ABSTRACT
Several different minority peoples in Iran follow a common pattern. This section will cover the Armenian, Bakhtiari, Baluch, Gilaki, Lur, and Qashqai minorities. They were historically pastoral nomads organized into tribes and living, at least part of the year, in remote mountain areas. In general, they stemmed from a mixing of peoples–ancient along with Persian and Turkic immigrants–but developed their own identity. They became fierce warriors who at times raided villages and maintained their autonomy, sometimes creating small empires of their own. Due to their geographic isolation, they never fully integrated into the majority Persian or Turkic populations. At times, a stronger Persian empire imposed rule on them; at periods of greater anarchy, they reestablished their self-rule.
