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The Iranian peoples (SeeOld Iranian: ''Arya'', Middle Iranian: ''Eran'', Modern Iranian languages: Modern Persian: ''Iraniyan'' or ''Irani-ha'', Kurdish: ''Êraniyekan'' or ''gelên Êranî'', Mazandarani: ''Iransi Benevaran'', Zazaki: ''Iryanıco mılletê'', Ossetian: ''Iranay Adem'') for local names) are a collection of 2006 ) As Iranian peoples are not confined to the borders of the current state of Iran , the term '''''Iranic peoples''''' is sometimes used to avoid confusion with the citizens of Iran . The series of ethnic groups which comprise the Iranian peoples are traced to a branch of the ancient and Manichaeism , are believed by some scholars to be important early philosophical influences on Judeo-Christian ity.1 Early Iranian tribes were the ancestors of many peoples, including the Persians , Kurds , Pashtuns and many other smaller groups. The southern Iranian peoples survived Alexander The Great 's conquests, Muslim Arab attempts at cultural dominance and devastating assaults by the Mongols , whereas the Iranians of the north were largely assimilated by the Slavs and other European peoples. ETYMOLOGY AND USAGE The term ''Iranian'' is derived from ''Iran'' (''lit'': "Land of the 2006 ) The old Proto-Indo-Iranian term ''Arya'', meaning "noble", is believed to have been one of a series of self-referential terms used by the Aryans, at least in the areas populated by Aryans who migrated south from Central Asia and/or southern Russia . Their ancient homeland was referred to as '' Airyanem Vaejah '' and varied in its geographic range, sometimes referring to Fars (according to Eratosthenes ), the area around Herat ( Pliny 's view) and even the entire expanse of the Iranian Plateau ( Strabo 's designation). Ibid. From a linguistic standpoint, the term ''Iranian peoples'' is similar in its usage to the term '' Germanic Peoples '', which includes various peoples who speak Germanic Languages such as German , English and Dutch , Norwegian , or the term '' Slavic Peoples '', which includes various speakers of Slavic Languages including Russians , Bosniaks and Serbs . ''In Search of the Indo-Europeans'', by J.P. Mallory, p. 22–23, ISBN 0-500-27616-1 (retrieved 10 June 2006 ) Thus, along similar lines, the Iranian peoples include not only the Persians and Tajiks (or eastern Persians) of Iran , Afghanistan and Tajikistan , but also the Pashtuns , Kurds , Ossetians , Zazas , Baloch and other groups. The academic usage of the term ''Iranian peoples'' or ''Iranic peoples'' is thus distinct from the state of Iran and its various citizens (who are all Iranian by nationality and thus popularly referred to as ''Iranians'') in the same way that ''Germanic peoples'' is distinct from '' Germans ''. Many citizens of Iran are not necessarily "Iranian peoples" by virtue of not being speakers of Iranian languages and may not have discernible ties to ancient Iranian tribes. HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT See Also: Ancient Iranian peoples Roots See Also: Indo-Iranians (according to the EIEC ).]] Having descended from the 2006 ) in particular the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex , a Bronze Age culture of Central Asia. By the early 1st millennium, Ancient Iranian Peoples such as Medes , Persians , Bactria ns and Parthia ns populated the Iranian Plateau , while others such as the Scythians , Sarmatians and Alans populated the steppes north of the Black Sea . The Saka and Scythia n tribes spread as far west as the Balkans and as far east as Xinjiang . The division into an " Eastern " and a " Western " group by the early 1st millennium is visible in Avestan vs. Old Persian , the two oldest known Iranian languages. The Avestan texts known as the Gathas are believed to have been written by Zoroaster , the founder of Zoroastrianism , with the Yaz Culture (ca. 1500–1100 BC) as a candidate for the development of Eastern Iranian culture. Old Persian appears to have been established in written form following the creation of the 2006 ) Western Iranians n Empire (mostly Western Iranian ) is shown in red, other areas, dominated by Scythia (mostly Eastern Iranian ), in orange.]] The ancient Persians established themselves in the western portion of the Iranian plateau and appear to have interacted considerably with the Elamites and Babylonians, while the Medes also entered in contact with the 2006 ) Following the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire , the Persian language spread from Fars to various regions of the empire, with the modern dialects of Iran, Afghanistan (also known as Dari ) and Central-Asia (known as Tajiki ) descending from Old Persian. Old Persian is first attested in the and Elamite,R. Hallock (1969), ''Persepolis Fortification Tablets''; A. L. Driver (1954), ''Aramaic Documents of the V Century BC''. which suggests a Multicultural society. The early inhabitants of the Achaemenid Empire appear to have adopted the religion of 2006 ) Eastern Iranians While the Iranian tribes of the south are better known through their modern counterparts, the tribes which remained largely in the vast Eurasian expanse are known through the references made to them by the ancient Greeks, Persians, Indo-Aryans as well as by archaeological finds. Many ancient Sanskrit texts make references to tribes like Sakas , Paradas , Kambojas , Bahlikas , Uttaramadra s, Madra s, Loha s, Parama Kambojas , Rishikas , Tukharas or Tusharas etc and locate them in the ( Uttarapatha ) (north-west) division, in Central Asia , beyond Hindukush range. The Greek chronicler, Herodotus (5th century BC) makes references to a nomadic people whom he identifies as the Scythia ns and describes as having dwelt in what is today southern Russia . n Horseman, '' Pazyryk '' felt artifact, c. 300 BC.]] It is believed that these Scythians were conquered by their eastern cousins, the Sarmatians , who are mentioned by Strabo as the dominant tribe which controlled the southern Russian steppe by the 1st millennium AD. These Sarmatians were also known to the Romans , who conquered the western tribes in the Balkans and sent Sarmatian conscripts, as part of Roman legions, as far west as Roman Britain . The Sarmatians of the east became the Alans , who also ventured far and wide, with a branch ending up in Western Europe and North Africa , as they accompanied the Germanic Vandals during their migrations. The modern Ossetians are believed to be the sole direct descendants of the Alans, as other remnants of the Alans disappeared following Germanic, Hunnic and ultimately Slavic invasions. A History of Russia by Nicholas Riasanovsky, pp. 11–18, Russia before the Russians, ISBN 0-19-515394-4 (retrieved 4 June 2006 ) king Azes II (r.c. 35–12 BCE). Buddhist Triratna symbol in the left field on the reverse.]] Some of the Saka-Scythian tribes in Central Asia would later move further south and invade the 2006 ) The most dominant surviving Eastern Iranians are represented by the 2006 ) who have relocated to Israel ), found in Azerbaijan and as far north as the Russian republic of Dagestan . Later developments See Also: History of Central Asia History of the Middle East History of South Asia History of Iran History of the Kurds History of Afghanistan History of Tajikistan History of Uzbekistan History of Turkmenistan History of Pakistan History of Russia History of the Balkans History of India History of Azerbaijan In ancient times, the majority of southern Iranian peoples became adherents of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism (in parts of Afghanistan and Central Asia), Judaism and Nestorian Christianity (largely among the Kurds and Persians living in Iraq). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates by Hugh Kennedy, pp. 12–13, ISBN 0-582-40525-4 (retrieved 4 June 2006 ) The Ossetians would later adopt Christianity as well, with Russian Orthodoxy becoming dominant following their annexation into the Russian Empire , while some converted to Islam due to the influence of the Ottomans . "king of Egypt" at the Damascus citadel.]] Starting with the reign of Omar in 634 CE, Muslim Arab s began a conquest of the Iranian plateau. The Arabs conquered the Sassanid Empire of the Persians and seized much of the Byzantine Empire populated by the Kurds and others. Ultimately, the various Iranian peoples, including the Persians, Kurds and Pashtuns, were converted to Islam . The Iranian peoples would later split along sectarian lines as the Persians (and later the Hazara ) adopted the Shi'a sect. As ancient tribes and identities changed, so did the Iranian peoples, many of whom assimilated foreign cultures and peoples.Ibid. p. 135 Later, during the 2nd millennium CE, the Iranian peoples would play a prominent role during the age of Islamic expansion and empire. Saladin , a noted adversary of the Crusade rs, was an ethnic Kurd, while various empires centered in Iran (including the Safavids ) re-established a modern dialect of Persian as the official language spoken throughout much of what is today Iran and adjacent parts of Central Asia. Iranian influence spread to the Ottoman Empire, where Persian was often spoken at court, as well as in the Mughal Empire , which began in Afghanistan and shifted to India. All of the major Iranian peoples reasserted their use of Iranian languages following the decline of Arab rule, but would not begin to form modern National identities until the 19th and early 20th centuries (just as Germans and Italians were beginning to formulate national identities of their own). DEMOGRAPHICS See Also: Iranian plateau There are an estimated 150 million native speakers of Iranian languages. Currently, most of these Iranian peoples live in Iran , Afghanistan , Tajikistan , Pakistan , parts of Uzbekistan (especially Samarkand and Bukhara ), the Caucasus ( Ossetia and Azerbaijan ) and the Kurdish areas (referred to as Kurdistan ) of Turkey , Iraq , Iran and Syria . Smaller groups of Iranian peoples can also be found in western China and a few in western India . Due to recent migrations, there are also large communities of speakers of Iranian Languages in Europe, the Americas , and Israel . DIVERSITY It is largely through linguistic similarities that the Iranian peoples have been linked, as many non-Iranian peoples have adopted Iranian languages and cultures. However, other common traits have been identified as well and a stream of common historical events have often linked the southern Iranian peoples, including Hellenistic conquests, the various empires based in Persia , Arab Caliph ates and Turkic invasions. Although most of the Iranian peoples settled in the 2006 ) Modern Persians themselves are also a heterogeneous group of peoples descended from various ancient Iranian and indigenous peoples of the Iranian plateau, including the Elam ites. ''The Golden Age of Persia'', by Richard Frye, ISBN 1-84212-011-5 (retrieved 11 June 2006 ) Thus, not unlike the Aforementioned Example of Germanic peoples including the English , who are both of Germanic and Celt ic origin, Iranians are an ethno-linguistic group and the Iranian peoples display varying degrees of common ancestry and cultural traits that denote their respective identities. CULTURE AND ASSIMILATION See Also: Proto-Indo-European society Indo-Iranian mythology Iranian philosophy Many of the cultural traits of the ancient Iranians were similar to other Proto-Indo-European societies. Like other Indo-Europeans, the early Iranians practiced ritual sacrifice, had a social hierarchy consisting of warriors, clerics and farmers and poetic hymns and sagas to recount their deeds. ''In Search of the Indo-Europeans'', by J.P. Mallory, p. 112–127, ISBN 0-500-27616-1 (retrieved 10 June 2006 ) Following the Iranian split from the Indo-Iranians, the Iranians developed an increasingly distinct culture. It is surmised that the early Iranians intermarried with and Assimilated local cultures over a long period of time and thus a Caste identity was never needed or created by the Iranians—in sharp contrast with the Indo-Aryans .Ibid. Various common traits can be discerned among the Iranian peoples. For example, the social event Norouz is an Iranian festival that is practiced by nearly all of the Iranian peoples as well as others in the region. Its origins are traced to Zoroastrianism and pre-historic times. Some Iranian peoples exhibit distinct traits that are unique unto themselves. The Pashtuns adhere to a code of honor and culture known as 2006 ) Religion See Also: Historical Shi'a-Sunni relations 's Blue Mosque in Afghanistan is a structure of cobalt blue and turquoise minarets, attracting visitors and pilgrims from all over the world. Many such Muslim Architectural monuments can be attributed to the efforts of the Iranian peoples who are predominantly followers of Islam today.]] The early Iranian peoples may have worshipped various deities found throughout other cultures where 2006 ) The earliest major religion of the Iranian peoples was Zoroastrianism , which spread to nearly all of the Iranian peoples living in the Iranian plateau. Modern speakers of Iranian languages mainly follow Islam . Some follow Judaism , Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith , with an unknown number showing no religious affiliation. Overall Shia s and Sunnis are equally distributed among the Iranian peoples. Most Pashtus, Baluchis, Kurds and Tajiks are Sunni , while most Persians in Iran, Zazas In Turkey , Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pamiri People in Tajikistan and China are Shi'a . Shi'a Islam and Sufism in Iran are both thought to be affected by Persianism . The Christian community is largely represented by the Russian Orthodox denomination, followed by Ossetians and Nestorians . Judaism is followed mainly by Persian Jews , Jews Of Afghanistan , Jews In Pakistan , Kurdish Jews and Mountain Jews (of the Caucasus), most of which are now found in Israel . The historical religion of the Persian Empire was Zoroastrianism and it has some followers. They are known as the Parsi s in India , or Zoroastrians In Iran and Pakistan. Iranian influence on Turkic peoples In matters relating to culture, the various Turkic -speaking minorities of Iran (notably the Azerbaijani People ) and Afghanistan ( Uzbeks and Turkmen ) are often conversant in Iranian languages, in addition to their own Turkic languages and also have Iranian culture to the extent that the term ''Turko-Iranian'' can be applied. Turko-Persia in Historical Perspective, edited by Robert Canfield, ISBN 0-521-52291-9 (retrieved 4 June 2006 ) The usage applies to various circumstances that involve historic interaction, intermarriage, cultural assimilation, bilingualism and cultural overlap or commonalities. Notable among this synthesis of Turko-Iranian culture are the Azeris, whose culture, religion and significant periods of history are linked to the Persians. "Azerbaijan-Iran Relations: Challenges and Prospects" — Harvard University, Belfer Center, Caspian Studies Program (retrieved 2006 ) suggest that the Azeris are descendants of Ancient Iranian Peoples who lost their Iranian language (see Ancient Azari Language ) following the Turkic invasions of Azerbaijan in the 11th century CE. In fact, throughout much of the expanse of Central Asia and the Middle East, Iranian and Turkic culture has merged in many cases to form various hybrid populations and cultures, as evident from various ruling dynasties such as the Ghaznavids , Seljuqs and Mughals . Iranian cultural influences have also been significant in Central Asia , where Turkic invaders are believed to have largely mixed with native Iranian peoples of which only the Tajik remain, in terms of language usage. The areas of the former Soviet Union adjacent to Iran, Afghanistan and the Kurdish areas (such as Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan ) have gone through the prism of decades of Russian and Soviet rule that has reshaped the Turko-Iranian cultures there to some degree. The Alans were also contemporary with and possibly linked to early Turkic-speaking peoples of the European steppe (such as Burtas or Bulgars ) and modern Turkic European Volga Tatars , Chuvashes and Crimean Tatars . GENETICS See Also: Race and genetics Genetic testing of Iranian peoples has revealed many common genes for most of the Iranian peoples, but with numerous exceptions and regional variations. Genetic studies conducted by Cavalli-Sforza have revealed that Iranians cluster closely with European groups and more distantly from Near Eastern groups. Preliminary genetic tests suggest common origins for most of the Iranian peoples: 's "The History and Geography of Human Genes"]] Basically, the findings of this study reveal many common genetic markers found among the Iranian peoples from the 2006 ) According to a recent study, the ancestors of the Kurds were from an old Mediterranean Substratum , i.e. Hurrian and Hittite groups. According to this study the Aryan ancestry of the Kurds and other Iranian-speaking populations in Anatolia is not supported by genetic analyses.Arnaiz-Villena, Karin, Bendikuze, a.o. in "National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)", published in PubMed - PMID: 11380939, ''"HLA alleles and haplotypes in the Turkish population: relatedness to Kurds, Armenians and other Mediterraneans"'', 2001, ( LINK ) Another recent study of the genetic landscape of Iran was completed by a team of 2006 ) The study found that the Azerbaijanis of Iran do not have a similar FSt and other genetic markers found in Anatolian and European Turks. However, the genetic Fst and other genetic traits like MRca and mtDNA of Iranian Azeris were identical to Persians in Iran. Ultimately, genetic tests reveal that while the Iranian peoples show numerous common genetic markers overall, there are also indications of interaction with other groups, regional variations and cases of genetic drift. In addition, indigenous populations may have survived the waves of early Aryan invasions as cultural assimilation led to large-scale language replacement (as with some Kurds, Hazaras and west Iranian Persians and others). Further testing will ultimately be required and may further elucidate the relationship of the Iranian peoples with each other and various neighboring populations. Indo-European roots See Also: Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup Haplogroup R1a1 (Y-DNA) Paleolithic Continuity Theory Reserch on 2006 ) At the same time, influence from South Asia or Eastern Asia is either absent or negligible. A large-scale research by Cavalli-Sforza (as shown above) also reveals genetical similarities between all Eurasian speakers of Indo-European languages, including speakers of Iranian and Indo-Iranian languages; but this does not necessairily prove a common ''Indo-European origin'' for these populations and may be due to common ''Non-Indo-European ancestors'' (see Paleolithic Continuity Theory ) who were later linguistically ''Indo-Europeanized'' (q.v.). The results of tests focused on Y-chromosome Haplogroup s give a more detailed picture of the events which may have taken place in Iranian-speaking lands in the past 7000-5000 years. Interestingly, the far east of the Iranian Highlands reveals the highest frequency of R1a1 which serves as a diagnostic Indo-Iranian marker and is believed to have been inherited from people who left a clear pattern of archaeological remains known as the Kurgan Culture , generally identified as early Indo-Europeans . R1a1 has its highest frequency among Ishkami and Pamir i Tajiks (68%/64%), followed by speakers of Slavic Languages .2 The larger rest of Iran appears to have had little genetic influence from the R1a1-carrying Indo-Iranians, attributed to language replacement through the "elite-dominance" model. As Marija Gimbutas has stated, ''"the Process of Indo-Europeanization was a cultural, not a physical transformation. It must be understood as a military victory in terms of imposing a new administrative system, language and religion upon the indigenous groups."'' LIST OF IRANIAN PEOPLES Ancient Iranian peoples Modern Iranian peoples
Other The following either partially descend from Iranian peoples or are sometimes regarded as possible descendants of ancient Iranian peoples Notes
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