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

The Persians of Iran are an Iranian people who speak the Persian language and share a common culture and history.

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 the tribes and other provinces in the ancient Iranian Plateau and forming the country, Iran (Land of the Aryans). 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, Seljuk Turks, Afsharids and Qajars.

It is important to note that the founding dynasty of the empire the Achaemenids, and later the Sassanids were from the southern provinces of Pars, from which in Western literature the word Persia is derived to used to distinguish between ancient and moder Iran. However, according to archeological evidence found in modern day Iran in the form of cuneiforms that go back to the Achaemenid era, it is evident that the country had been called Iran from its birth.

The Persian civilization spawned four major religions: Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Manichaeanism, and the Baha’i 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. Today many scholars while still debating on which religion first introduced monotheism; Zoroastrianism, or Judaism, they, however, have conceded that it was the religion of Zoroastrianism that for the first time introduced angelology, demonology, apocalyptical doctrines, as well as, some eschatological notions to humanity. Such ideas would later be passed on to the Babylonian Jews via the Persian Empire. All of these reflect the 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.

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

Origins and roots

See also: Persian Empire and History of Iran

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 (Medians). The Persian language and other Iranian tongues all arrived with the Iranians.

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

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 largely a Persianized Turkic-Mongol ethnic group.

Persian language

The Persian language is one of the world's oldest languages still in use today. By native speakers as well as in Urdu, Arabic and other neighboring peoples, it is called Fãrsi 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.

Religion

Most 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. There are also Persians who are Atheist and Agnostic. Also see religious minorities in Iran.

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 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 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. 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 enforecement, 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, even by western standards. Former Vice President Masoumeh Ekbetar, 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 mark in the feilds they contribute to.

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
• Persian Jews
• History of Iran
• Tajiks
• Parsis of India (Zoroastrians)

Notes

1. Abdolhossein Zarinkoob "Ruzgaran : tarikh-i Iran az aghz ta saqut saltnat Pahlvi" pp. 37

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