Persian-speakers of Iran
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| est. 50-65 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Iran | 44,660,000 (48.23 million including sub-groups)[1] |
 United States | 691,000 - 2,560,000[2][3] |
 United Arab Emirates | 400,000[4] |
 United Kingdom | 275,000[5] |
 Israel | 135,000[6] |
 Canada | 121,510[7] |
 Germany | 110,000[8] |
| Languages | |
| Persian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominately Shi'a Muslim,[1][9] and small minorities of Sunni Muslims{{citation needed}} , Bahá'ís, Christians, Jews, Irreligion, Agnosticism, and Zoroastrians. | |
The Persian-speakers of Iran[10] (local names: فارسیزبانان [fɒːrˈsi-zæbɒːnɒːn] and پارسیزبانان [pɒːrˈsi-zæbɒːnɒːn]) are an ethnolinguistic group in Iran composed of numerous regional peoples who speak the Persian language dialects and varieties. Iranian Persian-speakers comprise the largest group in Iran, are also found in large expatriate communities in North America (where many refer to themselves as ethnic Persians or Iranians) and in Europe. Iranian Persian-speakers are typically characterized by their usage of the Persian language as their mother tongue and a common culture.
Iranian Persians trace their linguistic roots to the ancient Indo-European Proto-Iranians. In 550 BC, the ancient Persians from Iran founded the Achaemenid Empire, the largest empire the world had yet seen, spanning three continents; Europe, Asia and Africa.
History
The Persian speakers are descendents of the Aryan (Indo-Iranian) tribes that began migrating from Central Asia into what is now Iran in the second millennium BC.[11][12][13] The Persian language and other Iranian tongues emerged as these Aryan tribes split up into two major groups, the Persians and the Medes, and intermarried with peoples indigenous to the Iranian plateau such as the Elamites,[14][15] Kassites, Gutians, and Manneans.
The ancient Persians from the province of Pars became the rulers of a large empire under the Achaemenid dynasty (Hakhamaneshiyan) in the sixth century BC, reuniting with the tribes and other provinces of the ancient Iranian plateau and forming the Persian Empire. 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, Ummayyads, Abbasids, and Seljuk Turks.
Language
The Persian language is one of the world's oldest languages still in use today, and is known to have one of the most powerful literary traditions, with formidable Persian poets like Ferdowsi, Hafez, Khayyam, Attar, Saadi, Nezami, Roudaki, Rumi and Sanai. By native speakers, it is called Fārsī, and additionally Dari or Tajiki in the eastern parts of Greater Iran.
Persian is part of the Iranian sub-section of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Persian is a Western Dialect, and its speakers form the majority in Iran.
Religion
Most Persian speakers in Iran are Shia Muslims, while some communities of Shia Sufis also exist. There is also a sizeable number of Sunni Muslims. Historically, some of the greatest Sunni Muslim scholars were Persian speakers or had Persian descent, including Abu Dawood, Hakim al-Nishaburi, Al-Tabarani, Ghazali, Imam Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Al-Nasa'i and Abu Hanifa, amongst many others. There are also smaller communities of Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, and Bahá'ís. Bahá'ís are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in the country.[16] There are also Persian speakers who are atheist and agnostic. Also see religious minorities in Iran.
See also
References
- 1 2 CIA World Factbook: Iran
- ↑ THE IRANIAN: Iranian-American stats, Phyllis McIntosh
- ↑ The Persian Diaspora, List of Persians and Persian Speaking Peoples living outside of Iran, Worldwide Outreach to Persians, Outreach to Muslims around the Globe
- ↑ Travel Video Television News - Iranians investing heavily in Dubai
- ↑ "Tension and Transformation" in Move Magazine, Autumn 2005
- ↑ Jews, by country of origin and age
- ↑ 2006 Canadian Census
- ↑ Persian World Outreach - Persian-speaking people outside of Iran
- ↑ http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=12883
- ↑
- Fierman, William; Garibova, Jala (2010-05-19). "Chapter 26: Central Asia and Azerbaijan". In Fishman, Joshua A.; Garcia, Ofelia. Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives. Volume I (2nd ed.). USA: Oxford University Press. p. 446. ISBN 978-0195374926. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
The regime watched with particular apprehension any links between Turkey and Turkic-speaking peoples of the USSR, and between Tajiks and Persian speakers of Iran.
- Fierman, William; Garibova, Jala (2010-05-19). "Chapter 26: Central Asia and Azerbaijan". In Fishman, Joshua A.; Garcia, Ofelia. Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives. Volume I (2nd ed.). USA: Oxford University Press. p. 446. ISBN 978-0195374926. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
- ↑ Iran :: Ethnic groups - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ↑ The Medes and the Persians, c.1500-559 from The Encyclopedia of World History Sixth Edition, Peter N. Stearns (general editor), © 2001 The Houghton Mifflin Company, at Bartleby.com.
- ↑ Bahman Firuzmandi "Mad, Hakhamanishi, Ashkani, Sasani" pp. 20
- ↑ Iran. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05
- ↑ Bahman Firuzmandi "Mad, Hakhamanishi, Ashkani, Sasani" pp. 12-19
- ↑ Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L'Homme (2003-08). "Discrimination against religious minorities in IRAN" (PDF). fidh.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-06-14. Retrieved 2006-10-04. Check date values in:
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External links
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