Iranian Georgians

Iranian Georgians
ირანის ქართველები
گرجی‌های ایران
Total population
100,000+[1]
Regions with significant populations
Fereydan, Gilan, Mazandaran, Golestan, Khuzestan, Isfahan, Azerbaijan, Khorasan, Tehran
Languages
Persian, Georgian, Mazandarani, DezfuliShushtari
Religion
Shi'a Islam[1]
Related ethnic groups
Georgians, other Iranians

Iranian Georgians or Persian Georgians (Georgian: ირანის ქართველები; Persian: گرجی‌های ایران) are Iranian citizens who are ethnically Georgian, and are an ethnic group living in Iran. Today's Georgia was a subject of Iran in ancient times under the Achaemenid and Sassanian empires and from the 16th century till the early 19th century, starting with the Safavids in power and later Qajars. Shah Abbas I, his predecessors, and successors, relocated by force hundreds of thousands of Christian, and Jewish Georgians as part of his programs to reduce the power of the Qizilbash, develop industrial economy, strengthen the military, and populate newly built towns in various places in Iran including the provinces of Isfahan, Mazandaran and Khuzestan.[2] A certain number of these, among them members of the nobility, also migrated voluntarily over the centuries,[3][4] as well as some that moved as muhajirs in the 19th century to Iran, following the Russian conquest of the Caucasus.[5][6] The Georgian community of Fereydunshahr have retained their distinct Georgian identity to this day, despite adopting certain aspects of Iranian culture such as the Persian language.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ a b Rezvani, Babak (Winter 2009). "The Fereydani Georgian Representation". Anthropology of the Middle East. 4 (2): 52–74. doi:10.3167/ame.2009.040205.
  2. ^ Matthee, Rudolph P. (1999), The Politics of Trade in Safavid Iran: Silk for Silver, 1600-1730.
  3. ^ Roger Savory. Iran Under the Safavids Cambridge University Press, 24 sep. 2007. ISBN 0521042518 p 184
  4. ^ Rezvani, Babak (2009). "Iranian Georgians: Prerequisites for a Research". Iran and the Caucasus. 13: 197–204. doi:10.1163/160984909X12476379008287.
  5. ^ "Caucasus Survey". Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  6. ^ Fisher et al. 1991, p. 336.
  7. ^ Muliani, S. (2001) Jaygah-e Gorjiha dar Tarikh va Farhang va Tammadon-e Iran. Esfahan: Yekta [The Georgians’ position in the Iranian history and civilization]
  8. ^ Rahimi, M.M. (2001) Gorjiha-ye Iran; Fereydunshahr. Esfahan: Yekta [The Georgians of Iran; Fereydunshahr]
  9. ^ Sepiani, M. (1980) Iranian-e Gorji. Esfahan: Arash [Georgian Iranians]