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Lurs

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For the ancient Scandinavian musical instrument, see Lur. For the commune in France, see Lurs, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Not to be confused with Lori people.

Lurs
Dasmâl-bâzi dance, Mamasani, Iran
Total population
5,000,000
Regions with significant populations
Iran
  • 4–5 million[1][2]
    Approximately 6% of Iran's population
Languages
Luri and Persian
Religion
Mainly Shia Islam; minority Sunni Islam and Yarsanism[3]
Related ethnic groups
Other Iranian peoples

The Lurs, Lors or Luris (Persian: لر) are an Iranian people living in western and southern Iran.[4] The four Luri branches are the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kohgiluyeh and Lur proper, who are principally linked by the Luri language.[5]

Lorestan province is named after the Lurs, but some Lurs live in other provinces including Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan,[5] Hamadan,[6] Isfahan,[7] Tehran[8] southern Ilam Province,[9] and Genaveh county in Bushehr province.[citation needed]

Origin

There are several disputes over the origin of the Lurs and they are believed to be from the Elamite and Kassite origin[10][11] or a Median or Persian tribe of Aryan origin.[12]

Name

The first sighting of the word Lur is in the writings of some historians and geographers of the 10th century and later in the form of اللور, اللر and لور (Lur). Hamdallah Mustawfi in Tarikh-e gozida (1330 AD) referred to the settlement of Luri tribes in Levant and then their mass migration towards the current Luri-inhabited areas. There are several hypotheses that discuss the origin of the name Lur or Lor, prominent amongst them is its attribution to a person called Lur or Lohraseb and some believe that the name refers to the area of first settlement of this ethnic group. The word Ler or Lir (literally forest or forest mountain) is a probable source for this word.[13]

History

West side of the elamite rock relief said “Kul-e Farah”
Relief of an Elamite noblewoman

Lurs are a mixture of aboriginal Iranian tribes, originating from Central Asia and the pre-Iranic tribes of western Iran, such as the Kassites (whose homeland appears to have been in what is now Lorestan) and Gutians. In accordance with geographical and archaeological matching, some historians argue that the Elamites were the Proto-Lurs, whose language became Iranian only in the Middle Ages.[14][15] The distinctive characteristics of the Lur dialects imply that they were Iranized by Persis rather than Media.[16]

The history of the Lurs is closely linked with the dynasties that ruled in Khuzestan, Shiraz, Isfahan, Hamadan and in the Zagros Mountains. The Buyid dynasty is known to have produced coins at Izeh. In 935, they marched their forces through Lorestan. The Karkheh River was later controlled by the Hasanwayhid dynasty, who used Sarmadj as their capital. In c. 1009, they conquered Shapur-Khwast (Khorramabad). In 1042, the Seljuk Empire besieged Shapur-Khwast, then ruled by the Kakuyid dynasty. Between 1152 and 1174/75, Lorestan and some of Khuzestan was controlled by a Turkic lord named Husam al-Din Shuhla. The tribal structure of the Lurs, whose development culminated with the arrival of the Atabegs, was unaffected by any outside attempts to conquer Lorestan or seize portions of its land.[17]

The new Iranian monarch Reza Shah (r. 1925–1941) brought the Bakhtiari lands into the normal system of Iranian government, which included forcibly making semi-nomadic tribesmen settle. The semi-nomadic way of life that many Bakhtiaris and Lurs were familiar with, however, returned as a result of Reza Shah's toppling in 1941 and the period of less effective rule during the early years of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's reign. In 1986, at the time of the publication of Vladimir Minorsky's entry on the Lurs in the 2nd edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam, a sizeable portion of the Lurs and Bakhtiaris were still living that way of life.[18]

Elam

Area of the Elam

The first people who ruled areas of Luristan were Elamites. The extent of the influence of the Elamites has been to the present Mamassani area. They were indigenous peoples of Iran, but there is no proper knowledge of how communities are formed and the beginning of their history. They were able to establish a state before the arrival of Aryan ethnic groups in parts of western Iran.[19] The Elam government included Khuzestan, modern Luristan, Poshtkuh (Ilam province and some western Iraqi areas), Bakhtiari mountains and Southern Luri settlement. Babylonians called the land of Elamites Elam or Elamto, meaning "the mountain" and perhaps "the land of sunrise". Elamite is generally accepted to be a language isolate and thus unrelated to the much later-arriving Persian and Iranic languages. In relation to geographical and archaeological matching, historians argue that the Elamites to be the Proto-Lurs, whose language became Iranian only in the Middle Ages.[20][21][22]

Achaemenids to Sassanids

During the rule of Achaemenid, Luristan was part of the rule of the Kassites and when the Achaemenids moved from Babylon to Hamadan, they had to cross the Luristan area and pay ransom to the Kassites.[23] Pahle was the name of a vast land in west of Iran which was included many cities and areas in the current Zagros. The province of Pahla was named after the Sasanian times and the word Pahlavi refers to the people, the language, and the alphabet related to this region. At the time of the Achaemenids, the current Luristan, along with Ilam and Khuzestan, were the third state of this great empire. During the Parthian period, this land was one of the Satraps (states) of this dynasty and finally, during the Sassanid period, the area was named "Pahla".[24]

Luristan

Main article: Luristan

The word Luristan or Lorestan, is attributed to the areas inhabited by the Lurs.[25] The boundaries of Luristan stretch from the eastern Iraqi plains to the west and southwest of Iran.[26][25][27] Today, Lorestan is the name of one of the western provinces of Iran.

Branches

There are several established branches of the Luri language.[28]

Culture

The authority of tribal elders remains a strong influence among the nomadic population. It is not as dominant among the settled urban population. As among Kurds, Lur women have much greater freedom than women in other groups within the region. The women have more freedom to participate in different social activities, to wear diverse types of female clothing and to sing and dance in different ceremonies.[29] Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari is a notable Luri woman.[30] Luri music, Luri clothing and Luri folk dances are some of the most distinctive ethno-cultural characteristics of this ethnic group.

Many Lurs are small-scale agriculturists and shepherds. A few Lurs are also traveling musicians. Luri textiles and weaving skills are highly esteemed for their workmanship and beauty.[31]

Religion and language

Religion

Most Lurs are Shia Muslim. Historically, many Lurs adhered to Yarsanism but almost the whole Yarsani Luri population has converted to Shia Islam.[32] A small Sunni Muslim community of Lurs also exists.[3] According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the Lurs revere bread and fire like the Zoroastrians.[33] Recent reports also indicate a growing Zoroastrian religious movement, particularly among Bakhtiari Lurs.[34]

Language

Main article: Luri language

Luri is a Western Iranian language continuum spoken by about four million people. The continuum constitutes the three dialects of Bakhtiari, Luristani and Southern Luri which linguist Anonby situates between Kurdish and Persian.[7]

Genetics

Considering their NRY variation, the Lurs are distinguished from other Iranian groups by their relatively elevated frequency of Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b (specifically, of subclade R1b1a2a-L23).[22] Together with its other clades, the R1 group comprises the single most common haplogroup among the Lurs.[22][35] Haplogroup J2a (subclades J2a3a-M47, J2a3b-M67, J2a3h-M530, more specifically) is the second most commonly occurring patrilineage in the Lurs and is associated with the diffusion of agriculturalists from the Neolithic Near East c. 8000-4000 BCE.[35][36][37][38] Another haplogroup reaching a frequency above 10% is that of G2a, with subclade G2a3b accounting for most of this.[39] Also significant is haplogroup E1b1b1a1b, for which the Lurs display the highest frequency in Iran.[39] Lineages Q1b1 and Q1a3 present at 6%, and T at 4%.[39]

Diaspora

Lurs's diaspora is widespread from western Iran and Iraq to Kuwait and Bahrain. A significant population of the Lurs is found in eastern and central parts of Iraq.[40] They also have a notable Lur population in Bahrain,[41]: 42  and Kuwait,[citation needed] carrying the “Bushehri” surname, among others, such as the "Safar" family, who are claimed to be Bakhtiari Lurs.[41]: 42 

Notable Lurs

  • Qasem Soleimani, was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).[42]
  • Ahmed Lur, He was one of the disciples of Fazlallah Na'imi, the founder of the Hurufism sect.[43]
  • Qadam Kheyr, was a notable Luri woman of the late Qajar period.[44]
  • Shahmirza Moradi, was an Iranian Lur especially versed in playing sorna.[45]
  • Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari, was a revolutionary and activist of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution.

See also

Further reading

  • Field, Henry (1938). Contribution to the Anthropology of Iran (PDF).

References

  1. ^ "Iran". The World Factbook. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Iran" (PDF). New America Foundation. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. ^ a b Mortensen, Inge Demant (3 April 2015). "LURISTAN v. Religion, Rituals, and Popular Beliefs". Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  4. ^ "The Lurs of Iran | Cultural Survival". www.culturalsurvival.org. 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  5. ^ a b Minorsky, M. V. (2012). "Luristān". Encyclopedia of Islam. 2. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0588.
  6. ^ Amanolahi, Sekander (2002). "Reza Shah and the Lurs: the Impact of the Modern State On Luristan". Iran and the Caucasus. 6: 193–218. doi:10.1163/157338402X00124.
  7. ^ a b Anonby, Erik John (2003). "Update on Luri: How many languages?". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 13 (2): 171–172. doi:10.1017/S1356186303003067. S2CID 162293895.
  8. ^ Opie, James (1992). Tribal Rugs: Nomadic and Village Weavings from the Near East and Central Asia. 9781856690256: Pennsylvania State University. p. 104.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  9. ^ Gheitasi, Mojtaba. "Language distribution: Ilam Province". Iran Atlas. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  10. ^ Edwards, I.E.S.; Gadd, C.J.; Hammond, G.L. (1971). The Cambridge Ancient History (2nd ed.). Camberidge University Press. p. 644. ISBN 9780521077910.
  11. ^ Potts, D.S (1999). The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State (Cambridge World Archaeology) (2nd ed.). Camberidge University Press. p. 45. ISBN 9780521564960.
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  13. ^ H.Mostawfi. 2000. Tarikhe Gozide (in Persian). Amir Kabir Publications, Tehran
  14. ^ Edwards, I.E.S.; Gadd, C.J.; Hammond, G.L. (1971). The Cambridge Ancient History (2nd ed.). Camberidge University Press. p. 644. ISBN 9780521077910.
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  16. ^ Minorsky 1986, p. 821.
  17. ^ Minorsky 1986, p. 824.
  18. ^ Minorsky 1986, p. 826.
  19. ^ "آیا لر آریاییست یا عیلامی و کاسی؟" [Is Ler Aryan or Elamite and Kasi?] (in Persian). نشریه اینترنتی مردم لر. September 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  20. ^ Edwards, I.E.S.; Gadd, C.J.; Hammond, G.L. (1971). The Cambridge Ancient History (2nd ed.). Camberidge University Press. p. 644. ISBN 9780521077910.
  21. ^ Potts, D.S (1999). The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State (Cambridge World Archaeology) (2nd ed.). Camberidge University Press. p. 45. ISBN 9780521564960.
  22. ^ a b c Grugni, V; Battaglia, V; Hooshiar Kashani, B; Parolo, S; Al-Zahery, N et al. (2012). "Ancient Migratory Events in the Middle East: New Clues from the Y-Chromosome Variation of Modern Iranians". PLOS ONE. 7 (7): e41252. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...741252G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041252. PMC 3399854. PMID 22815981.
  23. ^ "جبال (۱) (جمع جَبَل) یا کورة جَبَل یا قُهِستان یا قوهستان (معرّب کوهستان) یا بلاد جبال" [Jabal (1) (Jebelab al-Jalal) or Jebel or mountain or mountain (mountainous mountain) or Balad Jabal] (in Persian). دانشنامه جهان اسلام. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  24. ^ "پَهلَوی" [Pahlavi] (in Persian). دانشنامه جهان اسلام. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  25. ^ a b "Lorestān". Encyclopædia Britannica . Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  26. ^ Minorsky, V. Articles "Lur" and "Luristan" in Encyclopedia of Islam
  27. ^ "LURISTAN iv. The Origin of Nomadism". Encyclopædia Iranica. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  28. ^ Anonby, Erik. "Traditional classification tree". Iran Atlas. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  29. ^ Edmonds, Cecil (2010). East and West of Zagros: Travel, War and Politics in Persia and Iraq 1913-1921. BRILL. p. 188. ISBN 9789004173446.
  30. ^ Garthwaite, Gene Ralph (1996). Bakhtiari in the mirror of history. Ānzān. p. 187. ISBN 9789649046518.
  31. ^ Winston, Robert, ed. (2004). Human: The Definitive Guide. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 409. ISBN 0-7566-0520-2.
  32. ^ Hosseini, S. Behnaz (2020). Yārsān of Iran, Socio-Political Changes and Migration. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 18. ISBN 978-981-15-2635-0.
  33. ^ Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb; Johannes Hendrik Kramers; Bernard Lewis; Charles Pellat; Joseph Schacht (1954). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  34. ^ Newsroomm, Iran International (2023-03-11). "Cleric Says Some Iranian Muslims Converting To Other Religions". iranintl.com. Retrieved 2024-12-08. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  35. ^ a b Wells, R. Spencer; et al. (2001). "The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 98 (18): 10244–9. Bibcode:2001PNAS...9810244W. doi:10.1073/pnas.171305098. PMC 56946. PMID 11526236.
  36. ^ Semino O, Passarino G, Oefner P J, Lin A A, Arbuzova S, Beckman L E, de Benedictis G, Francalacci P, Kouvatsi A, Limborska S, et al. (2000) Science 290:1155–1159
  37. ^ Underhill P A, Passarino G, Lin A A, Shen P, Foley R A, Mirazon-Lahr M, Oefner P J, Cavalli-Sforza L L (2001) Ann Hum Genet 65:43–62
  38. ^ Semino, Ornella; Magri, Chiara; Benuzzi, Giorgia; Lin, Alice A.; Al-Zahery, Nadia; Battaglia, Vincenza; MacCioni, Liliana; Triantaphyllidis, Costas; et al. (2004). "Origin, Diffusion, and Differentiation of Y-Chromosome Haplogroups E and J: Inferences on the Neolithization of Europe and Later Migratory Events in the Mediterranean Area". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 74 (5): 1023–34. doi:10.1086/386295. PMC 1181965. PMID 15069642.
  39. ^ a b c Grugni, V; Battaglia, V; Hooshiar Kashani, B; Parolo, S; Al-Zahery, N; et al. (2012). "Ancient Migratory Events in the Middle East: New Clues from the Y-Chromosome Variation of Modern Iranians". PLOS ONE. 7 (7): e41252. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...741252G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041252. PMC 3399854. PMID 22815981.
  40. ^ Anonby, Erik John (2003). "Update on Luri: How many languages?". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 13 (2): 171–197. doi:10.1017/S1356186303003067. S2CID 162293895.
  41. ^ a b McCoy, Eric (2008). Iranians in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates: Migration, Minorities, and Identities in the Persian Gulf Arab States (PDF). The University of Arizona. ISBN 9780549935070. OCLC 659750775. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-08-05.
  42. ^ "عکس/نکته‌ای جالب در دست نوشته‌ی سرلشکر سلیمانی خطاب به جوانان لُر". akharinkhabar (in Persian). 27 April 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  43. ^ Minorsky, Vladimir (2013). Treatise of Luristan and the Lurs, Along with the Baron De Bode's Travelogue. translated in Persian by Eskandar Amanollahi Baharvand and Leyli Bakhtiar (2nd ed.). Arvan Publications. p. 122.
  44. ^ Richard, Y. (Ed.).(2009). East and West of Zagros: Travel, War and Politics in Persia and Iraq, 1913-1921. Brill.
  45. ^ "اعجاز سرنا؛ خالق عاشقانه های لرستان را جاودان کرد". خبرگزاری مهر | اخبار ایران و جهان | Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 2008-12-13. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
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