We tend to forget that Buddhism had a significant presence in Central Asia and is part of the complex mosaic of cultures, influences and competing faiths.
During the first century AD, Buddhism spread from northern India to Central Asia, transmitted by Sogdian merchants, and reached the Persian Gulf, Merv in current Turkmenistan and the Pamir. Logically Buddhism left a mark in Tajikistan.
This monumental statue of the sleeping Buddha in Nirvana is exposed in the National Museum of Tajikistan. It is a relic of this presence. In fact, this a replica of a statue restored by Tajikistan with the support of the Ermitage Museum (Saint-Petersburg). It was found in the ancient Buddhist Monastery in Ajina-Tepe. The original one is in the National Museum of Antiquities and is not to be photographed.
