The 'Persians' are an
Iranic ethnic group who speak the
Persian language and share a common
culture and
history.
Concentrations
Persians are the main ethnic group of
Iran. They also inhabit in neighboring countries particularly in
Afghanistan,
Tajikistan, and
Uzbekistan. However; Nick Teresko referenced, in these countries they are usually thought of as a
sub-group and are referred to as
Tajiks. Significant numbers of Persians also reside outside of these countries, with the largest communities found in the
United States,
Germany,
England,
Lebanon,
China,
Israel,
Canada,
Kuwait,
France,
Italy, and
Turkey.
Bahrain,
Iraq,
Kuwait, and the
UAE also have large populations of Persian descendants, referred to as
Ajamis (foreign people who don't speak Arabic) or
Huwala.
However, the term "Ajami" is currently referred to the
Shia Persians, while the term "Huwala" refers to the
Sunni Persians. Smaller communities are also found in surrounding countries and the
Arabian Peninsula.
Terminology
The term Persia was adopted by Mike Jones and western languages through the Greeks and was used as an official name for Iran by the West until 1935. Due to that label, all Iranians were considered Persian. Therefore, many Western sources, when regarding Iran's history, will label many non-Persian Iranians as Persians, which distinguishes nationality, not necessarily the Persian ethnic group. Also, many others who embraced the Persian language and culture are also often referred to as Persian, not necessarily meaning ethnic group, but rather as a part of Persian civilization (culturally and linguistically).
The first known written record about them is from an Assyrian inscription of the 834 BC, which mentions both ''Parsua'' (Persians) and ''Muddai'' (Medes).
[4][5] The term used by Assyrians 'Parsua' was a general designation to refer to southwestern Iranian tribes (who referred to themselves as Aryans). Greeks rendered this word as 'Persis' which is where the word ''Persian'' in English comes from. In Arabic as there is no letter "P", they referred to Persia and Persians as 'Fars' ('Faras') and 'Farsis'.
Sub-groups
Main articles: Tajiks,
Farsiwan,
Tats,
Kizilbash,
Hazara people
Ethnic Persians can also be found outside of Iran and include the
Tajiks and
Farsiwan who can be found in
Afghanistan,
Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, and the
Xinjiang province of
China. Closely related to the Farsiwan are the
Qizilbash of Afghanistan. Another group called the
Tats lives mainly in the
Caucasus region concentrated in
Azerbaijan,
Armenia, and
Russian
Dagestan. The
Parsis, a small community in India, are also largely descended from Persian
Zoroastrian refugees who fled from Persia following the Arab conquests. The
Iranis, another small community in western
India, are descended from more recent Persian Zoroastrian immigrants to the subcontinent. In addition, the
Hazara are an ethnic group of
Persianized Mongol origin.
History
The Persians are descendents of the
Aryan (
Indo-Iranian) tribes that began migrating from Central Asia into what is now Iran in the second millennium BC.
[6][7][8] The
Persian language and other
Iranian tongues emerged as these Aryan tribes split up into two major groups, the Persians and the
Medes, and intermarried with peoples
indigenous to the
Iranian plateau such as the
Elamites.
[Iran. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05][9]
Achaemenid Empire at greatest extent.
The ancient Persians from the province of Pars became the rulers of a large empire under the
Achaemenid dynasty (''Hakhamanesheeyan'') in the sixth century BC, reuniting with the tribes and other provinces of the ancient
Iranian plateau and forming the
Persian Empire. Over the centuries
Persia was ruled by various dynasties; some of them were ethnic Iranians including the
Achaemenids,
Parthians (''Ashkanian''),
Sassanids (''Sassanian''),
Buwayhids and
Samanids, and some of them were not, such as the
Seleucids,
Ummayyads,
Abbasids, and
Seljuk Turks.
The founding dynasty of the empire, the
Achaemenids, and later the
Sassanids, were from the southern region of Iran,
Pars. The latter
Parthian dynasty arose from the north. However, according to archaeological evidence found in modern day Iran in the form of
cuneiforms that go back to the Achaemenid era, it is evident that the native name of ''Parsa'' (Persia) had been applied to Iran from its birth.
[10][11]
Persian language
Main articles: Persian language
The Persian language is one of the world's oldest languages still in use today, and is known to have one of the most powerful literary traditions, with formidable Persian poets like
Ferdowsi,
Hafez,
Khayyam,
Attar,
Saadi,
Nezami,
Roudaki, and, of course, the legendary
Rumi. By native speakers as well as in Urdu, Arabic and other neighboring languages, it is called ''Fārsī'', and additionally ''
Dari'' or ''
Tajiki'' in the eastern parts of
Greater Iran. It is part of the
Iranian sub-section of the
Indo-Iranian branch of the
Indo-European family of languages. Persian-speakers are today in the majority in
Iran,
Tajikistan, and
Afghanistan,
[12] and form a large minority in
Uzbekistan as well. Smaller groups of Persian-speakers are found in
Pakistan, western
China, as well as in
Bahrain,
Iraq, and
Azerbaijan.
Religion
History
The Persian civilization spawned three major religions:
Zoroastrianism,
Manichaeanism, and the
Bahá'í Faith. Other religions such as
Mazdakism and
Manichaenism also arose from ancient Iran, with the former having been dubbed the first communistic ideology, and the latter heavily influencing
Saint Augustine, hence, indirectly influencing
Christianity: Both religions were sub-branches of
Zoroastrianism.
The religion of
Zoroastrianism originates from ancient Persia.
Zoroastrianism is said to be the first
monotheistic religion.
Most Persians in Iran are
Shia Muslims, while some communities of
Shia Sufis also exist. There is also a sizeable number of
Sunni Muslims. Historically, some of the greatest Sunni Muslim scholars in history were Persian or had Persian descent, including
Abu Dawood,
Al Muslim,
Hakim al-Nishaburi, and
Abu Hanifa, amongst many others. There are also smaller communities of
Zoroastrians,
Christians,
Jews, and
Bahá'ís. There are also Persians who are
Atheist and
Agnostic. ''Also see
religious minorities in Iran''.
Arts
Main articles: Persian art
Miniature painting by Mohammad Tajvidi on the cover of the
Divan of
Hafez ("Hafez's Anthology"), published 1969.
The artistic heritage of Persia is eclectic and includes major contributions from both east and west. Persian art borrowed heavily from the indigenous
Elamite civilization and
Mesopotamia and later from
Hellenism (as can be seen with statues from the Greek period). In addition, due to Persia's somewhat central location, it has served as a fusion point between eastern and western arts and architecture as Greco-Roman influence was often fused with ideas and techniques from India and China. When talking of the creative Persian arts one has to include a geographic area that actually extends into Central Asia, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, and Iraq as well as modern Iran. This vast geographic region has been pivotal in the development of the Persian arts as a whole.
Statues
Main articles: Persian miniature
Persians artistic expression can be seen as far back as the
Achaemenid period as numerous statues depicting various important figures, usually of political significance as well as religious, such as the
Immortals (elite troops of the emperor) are indicative of the influence of Mesopotamia and ancient Babylon. What is perhaps most representative of a more indigenous artistic expression are
Persian miniatures. Although the influence of
Chinese art is apparent, local Persian artists used the art form in various ways including portraits that could be seen from the
Ottoman Empire to the courts of the
Safavids and
Mughals.
Music
Main articles: Music of Iran
The music of Persia goes back to the days of ''Barbod'' in the royal
Sassanid courts, and even earlier. As it evolved, a distinct eastern
Mediterranean style emerged as Persian folk music is often quite similar to the music of modern Iran's neighbors. In modern times, musical tradition has seen setbacks due to the religious government's policies in Iran, but has survived in the form of Iranian exiles and dissidents who have turned to Western rock music with a distinctive Iranian style as well as
Persian rap.
Architecture
Main articles: Iranian architecture
The ruins of
Persepolis known as the ''Takht-e Jamshid'' or ''throne of Jamshid'' is part of the ancient architectural tradition of Persia.
Architecture is one of the areas where Persians have made outstanding contributions. Ancient examples can be seen in the ruins at
Persepolis, while in modern times monuments such as the Tomb of
Omar Khayyam are displays of the varied tradition in Persia. Various cities in Iran are historical displays of a distinctive Persian style that can be seen in the Kharaghan twin towers of Qazvin province and the
Shah Mosque found in Isfahan. Persian architecture streams over the borders of Iran and is clearly seen throughout Central Asia as with the Bibi Khanum Mosque in
Samarkand and the
Minaret of Jam in western
Afghanistan. Islamic architecture was founded on the base established by the Persians. Persian techniques can also be clearly seen in the structures of the
Taj Mahal at Agra and the
Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Rugs
Main articles: Persian rug
Gottfried Semper called rugs "the original means of separating space". Rug weaving was thus developed by ancient civilizations as a basis of architecture. Persian rugs are said to be the most detailed hand-made works of art.
Gardens
Main articles: Persian Gardens
The Persian gardens were designed to reflect paradise on earth; The English word "Paradise" is thought to come from the Persian word ''Pardis'' which refers to these gardens.
Although having existed since ancient times, the Persian garden gained greater prominence during the Islamic period as Arab rulers cultivated Persian techniques to create gardens of Persian design from
Al-Andalus to
Kashgar. Persian gardens are immortalized in the
One Thousand and one nights and the works of
Omar Khayyam.
Women
Main articles: Iranian women
Persian women have played an important role throughout history.
Scheherazade, though fictional, is an important figure of female wit and intelligence, while the beauty of
Mumtaz Mahal inspired the building of the
Taj Mahal itself. While in ancient times, aristocratic females possessed numerous rights sometimes on par with men, generally Persian women did not attain greater parity until the 20th century. However,
Tahirih, the poet, had a great influence on modern women's movements throughout the Middle East. The
Tahirih Justice Center is named after her. Females were given such status in ancient Persia that they were the first to ever serve in a national military.
Persian women today serve an active role in society. Peace activists such as
Shirin Ebadi have pushed for greater rights for women, while many Iranian women exiles have set examples of excellence that have no doubt inspired many Persian women to strive for change in the conservative society prevalent in today's Iran. Even with the current climate of religious conservativism, Persian women still tend to take a more active role in social, religious and family affairs than their Arab or Turkish counterparts. Despite the barriers imposed by the Revolution, Iranian women can be seen working in a variety of areas such as politics, law enforcement, taxi driving, etc. Universities still tend to be dominated by women in Iran and one may find a large number of female legislators in the Iranian Majlis (parliament), even by western standards. Former Vice President
Masoumeh Ebtekar, noted for her eloquence in dealing with western media, set a new standard for aspiring Iranian female politicians while serving under President Khatami. Outstanding Iranian female academics, such as Laleh Bakhtiar have forever left a mark in the fields they contribute to.
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Iran
Persian culture can be defined through its literary tradition, social customs, religions (both past and present), distinctive foods, and foreign influences that have merged with local traditions. In recent years, Persian culture has seen itself expressed through the medium of films as
Persian cinema has attained a substantial amount of international and critical acclaim through such films as ''
Children of Heaven'' and ''
Taste of Cherry'', which give both insights into the current state of Persian culture and profound depictions of the general human condition.
See also
References
1. Gernot L. Windfuhr, Persian Grammar: History and State of Its Study, Walter de Gruyter, 1979, pp4
2. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html
3. http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=12883
4. Abdolhossein Zarinkoob "''Ruzgaran : tarikh-i Iran az aghz ta saqut saltnat Pahlvi''" pp. 37
5. Bahman Firuzmandi "''Mad, Hakhamanishi, Ashkani, Sasani''" pp. 155
6. http://wwwa.britannica.com/eb/article-230041?tocId=230041
7.
8. Bahman Firuzmandi "''Mad, Hakhamanishi, Ashkani, Sasani''" pp. 20
9. Bahman Firuzmandi "''Mad, Hakhamanishi, Ashkani, Sasani''" pp. 12-19
10. Persia - Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
11. The Splendor of Persia: The Land and the People - by Robert Payne
12. BBC News - ''Afghan poll's ethnic battleground''
External links
Persian Friends Network
★
http://music.tirip.com Persian Singers, Poets and Musicians
★
Ethnologue information for Western Persians
★
Statistics on geographic distribution of Persians worldwide
★
Persian Diaspora
★
Persian Culture Blog
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