Bakhtiari people

The Bakhtiari (also spelled Bakhtiyari; Persian:بختیاری) are a Lur tribe^[2] from Iran. They speak the Bakhtiari dialect of the Luri language.^[3][4]

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Bakhtiari

Total population
~1 million (2022)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Iran Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, parts of: Khuzestan, Isfahan, Markazi, Lorestan
Languages
Bakhtiari Luri
Religion
Shia Islam
Related ethnic groups
Other Lurs

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Bakhtiaris primarily inhabit Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and eastern Khuzestan, Lorestan, Bushehr, and Isfahan provinces. Bakhtiari tribes have an especially large population concentration in the cities of Masjed Soleyman, Izeh, Shahr-e Kord, and Andika, and the surrounding villages.^{[citation needed]}

A small percentage of Bakhtiari are still nomadic pastoralists, migrating between summer quarters (sardsīr or yaylāq) and winter quarters (garmsīr or qishlāq).^[5]

Although there have been several suggested theories for the origin of the Bakhtiyaris, historians and researchers generally agree that they are Lurs. According to folklore, the Lurs are descended from a group of youngsters who survived and fled from the demon Zahhak, a demonic figure who is mentioned in Zoroastrian mythology, as well as the Shahnameh. They took shelter in Zardkuh and Kuhrang, where they named themselves Lur ("nomadic"). Due to their luck of escaping danger throughout their history, they called themselves bakhtiyar ("fortunate"). In scholarship, it has been suggested Bakhtiyaris are descended from the Uxian tribe, who clashed with the Macedonian king Alexander the Great (r. 336–323 BC) in Khuzestan 330 BC.^[6]

A second theory suggests that the Bakhtiyaris were originally from Fars, but were settled to the north of Isfahan and Khuzestan after the legendary king Kay Khosrow conquered Media. A third theory suggests that the Bakhtiyaris were descended from the Mardi, a nomadic warrior tribe that lived around the Caspian coast of northern Iran. Due to the close resemblance to the names Bakhtiyari and Bakhtari (Bactrian), some historians have suggested that the Bakhtiyaris are descended from the Greeks who ruled over Bactria. The resemblance between Bakhtiyari and Greek dance has been used as further proof. Other historians consider the Bakhtiyaris to have resided in their area for a long time, and that they named themselves after the ancient Persian word Bakhtar ("the West") due to their geographical position.^[6]

Another theory supported by some historians is that the Bakhtiyaris are descended from Izz al-Dawla Bakhtiyar (r. 967–978), the Buyid ruler of Iraq. The name of the latter is first attestation of the word Bakhtiyar. The Bakhtiyaris themselves consider their name to be derived from the word Bakhtiyarwand, the name of the offspring of Bakhtiyar, a distinguished figure of Lur-i Buzurg (Greater Lur).^[6]

The term bakhtiari can be best translated as "companion of fortune" or "bearer of good luck"^[9] The term has deep Persian roots, and is the result of two smaller words bakht and yar complied together. Bakht is the Persian word for "fortune" and yar, iar, iari literally means "companion".^[9]

The latter designation largely relates to the nature of the tribe's annual "migration". This has to do with the harsh nature of Bakhtiari life, and overcoming of countless difficulties that Bakhtiaris have faced in the Zagros ranges. In this sense, Bakhtiaris view themselves as a hardworking tribe, facing numerous obstacles every day, and yet fortunate enough to overcome each of these challenges as a solid unit.^[9]

Nevertheless, the origins of Bakhtiaris are ancient, and it may have very well been the case that the tribe underwent a series of name changes throughout its history. However it is mostly claimed that the designation "Bakhtiari" came largely into use some time in antiquity.^[10]

In The Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski states that "The Bakhtiari take their name from a legendary herdsman of Mongol times, Bakhtyar," who according to a Bakhtiari origin myth is "the father of [their] people".^[11] Bronowski points out similarities between Bakhtyar and the Israelite Jacob, who was also the ancestral patriarch of his nomadic people and a herdsman who had two wives.^[11]

In c. 913, Lorestan was split up into realms; Lur-i Buzurg (Greater Lur) and Lur-i Kuchak (Lesser Lur). The Bakhtiyaris are first attested in history in the early 15th-century. In 1413, the arrival of several Bakhtiyari clans such as the Astarki, Kutwand, Raki, Janaki and Zallaki are mentioned by the Timurid-era historian Mu'in al-Din Natanzi. Under the Safavids, Lur-i Kuchak became known as Luristan-i Fili, while Lur-i Buzurg (extending from Isfahan to Kohgiluyeh and from Shushtar to Behbahan) became Bakhtiyari land. In 1566, Shah Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576) selected the Astarki chieftain Tajmir as ilkhan of the Bakhtiyari. He was, however, later killed and succeeded by Jahangir Khan Bakhtiyari, who is responsible for splitting the Bakhtiyaris into two groups, the Haft Lang and Chahar Lang. By the time of the reign of Shah Abbas I (r. 1588–1629), the northern part of Lur-i Buzurg became known as Bakhtiyari.^[6]

Constitutional Revolution: In Iran's contemporary history, the Bakhtiari have played a significant role; particularly during the advent of the country's Constitutional Revolution (1905–1907).^[12] This event was largely secured through the Bakhtari campaign, which eventually deposed Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1907–1909).^[13] The Bakhtiari tribesmen, under the leadership of the Haft Lang khans Sardar Assad and his brother Najaf Qoli Khan Bakhtiari- Saad ad-Daula (also referred to as Samsam-os Saltane), captured Tehran and, as a result, saved the revolution.^[14][15] These events eventually led to the abdication of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1907–1909) in 1909, and his exile to Russia. This incident secured Saad ad-Daula the position of Prime Minister in the period that followed the abdication of the Qajar Shah. Nonetheless, with Russian backing, the Shah would soon return in 1911 by landing with a coalition of forces at Astarabad .^[16] However, his efforts to reclaim his throne would bear no fruit.^[16] In this sense, the Bakhtiaris played a critical role in saving the revolution from the Qajar forces.^[13]

Pahlavi Period: With the expansion of Bakhtiari influence, urban elites (particularly in Tehran) began to worry in regards to a potential Bakhtiari takeover of Persia's affairs. Prior to this point, the Bakhtiari had largely remained within their own territorial boundaries. The Bakhtiari influence would continue to play an important role within the early 20th century politics of Iran. Reza Shah Pahlavi (r. 1925–1941) made the destruction of the Bakhtiari influence his mission.^[17] The existence of oil on Bakhtiari territory further motivated the Pahlavi monarch to undermine the autonomy of the tribe, and force its population to adhere to the commands of the central government.^[17] Reza Shah Pahlavi would eventually execute a few noteworthy tribal leaders to crush Bakhtiari autonomy and maintain control over the tribe. Amongst the executed Khans was Mohammad Reza Khan (Sardar-e-Fateh), whose son later became the Pahlavi Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar.^[18] The latter event was a turning point for Bakhtiari and their rise within Iranian politics.^[18]

The Bakhtiari are noted in Iran for their music which inspired Russian composer Alexander Borodin.^[19]

• Ali Mardan Khan Bakhtiari (18th century) supreme chieftain
• Ali-Qoli Khan Bakhtiari (c. 1856–1917) Iranian revolutionary and a chieftain of the Bakhtiari Haft Lang tribe
• Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari (1874–1937) Iranian Lor Bakhtiari revolutionary and activist of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. A military commander
• Hossein Gholi Khan Ilkhani (1821–1882) Iranian nobleman
• Khalil Esfandiary-Bakhtiary 1901–1983) Iranian politician and diplomat
• Laleh Bakhtiar (1938–2020) Iranian and American Islamic and Sufi scholar
• Najaf Qoli Khan Bakhtiari (1846–1930) Persian Prime Minister and a leader of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution
• Shapour Bakhtiar (1914–1991) Prime Minister of Iran
• Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary (1932– 2001) Queen of Iran as the second wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
• Mohsen Rezaee (1954-) Iranian politician
• Toomaj Salehi (born 1990) rapper

• Demographics of Iran
• Ethnic minorities in Iran
• Siege of Kandahar
• Yaylag