climbing and hiking tours to the Fann and Pamir Mountains, including the 7,000 m peaks in the region, are seasonally organized by local and international alpine agencies.
Football is the most popular sport in Tajikistan. The Tajikistan national football team competes in FIFA and AFC competitions. The top clubs in Tajikistan compete in the Tajik League.
Four Tajikistani athletes have won Olympic medals for their country since independence. They are: wrestler Yusup Abdusalomov (silver in Belijing 2008), judoka Rasul Boqiev (bronze in Beijing 2008), boxer Mavzuna Chorieva (bronze in London 2012) and Dilshod Nazarov (gold in hammer throw in Rio 2016) .
Cinema
Tajikistan's film industry dates from 1929. The first official movie studio, called Tajikkino (later renamed to Tajikfilm), began operation in 1930. In 1935, Tajikkino started producing movies with voice-over. Some experts believe 1970–80 to be the golden age for Tajikfilm. Subsidized by the government, the studio was able to produce about six feature films each year.
Examples of Tajikfilm's success during the Soviet times are such movies as The Legend of Rustam, The Legend of Rustam and Siavoush, and The Legend of the Smith Kova, based on stories from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh; First Morning of Adolescence (Юнности Первое Утро), which tells the life story of people living in Badakhshan in the beginning of the Soviet Empire, when its army was still struggling with the Basmachi movement; a trilogy New tales from Shaherizada, based on Arabic tales One Thousand and One Nights.
Among prominent Tajik producers are Valeriy Ahadov and Davlat Khudoynazarov.
After the breakdown of Soviet Union and the civil war in Tajikistan (1992–1997), Tajik cinema went downwards. The studio mainly survived by taking small foreign orders,
Art
Chakan embroidery is the practice of sewing symbolic images on cotton or silk with brightly colored thread. These depict mythological images, nature, or the cosmos. The embroidery is done on clothing and on common household items such as curtains, bedspreads, and pillows. Chakan items are an important part of marriage ceremonies, with a bride wearing a Chakan shirt and the groom wearing an embroidered skullcap called a "tāqi". Tajik women and girls will commonly wear Chakan clothing during national festivals and holidays.
Women create this art form, either individually or in communal settings.