Approximately 75-80%[1][2] of Iran's peoples speak Iranian languages.[3] The major groups in this category include Persians, Kurds, Gilakis, Mazandaranis, Lurs, and Baluchis. Turkic speakers, such as the Azeri, Turkmen, and the Qashqai peoples, comprise a substantial minority. The remainder are primarily Semitics such as Arabs and Assyrians or other Indo-Europeans such as Armenians. There are also small communities of Brahui in southeastern Iran. The Georgian language is spoken only by those Iranian Georgians that live in Fereydan and Fereydunshahr. All other communities of Iranian Georgians in Iran have already lost their language.Mandaeans are estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000 Mandaeans in Iran.[4]There are also communities of Talysh people in northern Iran,there are no statistical data on the numbers of Talysh-speakers in Iran, but estimates show their number to be around 1 million
According to the CIA World Factbook, Iran's ethnic groups consist of: Persians 61%[5][6], Azeris 16%, Kurds 10%, Lurs 6%, Arabs 2% Baloch 2%, Turkmen and Turkic tribes 2%, other 1%.[2] Other sources mention different statistics, for example the Library of Congress Iran's ethnic groups consist of: Persians 65%, Azeris 16%, Kurds 7%, Lurs 6%, Arabs 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmens 1%, Turkic tribal groups (e.g. Qashqai) 1%, and non-Persian, non-Turkic groups (e.g. Armenians, Jews, Assyrians, and Georgians) 1%.[1][7]
Contents |
The term “Persians” refers to an ethnic group who speak the Western dialect of Persian and live in the modern country of Iran as well as the descendants of the people who emigrated from the territory of modern-day Iran to other countries. Today, the Persian community of Malaysia is the most populous, followed by the middle east in nations such as UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman. Significant communities also lie in the west, (notably USA, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, France and other countries).
Ethnic Persians inhabit traditionally the Tehran province, Esfahan province, Fars province, Alborz province, Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan, Yazd province, Kerman province, Bushehr province, Hormozgan province, Markazi province (Arak), Qom province, Gilan province, Mazandaran province, Semnan province, Qazvin province, the majority of Hamadan province including the city of Hamadan, parts of the North Khorasan, parts of Khuzestan province, parts of Lorestan province (Borujerd), northern half of Sistan and Baluchistan (Zabol), southern half of Golestan province (Gorgan), eastern half of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari including the city of Shahrekord.Ethnic Persians form also a sizeable population in the bilingual cities of Kermanshah, Ahvaz and Zahedan with Shia Kurds, Shia Arabs and Sunni Baluchs respectively.The majority of the Iranian immigrants in the west and other parts of the world also hail from Persian speaking cities especially from Tehran.
Iranian Azeris, who are mainly Shi’a Muslims, are the second largest ethnic group in Iran after the Persians [and are] believed to constitute fifteen to eighteen percent of the population.[2][8] The "Azeri" (also known as "Azerbaijani") population of Iran is mainly found in the northwest provinces: East Azarbaijan, parts of West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and in some regions of Hamadan and Qazvin.[9] Many others live in Tehran, Karaj and other regions.[9] Generally, Azeris in Iran were regarded as "a well integrated linguistic minority" by academics prior to Iran's Islamic Revolution.[10][11] In fact, until the Pahlavi period in the 20th century, "the identity of Iran was not exclusively Persian, but supra-ethnic", as much of the political leadership, starting from the 11th century, had been Turkic.[12] Azaris are an Iranian people similar to Kurds who speak a Turkic language due to a process called "language displacement" that happened around 15-16th century. The Azaris were integrated with other Iranian groups until 19th century when after Russian invasion and annexation of northern Azerbaijan, nationalism and communalism began to alter popular perception among both ethnic groups.[12] Despite friction, Azerbaijanis in Iran came to be well represented at all levels of, "political, military, and intellectual hierarchies, as well as the religious hierarchy."[12] In fact, the first wave of Iranian nationalists such as Talebi Tabrizi and Akhundzade(Talibov and Akhundov after Russian annexation of northern Azerbaijan) were ethnic Azaris.In Iran the term "āzari" is used formally; however, informally, Azeris and other Turkic speaking Iranian populations are colloquially referred to as "Tork" (Turks).
The Kurds constitute approximately 10%[13] of Iran's overall population.Some Sunni Kurds in Iran have resisted the Iranian government's efforts, both before and after the revolution of 1979, to assimilate them into the mainstream of national life and, along with their fellow Kurds in adjacent regions of Iraq and Turkey, have sought regional autonomy. Such acts of assmiliation would likely be based on Sunni-Shia relations, trying to make efforts to convert Sunni Kurds to Shiite as Kurds are mostly Sunnis throughout Kurdistan, while Iran favours a shiite majority.
Iranian Kurds make up the majority of the population of Kordestan province and together with the Azarbaijanis, they are one of the two main ethnic groups in West Azarbaijan province, in West Azarbaijan province Kurds are concentrated in parts of the southern and western parts of the province.Kurds also make up the majority of the populations of Kermanshah and Ilam provinces, although Kermanshahi and Ilamian Kurds are Shia Muslims, in contrast to the mainstream Kurds who are adherents of Sunni Islam.Abouth 200.000 to 300.000 Kurds also live in northeastern Iran in parts of North and Razavi Khorasan provinces.
In the seventeenth century, a large number of Kurds were deported by Shah Abbas I to Khorasan in Eastern Iran and forcibly resettled in the cities of Quchan and Birjand. The Kurds of Khorasan still use the Kurmanji Kurdish dialect.[14][15] During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, successive Iranian governments defeated Kurdish revolts led by Kurdish notables such as Shaikh Ubaidullah (against Qajars in 1880) and Simko (against Pahlavis in the 1920s).[16]
Three percent of Iran's citizens are Arabic-speakers.[17] A 1998 report by UNCHR reported 2 million of them live in Khuzestan Province, most of whom being Shi'a. Sunni Muslim Arabs live along the Persian Gulf coastline.In Khuzestan, Arabs are the dominant ethnic group in Shadegan, Hoveyzeh and Susangerd, a majority in Mahshahr and Khorramshahr, a minority in Abadan and together with Persians, Arabs are one of the two main ethnic groups in Ahvaz.[18] There are smaller communities in Khorasan and Fars provinces. Iranian Arab communities are also found in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
The Balochi people of Iran live in southern and central parts Sistan and Baluchistan province.The northern part of the province is called Sistan and is inhabited by ethnic Persians that speak a dialect of Persian called Sistani.The Balochi people are Sunni Muslims, in contrast to the Sistani Persians who are adherents of Shia Islam.The capital of Sistan and Baluchistan is Zahedan and is inhabited by Balochs, the next largest city of the province is Zabol in Sistan and is inhabited by ethnic Persians.The town of Jask in neighburing Hormozgan Province is also inhabited by Baloch people.The population of the town of Jask is 12,000 and including its surrounding villages the population is 80,000.
There are over 500.000[19] Turkmen who are primarily concentrated in the provinces of Golestān and North Khorasan.[20]
In Golestān the northern half is inhabited by Turkmen people.The largest Turkmen city in the province is Gonbade Kavoos.The southern half including the capital of the province, Gorgan is inhabited by ethnic Persians and they have adopted the Tehrani dialect of Persian.
The current Iranian-Armenian population is somewhere around 500,000.[21] They mostly live in Tehran and Jolfa district. After the Iranian Revolution, many Armenians immigrated to Armenian diasporic communities in North America and western Europe. Today the Armenians are Iran's largest Christian religious minority, followed by Assyrians.
Iranian Georgians are an ethnic group living in Iran. They are Twelver Shia Moslems. The Phereidnuli Georgian dialect is still spoken in Iran.
The number of Georgians in Iran is estimated from 50,000 to over 100,000. According to Encyclopaedia Georgiana (1986) some 12,000-14,000 lived in rural Fereydan prior to 1985[22] but these numbers are obvious underestimations. The Georgian alphabet is also known to some in Fereydunshahr.
The Georgian language is still used by some people in Iran. The center of Georgians in Iran is Fereydunshahr, a small city, 150 km to the west of Isfahan. The western part of Isfahan province is historically called Fereydan. In this area there are 10 Georgian towns and villages around Fereydunshahr. In this region the old Georgian identity is retained the best compared to other places in Iran. In many major Iranian cities, such as Tehran, Esfahan, Karaj and Shiraz live Georgians too.
In many other places such as Najafabad, Rahmatabad, Yazdanshahr and Amir Abad (near Esfahan). In Mazandaran Province in northern Iran, there are ethnic Georgians too. They live in the town of Behshahr, and also in Behshahr county, in Farah Abad, and many other places, which are usually called Gorji Mahalle. Most of them no longer speak the Georgian language, but retain aspects of Georgian culture. Some argue that Iranian Georgians retain remnants of Christian traditions, but there is no evidence for this.
Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran and dates back to the late biblical times. The biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles, and Esther contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Iran.
By various estimates, 10,800 Jews[23] remain in Iran, mostly in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. BBC reported Yazd is home to ten Jewish families, six of them related by marriage, however some estimate the number is much higher. Historically, Jews maintained a presence in many more Iranian cities. Iran supports by far the largest Jewish population of any Muslim country.[24]
A number of groups of Jews of Iran have split off since ancient times. They are now recognized as separate communities, such as the Bukharan Jews and Mountain Jews. In addition, there are several thousand in Iran who are, or who are the direct descendants of, Jews who have converted to Islam and the Bahá'í Faith.[25]
Iranian Mandaeans live mainly in the Khuzestan Province in southern Iran.[26]
|
||||||||||