Two Qashqai couples, comprising two brothers and two sisters, held their traditional wedding ceremony on the sidelines of the ninth edition of Pars Tourism Exhibition underway in Shiraz.
Nomads Tour in Iran
There are about one and a half million nomads in Iran, extending from the border of Turkmanistan to the warm waters of the Persian Gulf. Most of these tribes, the Kurds, the Lurs, the Bakhtiaris, the Guilaks (on the Caspian Coast) and the Baluchis are the original invaders who, in the first millennium BC, swept down from Central Asia and settled in various parts of the Iranian Plateau. Most of the tribes in central Iran are from pure Aryan stock, while other tribes such as the Arabs of Khuzestan and Khorassan, the Turkish tribes of Quchan, the Qashqai tribes, the Shahsevan and Afshar tribes of Azerbaijan and the Turkmens are remnants of races that have passed through Iran at various periods of history.
Traditionally, there has always existed a close link in Iran between the ruling dynasty and the domination of one particular tribe or ethnic group./ More
QASHQAI PEOPLE: MEETING THE AUTHENTIC IRANIAN NOMADS
Iran has with one of the biggest nomad populations of any country. And not only this, but these Iranian nomads are also classified into different sub-groups, according to their ethnicity, origin and even language. Around Shiraz, there’s one group of nomads called Qashqai. Originally, they came from Turkey but, even though Turkish is their first language, most of them speak fluent Persian as well. Like most Iranians, they are Shia Muslims.
Qashqai people, also known as Ghashghaei, are one of the Iranian nomadic tribes that keep on moving across the Zagros Mountains. In winter they live in the southern part but, as soon as the summer comes and the heat starts to become unbearable, they start moving north. Their flocks of sheep and goats are their main source of income. From these animals, they get meat, cheese, and milk. They also sell the newborns at the markets of Shiraz.
