The Yagnob people are an ethnic minority in Tajikistan. The Soviet Union forcibly relocated them from the Yagnob mountains to the semi-desert lowlands of Tajikistan in 1957 and 1970. Red Army helicopters were used to evacuate the population. Some Yagnob residents died of shock in the helicopters during the resettlement to the plains. The communists forced the Yagnobians to work hard on cotton plantations in the plains. Due to climate change and gruelling labour, several hundred people died.
Since 1983, Yagnob families have been allowed to return to the Yagnob Valley. The Yagnob people live only in Tajikistan. And at present, the Yagnobians have largely merged with the Tajiks.
The main occupations are farming and cattle breeding, and weaving and pottery crafts have been preserved in some places.
