Iran hosts a variety of different ethnicities and languages. In Iranian society, there is a prevalent sense of social cohesion in which the various ethnic groups of the country, including the Lurs, Mazandaranis, Kurds, Azeris, Balochs, Gilaks, Arabs, Semnanis etc, are not considered minorities, but are instead regarded as integral parts of the majority of the Iranian population and identity,Iran: A Modern History with the lingua franca in the country among groups being Persian.
The majority of the population of Iran, approximately 80%, consists of Iranian peoples. The largest groups in this category include Persians, mostly referred to as Fars (who form 61% of the Iranian population) and Kurds (who form 10% of the Iranian population), with other communities including Semnanis, Larestanis, Gilakis, Laks, Mazandaranis, Lurs, Tats, Talysh and Baloch.
Turkic peoples constitute a substantial minority of between 16%, with the largest group being the Azerbaijanis. They are the second largest ethnicity in Iran. Other Turkic groups include the Turkmen, Afshar, Qashqai, Khorasani Turks, Shahsevan, Khalaj and Kazakhs peoples.
Iranian Arabs account for about 4% of the Iranian population. The remainder, amounting to about 1–1.5% of the Iranian population, consists of a variety of minor groups, mainly comprising Iranian Iraqis, Iranian Assyrians, Iranian Jews, Iranian Armenians, Iranian Georgians, Circassians, Afro-Iranians, and Mandaeans.Carl Waldman, Catherine Mason, Encyclopedia of European Peoples, pp.175
Iranian society is not uniform in terms of religion, and some ethnic groups are both Shia and Sunni. The largest number of Shia Muslims come from the Gilaki, Mazandarani, Fars, and Lor ethnic groups, followed by the Azerbaijanis. The largest number of Sunni Muslims is from the Turkmen and Baloch ethnic groups. The Kurds and Larestanis show a more balanced distribution between the two sects, with approximately half of each being Shia and the other half Sunni.A History of Modern Iran A number of Iranians also follow the Zoroastrian faith, and Christianity is represented by Assyrians, Armenians and Iranian and Turkic converts.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Iran had a population of just below 10 million, with an approximate ethnic composition of: 6 million Persians (60%), 2.5 million Azerbaijanis (25%), 1.2 million Kurds and Baluchs each (12% each).Ervand Abrahimian, "A History of Modern Iran", Cambridge University Press, 2008. p. 18: "Communal Composition of Iran, 1900 Persian 6 million Azerbaijanis 2.5 million Mazandaranis 200,000 Gilakis 200,000 Taleshis 20,000 Tatis 20,000"
Many of the traditional tribal groups have become urbanized and culturally assimilated in the 19th and 20th centuries, so that ethnic identity in many cases is less than clear-cut. There has also been considerable intermarriage rates between certain groups. Nearly all groups are fluent in Persian, in many cases marginalizing their traditional native tongue. Some groups may identify with their status as "ethnic minority" only secondarily, or cite multiple ethnic affiliations.van Bruinessen, Martin (1978) Agha, Shaikh and State. On the Social and Political Organization of Kurdistan, University of Utrecht, Utrecht. 1978, Utrecht: footnote 102: 430 When I asked people in ethnically mixed areas whether they were Kurds of [sic] Turks or Persians I frequently got answers such as 'I am Kurd as well as a Persian and a Turk'. When I insisted and asked what they originally were, some answered 'my father speaks all three languages
Iranian peoples
Semnani people The Semnani people are a Caspian people part of the greater Iranian peoples who primarily live in northern Iran and speak the Semnani language. They inhabit the province of Semnan, east of Tehran. Today, the majority of Semnanis speak Persian as secondary language.Memarian, Rahim (2012). نصاب واژگان سمنانی سرودۀ محمد باقر نیری و فرهنگ شکوهی (in Persian). Semnan: Hableh Rud. ISBN 978-600-5764-29-1.
Persians
A CIA World Factbook estimate from 2007 put Persians, most commonly known as Fars (or Pars), at 61% of the population of the country.According to the CIA World Factbook, the ethnic breakdown of Iran is as follows: Persian 61%, Azerbaijani 16%, Kurd 10%, Lur 6%, Baloch 2%, Arab 2%, Turkmen and Turkic tribes 2%, other 1%.
Achums
The Achums, also known as Larestani people are Iranian peoples who inhabit Southern Iran (primarily Irahistan, Larestan region, and Bastak), with some migrations that occurred to Shiraz and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. The Larestani (Achomi) homeland is located in the southern halves of both Fars and Bushehr provinces, as well as the western half of Hormozgan and southwestern part of Kerman provinces. The Achomi area includes the cities of Lar, Lamerd, Evaz, Gerash, Khonj, Mohr, Juyom, Zarrindasht and Darab in Fars province, and Asaluyeh, Jam and Dayyer in Bushehr province as well as Parsian, Bastak, Bandar Lengeh, Khamir, Rudan, Minab, Bandar Sirik and parts of Bandar Abbas, Bashagard and Jask in Hormozgan province.
Kurds
The Kurds are Iranian people, who make up the majority of the population of Kurdistan, Ilam, Kermanshah provinces and along with the Azerbaijanis, they are one of the two main ethnic groups in West Azerbaijan province. The northern part of Lorestan province is inhabited by Kurdish Lak people. Kurdish people also make up the plurality of the North Khorasan province and a minority in Razavi Khorasan and are scattered throughout many other provinces of Iran. It is estimated that up to 1 million Kurmanj Kurds live in Razavi Khorasan. Moreover, the previously Kurdish-speaking Modanloo and Pazuki tribes in Mazandaran and Tehran provinces became Persianized and are Persian-speaking now. Kurds make up around 8-17% of Iran's population.
Laks
The Laks inhabit a large part of Lorestan province where they constitute over 65% of the population and most of the eastern regions of the neighboring province of Kermanshah, and some parts of western Ilam (Poshte-Kuhi Laks). The area to the east of Mount Kabir is known as Pishe-Kuh, and west of the mountain is known as Poshte-Kuh.
Lurs
The Lurs speak the Luri language and inhabit parts of west – south western Iran. Most Lur are Shi’a. They are the fourth largest ethnic group in Iran after the Persians, Azerbaijani, and Kurds. They occupy Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Khuzestan, Hamadan, Markazi, Ilam, Isfahan, Fars, Bushehr and Kuh-Gilu-Boir Ahmed provinces. The authority of tribal elders remains a strong influence among the nomadic population. It is not as dominant among the settled urban population. As is true in Bakhtiari and Kurdish societies, Lur women have much greater freedom than women in other groups within the region.
The Luri language is Indo-European. The Sharafnama of Sharaf Khan Bidlisi "mentioned two Lur dynasties among the five Kurdish dynasties that had in the past enjoyed royalty or the highest form of sovereignty or independence." In the Mu'jam Al-Buldan of Yaqut al-Hamawi mention is made of the Lurs as a Kurdish tribe living in the mountains between Khuzestan and Isfahan. The term Kurd according to Richard Frye was used for all Iranian nomads (including the population of Luristan as well as tribes in Kuhistan and Baluchis in Kerman) for all nomads, whether they were linguistically connected to the Kurds or not.Richard Frye,"The Golden age of Persia", Phoenix Press, 1975. Second Impression December 2003. pp 111: "Tribes always have been a feature of Persian history, but the sources are extremely scant in reference to them since they did not 'make' history. The general designation 'Kurd' is found in many Arabic sources, as well as in Pahlavi book on the deeds of Ardashir the first Sassanian ruler, for all nomads no matter whether they were linguistically connected to the Kurds of today or not. The population of Luristan, for example, was considered to be Kurdish, as were tribes in Kuhistan and Baluchis in Kirman"
Mazanderanis
The MazanderanisArea handbook for Iran, Harvey Henry Smith, American University (Washington, D.C.), Foreign Area Studies, p. 89 or Tabari people are an Iranian people whose homeland is the North of Iran (Tabaristan). Like the closely related Gilaks, the Mazanderanis are a Caspian people who inhabit the south coast of the Caspian Sea, part of the historical region that used to be called Tabaristan and are currently one of the main ethnic groups residing in the northern parts of Iran. They speak the Mazandarani language, a language native to around 4 million people, but all of them can speak Persian. The Alborz mountains mark the southern boundary of Mazanderani settlement.Dalb, Andrew (1998). Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More Than 400 Languages. Columbia University Press. p. 226. .
The Mazanderani peoples number differs between three million and four million (2006 estimate) and many of them are farmers and fishermen.Middle East Patterns: Places, Peoples, and Politics By Colbert C. Held, John Cummings, Mildred McDonald Held, 2005, p. 119. Mazanderanis form also the majority in the eastern parts of Tehran province, in Firuzkuh, Damavand and parts of Shemiranat (Rudbar-e Qasran). Also the cities of Bandar-e Gaz and Kordkuy in Golestan province and the city of Shahmirzad in Semnan province are inhabited by Mazanderanis. The city of Gurgan was previously Mazandarani-speaking but is now a Farsi-speaking city.
Gilaks
The Gilaks are an Iranian people native to the northern Iran province of Gilan and are one of the main ethnic groups residing in the northern part of Iran. Gilaks, along with the closely related Mazandarani people, comprise part of the Caspian people, who inhabit the southern and southwestern coastal regions of the Caspian Sea. They speak the Gilaki language and their population is estimated to be between threeColbert C. Held; John Cummings; Mildred McDonald Held (2005). Middle East Patterns: Places, Peoples, and Politics. p. 119 and four"Iran Provinces". statoids.com. million (4% of the population). Gilaki people live both alongside the Alborz mountains, and in the surrounding plains. Consequentially, those living along the northern side of the Alborz mountains tend to raise livestock, while those living in the plains farm. Gilaks play an important role in provincial and national economy, supplying a large portion of the region's agricultural staples, such as rice, grains,M. ʿAṭāʾī, "Gozāreš-e eqteṣādī dar bāra-ye berenj-e Gīlān wa sāyer-e ḡallāt-e ān/Economic Report on Rice and Other Cereals in Gilan", Taḥqīqāt-e eqteṣādī 2/5-6, 1342 Š., pp. 64–148 (Pers. ed.), 1963, pp. 32–53 (Eng. ed.) tobaccoIdem, "La culture du tabac dans le Gilân", Stud. Ir. 9/1, 1980, pp. 121–30. and tea.Ehlers, "Die Teelandschaft von Lahidjan/Nordiran", in Beiträge zur Geographie der Tropen and Subtropen. Festschrift für Herbert Wilhelmy, Tübingen, 1970, pp. 229–42 Other major industries include fishing and caviar exports, and the production of silk. Bazin, Marcel. "GĪLĀN". Encyclopædia Iranica, X/VI, pp. 617–25. Retrieved 19 August 2014 Gilaki people also inhabit the western parts of Mazandaran province, namely the cities of Ramsar and Tonekabon.
Talysh
The Talysh are an Iranian people."Jamie Stokes,"Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East, Volume 1", Infobase Publishing, 2009. pp 682: "The Talysh are an Iranian people, most of whom now live in the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea, " The Talysh of Iran number at about 430,000 and live mostly in the province of Gilan in north of Iran. They are indigenous to a region shared between Republic of Azerbaijan and Iran which spans the South Caucasus and the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea. Another significant amount of Talysh live therefore also in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Iranian cities of Hashtpar, Rezvanshahr, Fuman and Masuleh and parts of Astara are Talysh-speaking.
Tats