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This article is about the ethnic Persians (Iranians) of Iran. For information about Central Asian Persians see Tajiks. For the ancient empire, see Persian Empire.

The Persians of Iran are an Iranian people who speak Persian and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. Religiously, most of the Persians in Iran follow the Shi'a sect of Islam, while small minorities of Sunni Muslims, Persian Jews, Persian Christians, Zoroastrians, and Bahá'ís remain.

The ancient Persians from the province of Pars became the rulers of a large empire under the Achaemenid dynasty (Persian: Ha-kha-maneshee-yan) in the sixth century BC. Over the centuries Persia was ruled by various dynasties; some of them were ethnic Persians (the Sassanids, Buwayhids, Samanids, Safavids and others), and some of them were not (the Seleucids, Seljuk Turks, Mongols, and others).

The Persian civilization spawned three major religions: Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, and Manichaeanism. All of these reflect the extreme dualism of Persian culture which has also significantly influenced Judeo-Christianity and Western civilization. In addition, Persian civilization has affected its neighbors through culture, religion, and language.

According to the 2005 CIA World Factbook, 51% of Iran's current population is ethnically Persian. See demographics of Iran for more details.

Significant numbers of Persians reside outside of Iran with the largest communities found in the United States, Turkey, and Iraq. Smaller communities are also found in surrounding countries and the Arabian Peninsula.

Origins and roots

The Persians of Iran are descended from the Iranian (Aryan) branch of the Indo-Iranians, an Indo-European people that migrated to the region between during the 2nd millennium BC, as well as indigenous populations such as the Elamites.

The Persian language and other Iranian tongues all arrived with the Iranians. The first known record of the Persians is from an Assyrian inscription of the 9th century BC which calls them the Parsu and mentions them alongside another Iranian group, the Madai (Medes). See also Persian Empire and history of Iran.

Related sub-groups

Ethnic Persians can also be found outside of Iran and include the Tajiks and Parsiwan (also known as the Farsiwan) who can be found in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Xinjiang, China while another group called the Tats lives mainly in the Caucasus region concentrated in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russian Dagestan. The Parsis of India and eastern Pakistan are also largely descended from Persian Zoroastrian refugees who fled from Persia following the Arab conquests. In addition, a group called the Hazara are a Persianized Turkic-Mongol ethnic group.

Persian language

The Persian language is one of the world's oldest languages still in use today. It is called Farsi in Iran and Dari or Tajiki east of 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 possibly Afghanistan , and form a large minority in Uzbekistan as well. Smaller groups of Persian-speakers are found in western Pakistan and western China, as well as in Bahrain and Iraq and Azerbaijan.

Persian arts

The artistic heritage of Persia is actually quite 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.

Persian painting and depiction artistry

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 artist expression are Persian miniatures, although the influence of China 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.

Persian music

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 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.

Persian architecture

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 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. Persian techniques can also be clearly seen in the structures of the Taj Mahal at Agra and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Persian rugs

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 have a history as old as humanity itself.

Persian gardens

The Persian garden was designed as a reflection of paradise on earth; the word "garden" itself coming from Persian roots as does the word paradise which was often associated with Persian 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 Arabian Nights and the works of Omar Khayyam.

Persian women

Persian women have played an important role throughout history. Shahrazad, 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. Females were given such status in ancient Persia, that they were the first of their sex to ever serve in a national military. 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.

Culture

From the humble brick, to the windmill. Persians have strived to create a better world by mixing creativity with art. Persian culture is largely derived from the Iranian peoples and the religion of Islam. Persian culture can be defined throught 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

• Culture of Iran
• Demographics of Iran
• History of Iran
• Tajiks

External links

• Ethnologue information for Western Persians
• Statistics on geographic distribution of Persians worldwide
• Persian Diaspora

• Ethnic groups in Asia
• Ethnic groups in Iran
• Ethnic groups in the Middle East
• Iranian peoples