The Lur (Persian: لر), also called Lur proper, are a collection of Lur tribes living mainly in the historic region of Luristan or Lur-e-Kuchak (Lesser Lur) in western Iran. They are one of the main subdivisions of Lurs. Today they mainly live in Lorestan province, but also in adjacent parts of Khuzestan, Ilam, and Hamadan provinces.Minorsky, V. (1986). "Lur". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. .Minorsky, V. (1986). "Luristān". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 829–832. . They speak Northern Luri, also known as Luristani, Luri proper, and less commonly as Feyli.Update on Luri: How many languages?, Erik John Anonby, pp. 178, JRAS, Series 3, 13, 2 (2003), pp. 171–197 DOI: 10.1017/S1356186303003067.The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 26, .

History Minorsky wrote that the Lurs consisted of the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kuhgilu, and Lur proper, adding that the Lur proper mainly comprised the tribes of Tarhan, Delfan, Selseleh, and Bala Gariva. He added that the first three groups were originally Lak, but that the Bala Gariva were "the Lurs par excellence".Minorsky, V. (1986). "Lur". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. .

The Lur proper lived in the region of Lur-e-Kuchak which was later known as Luristan or Feyli Luristan after the 16th century. To the south, the region of Lur-e-Bozorg became known as Bakhtiari and Kuhgilu after the Safavid period. In the Qajar period, Luristan was further split into Pish-e-Kuh and Posht-e-Kuh, and Luristan generally referred to Pish-e-Kuh, while Posht-e-Kuh was known as the "Fayli country". Luristan (Pish-e-Kuh) was bounded on the east and west by convergent streams of the Ab-i Dez and Karkheh. To the north, the mountain ranges of Chehel-Nabaleghan and Garru separated Luristan from Nahavand and the Silakhor plain. The northwestern boundaries of Luristan were located to the southwest of Holeylan and Harsin, which were traditionally part of Kermanshah. To the west of the Karkheh was Posht-e-Kuh. The western branch of the Ab-i Dez formed the border between the Lur proper and the Bakhtiari tribes.Minorsky, V. (1986). "Luristān". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 829–832. . The Bakhtiari region was to the south of the Ab-i Dez, its natural border with Luristan. In addition to Pish-e-Kuh and Posht-e-Kuh, the term Bala Gariva was often applied to the region of Luristan south of Khorramabad,The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 5, . which was otherwise considered part of Pish-e-Kuh.The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 5, .

The tribes of Lur-e-Kuchak were directly under the caliphs and exposed to invasions in the north at the time that Shoja al-Din Khorshid came to power around 1184. Shoja al-Din Khorshid established the Khorshidi dynasty which ruled over Lur-e-Kuchak. The Khorshidis were Muzaffarid vassals between the Mongol invasion and the rise of Timur. In 1386 and 1393, Timur ravaged Lur-e-Kuchak but was kinder towards the Hazaraspids of Lur-e-Bozorg. As the Timurids consolidated power in Lur-e-Kuchak, the last Khorshidi atabek disappeared in 1433-34.Minorsky, V. (1986). "Lur". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. . The Lur ethnic identity had consolidated under the atabeks.Minorsky, V. (1986). "Luristān". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 829–832. . The Khorshidi atabeks maintained their positions of leadership and even extended their control to the west of Posht-e-Kuh, although during the Safavid period, the Khorshidi atabek Shahverdi Abbasi was executed by Shah Abbas who installed Hoseyn Khan, from a lateral line of the old family of Shahverdi Abbasi. The Vali dynasty was then established, and claimed descent from Abbas ibn Ali, whose tomb was said to be near Sirwan.Minorsky, V. (1986). "Lur". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. . Mohammad-Ali Mirza Dowlatshah, the governor of Kermanshah province from 1789-1821, later took control of Pish-e-Kuh from the Vali dynasty.Ottoman-Iranian Borderlands: Making a Boundary, 1843–1914, Sabri Ateş, 2013, pp. 166, . Previously known as the Valis of Luristan, the Vali dynasty then became known as the Valis of Posht-e-Kuh.Minorsky, V. (1986). "Lur-i Kūčik". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 828–829. . Minorsky claimed that while all the Lur tribes were officially Shia Muslim, the Lur tribes of Sagvand, Papi, and Badra'i followed Yarsanism, and the religion of the Lurs was so unorthodox that Mohammad-Ali Mirza Dowlatshah sent for a mujtahid to Islamize them in the 19th century. In 1928-29, Reza Shah established direct control over Posht-e-Kuh, and over 700 years of Lur autonomy came to an end.Amanolahi, Sekandar. “Reza Shah and the Lurs: The Impact of the Modern State on Luristan.” Iran & the Caucasus, vol. 6, no. 1/2, 2002, pp. 193. JSTOR.

Outside of Luristan, the Lurs were also present in Malayer, Tuyserkan, and Nahavand, historically known as the Salas region.Borjian, H. (2025). The Ecbatanic Language Group: Median Jewish Dialects of Hamadan, Tuyserkan, Nehavand, Borujerd, Khonsar, and Golpayegan. Journal of Jewish Languages, 13(2), pp. 4. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134638-bja10058. Borujerd, which was associated with Lurs since Lur-e-Kuchak, was separated from Luristan under the Qajars and united with Khansar and Golpayegan as a single district, but later rejoined the Lorestan province.Borjian, H. (2025). The Ecbatanic Language Group: Median Jewish Dialects of Hamadan, Tuyserkan, Nehavand, Borujerd, Khonsar, and Golpayegan. Journal of Jewish Languages, 13(2), pp. 5. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134638-bja10058. There were also Lurs in parts of Ilam province, formerly Posht-e-Kuh. Sekandar Amanollahi Baharvand added that they lived in the region spanning Lorestan, Nahavand, Silakhor, Borujerd, Tuyserkan, Malayer, Ilam, and northern Khuzestan.قوم لر، سكندر امان‌اللهى بهاروند، 1992، pp. 13, انتشارات آگاه.

Tribes Luristan (Pish-e-Kuh) Bala Gariva The tribes of Bala Gariva mainly included the Dirakvand, Baharvand, Qalavand, Judaki, Mir, Papi, and Sagvand.Tales from Luristan, Sikandar Amān Allāhī Bahārvand, 1986, pp. 11, . Minorsky, who described the Bala Gariva as the "Lurs par excellence", suggested that the Dirakvand were the "real nucleus of the Lur race."Minorsky, V. (1986). "Lur". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden: E. J. Brill. . He also included the Beyranvand and Dalvand, which spoke Laki, among the tribes of Bala Gariva.Minorsky, Vladimir (2012). "Lak". Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second ed.). Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0562. . The tribes of Bala Gariva spoke a dialect of Northern Luri, except for the Beyranvand which spoke Laki.The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 21-22, . The tribes of Bala Gariva, along with the tribes of Tarhan, historically made up the majority of the tribes of Pish-e-Kuh (Luristan).The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 26, .

When Hoseynqoli Khan became Vali of Posht-e-Kuh, Baqir Khan, from the Vali dynasty, settled down in the Shush region with three Feyli Lur clans that followed him, forming an independent tribe called Amaleh. Later, nine more clans, including Feyli Lurs from Posht-e-Kuh and Arabs from the Shush region, joined the tribe. It was distinct from the Amaleh of Lorestan and the Amaleh of the Qashqai.

Tarhan The region of Tarhan, located between the Karkheh and Kashgan rivers in the west of the Lorestan province, traditionally centered around Kuhdasht, mainly included the Lur tribes of Suri and Amra'i, and smaller ones such as Alivand, Khoshnamvand, Garma'i, and Shiravand. There were also Lak tribes in Tarhan including Garavand, Adinavand, Kunani, Azadbakht, and Owlad-e Qobad. The Balavand, Zardalani, and Tarhani tribes lived close to Tarhan but within the Ilam province. While the Delfan and Selseleh were generally considered Lak, the Tarhan were divided between Lurs and Laks, and while Oskar Mann claimed the Tarhan were Lak majority, Amanollahi acknowledged the Lak element but did not describe them as the majority.The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 21, .

Delfan The tribes of Delfan, from the region of Delfan in northern Luristan, spoke Laki and mainly comprised the tribes of Kakavand, Ivatvand, Mumavand, Bijanvand, Mir Beg, and Chavari, among others. Minorsky claimed that the tribes of Delfan were entirely Yarsani.Minorsky, Vladimir (2012). "Lak". Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second ed.). Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0562. . According to 19th and 20th century literature, the Delfan and Selseleh were the two most significant Lak subgroups, and although sometimes the names and number of tribes in each group varied or overlapped, the Kakavand were consistently considered Delfan.The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 6-7, .

Selseleh The tribes of Selseleh lived in the region known as Selseleh centered around Aleshtar and mainly included the tribes of Hasanvand, Yusufvand, Kowlivand, and several smaller tribes. They were said to speak Luri.The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 6-7, . Others reported the Selseleh as Laki speakers. They were frequently mentioned along with the Delfan as the main Lak groups in the 19th and 20th century.The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 6-7, .The Laki Variety of Harsin: Grammar, Texts, Lexicon, Sara Belelli, 2021, pp. 21, .

Others in Pish-e-Kuh The region of Chegini in central Luristan included the tribes of Tulabi, Chegini, Sadat-e Hayatolgheybi, among others. The Manasari section of the Papi tribe, comprising the tribes of Moradi, Yaqubvand, Madhuni, Malziri, Keshvari, Lira'i, and others, lived in the east of Khorramabad. The region called Haro mainly consisted of Chaghalvandi and Zagha in the east of Khorramabad. The Chaghalvandi region included the Beyranvand, while the Zagha region included the Bajolvand which comprised the tribes of Sagvand, Dalvand, and Qaid Rahmat. The Amaleh were established on the homelands of the Vali dynasty in Lorestan, around Tarhan, Jaydar, Kuhdasht, Qilab, Khorramabad, and Aleshtar. Some of their clans included Ahangar, Mirakhor, Jelowdar, Qaterchi, Sarban, Farrash, and Zinbardar. The Amaleh gradually lost their cohesion and thoroughly disintegrated by the end of the 19th century, with only a few of its clans remaining afterwards as independent tribes, such as Amra'i and Chegini. The Amaleh of Lorestan were distinct from the Amaleh of Khuzestan, a mixed Lur and Arab tribe which were servants of the local dynasty of Shush, which was an offshoot of the Vali dynasty, or the Amaleh of the Qashqai.

Salas