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Iranian Arabs

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This article is about the Arab citizens of Iran. For the ethnically mixed people, seeArab-Persians.
Iranian Arabs
عرب إيران(Arabic)
عربهای ايران(Persian)
Total population
1.3–2.1 million[1](2014, est.)
Regions with significant populations
Khuzestan,Khorasan,Hormozgan,Bushehr,Qom
Languages
Arabic(Khuzestani Arabic,Khorasani Arabic,Gulf Arabic,South Mesopotamian Arabic),Persian
Religion
TwelverShi'a Islam(majority),Sunni Islam(minority)[2]
Related ethnic groups
Arabs(Ahwazi Arabs,Huwala,Khamseh Arabs,Marsh Arabs,Khorasani Arabs,Iraqis,Kuwaitis,Bahranis)

Iranian Arabs(Arabic:عرب إيرانʿArab Īrān;Persian:عربهای ايرانArabhāye Irān) are the citizens ofIranwho are ethnicallyAraband speakArabicas their native language.[3]In 2008, their population stood at about 1.6 million people.[4]They are primarily concentrated inKhuzestan Province.[5][full citation needed][6][7]

Overview[edit]

The presence of Arabs in Iran dates back to the 7th-8th centuries AD, where under theSasanian Empire,Mesopotamian Arabs were an important segment of the empire’s population along and west of the lowerEuphrates riverin southern Iraq and between the Tigris and Euphrates in northern Iraq. This stretch includedShatt al-Arab,which meets at the current Iran–Iraq border, down to its mouth, where it discharges into the Persian Gulf. The Arabs of the Sasanian empire included nomads, semi nomads, peasants, and townsmen. Some Arabs followed polytheistic religions, and a few adopted Judaism, but most appear to be Christians.[8]

The historian andIranologistElton L. Danielexplains that for centuries, Iranian rulers maintained contacts with Arabs outside their borders, dealt with Arab subjects and client states such as those of theLakhmidsandHimyarites,and settled Arab tribesmen in various parts of theIranian Plateau.[9]The Arab expedition to Iran began before the Muslim conquests and continued with joint exertions of the civilized Arabs (ahl al-madar) and desert Arabs (ahl al-wabar).[9]

According to theMinorities at RiskProject 2001, about 40 percent of Arabs are unskilled workers living in urban areas. The Arabs in the rural areas are primarily farmers and fishermen. The Arabs living along the Persian Gulf coastal plains are mostly pastoral nomads. Tribal loyalties are strong among rural Arabs, but also have an influence in urban areas, impacting Arab socialization and politicization.[10]

Multiple human rights groups includingMinority Rights Group InternationalandUnrepresented Nations and Peoples Organizationhave listed the population of Arab citizens in Khuzestan between 4-7 million.[11][12]

History[edit]

Shapur II the Great(309–379 A.D.) of theSasanian Empire,after apunitive expeditionacross the Persian Gulf early in his reign, transplanted several clans of theTaghlebto Dārzīn (Daharzīn) nearBam,several clans of theAbd al-QaysandTamīmto Haǰar (the Kūh-e Hazār region) southeast ofKermān,several clans of theBakr ben Wāʾelto Kermān, and several clans of theHanzalatoTavvaz,near present-dayDālakīinFārs.[13]

Although after theArab conquest of the Sasanian Persian empirein the 7th century, many Arab tribes settled in different parts of Iran, it is the Arab tribes ofKhuzestanthat have retained their identity in language, culture, and Shia Islam to the present day. But ethno-linguistic characteristics of the region must be studied against the long and turbulent history of the province, with its own local languagekhuzi,which may have been ofElamiteorigin and which gradually disappeared in the early medieval period. The immigration of Arab tribes from outside the province was also a long-term process. There was a great influx of Arab-speaking immigrants into the province from the 16th to the 19th century, including the migration of theBanu KaabandBanu Lam.There were attempts by the IraqiHusseinregime during theIran–Iraq War(1980–88) to generateArab nationalismin the area but without any palpable success.[14]

Genetics[edit]

SamplingNRYdiversity, it was determined that theY-DNAhaplogroups FandJ2such as haplogroup J1 are carried at high frequency among the Iranian Arabs, accounting for more than half of Iranian Arab haplogroups.[15]The high ratio ofhaplogroup Fgenetically relates Iranian Arabs toEastern Mediterraneansand the people of theBarbary Coast.An elevated frequency of haplogroup J-M172 is typical ofNear Easternpeople and reflective of the genetic legacy of early agriculturalists in the Neolithic Near Eastc.8000–4000 BCE.[16][17][18]Haplogroup R1a1,andR1,typical ofIndo-Iraniangroups, occurred in more than 11 percent of the sample andhaplogroup Gwas present in more than 5 percent.[15]Haplogroup J1-M267reaches 33.4% in samples fromKhuzestan,higher than in other parts of Iran. It also reaches a frequency of 31.6% inKhuzestani Arabs.[19]

Regional groups[edit]

Percent Arab population of Iranian provinces, according to a survey carried out by Ministry of Culture in 2010.

Khuzestan[edit]

Main articles:Ahwazi ArabsandMarsh Arabs

Most Iranian Arabs inKhuzestan ProvincespeakArabicandPersian.TheArabicspoken in the province isKhuzestani Arabic,a mixture ofGulf ArabicandSouth Mesopotamian Arabic.

Hamid Ahmadi noted that the Arabs of Khuzestan Province are direct descendants of the ancient population of the area, having adopted the Arabic language and identity with thespread of Islam,[20]although there are numerous immigrant Arab tribes of Khuzestan with origins from theArabian Peninsula,[21]such as theBanu Ka'batDawraq,the later Fallāhīya and present-dayShadegan,theMusha'sha'atHoveyzeh,[22]Banu Tamim,and more from southern Iraq.[21]

TheBani Turuftribe is settled in theDasht e Azadegan(formerly Dasht-e Mīshān) around the town of Hūzagān (formerlyHoveyzeh), and consists of seven tribes, the Sovārī, Marzaā, Shorfa, Banī Sāleh, Marvān, Qāṭeʿ, and Sayyed Nemat. North of the lands of the ʿAnāfeja of the Āl Katīr, in the area called Mīānāb, between the Kārūn andKarkheh Rivers,dwell several Arab tribes, of which the best known are the Kaab (probably an offshoot of the Banī Kaʿb of southern Khuzestan), the ʿAbd al khānī, the Mazraa, the Al Bū Rāwīya, and the Sādāt. These tribes gradually immigrated into Iran during and after the early years of the Qajar period.[22]

Culture of Iranian Arabs in Khuzestan[edit]

Strong blood relation which is one of the peculiarities of Arab society, results in cooperation between Arabs in hardships as well as the intensification of internecines between tribes. Iranian Arabs are well known for hospitality too.[23]

Iranian Arab Women's costumes[edit]

Women's scarves have various types including Aba that is a black Chador with long sleeves from which hands are only exposed from wrist. Another is called Asabe or a turban like scarf, and the quality of the used cloth denotes the social rank of the woman. Pooshie is a mask-like silk cloth that covers the face. Dresses are of different types too. Nefnef is a long loose dress and Thoub is a gauzy loose dress that is worn on the Nefnef. Ne'al and Kabkab or Karkab are two kinds of footwear.[24]

Fars[edit]

Main article:Khamseh Arabs

Khamseh Arabnomads live in easternFars Province(From Lar and close surrounding areas to Khorrambid and Bavanat). Arabs that live in eastern Fars Province and Hormozgan mostly belong to the tribes ofBanu Tamim,Banu KaabandBanu Hammed.

Khorasan[edit]

Main article:Khorasani Arabs

Khorasani Arabs are descended from Arab migrants from Arabia.[20]MostKhorasani-Arabsbelong to the tribes ofSheybani,Zangooyi,Mishmast,KhozaimaandAzdi.According to a 2013 article in peer-reviewed journalIran and the Caucasus,the Khorasani Arabs, numberingc. 50,000,are "already almost totallyPersianised".[20]Only a very few speak Arabic as their mother tongue.[citation needed]Khorasani-Arabs in the citiesBirjand,MashhadandNishapurare a small ethnic group but most are Persianized.[25]

Demographics[edit]

Elton Daniel inThe History of Iran(Greenwood Press, 2001), states that the Arabs of Iran"are concentrated in the province of Khuzistan and number about half a million".[26]TheHistorical Dictionary of Iranputs the number at 1 million.[27]Iranian Arabs form 1-2% of Iran's population.[4]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Potter, Lawrence G. (2014).Sectarian Politics in the Persian Gulf.Oxford University Press. p. 290.Retrieved14 January2023.
  2. ^Nikki R. Keddie, "Iran and the Muslim World: Resistance and Revolution", New York University Press, 1995 (3/5/09). pp. 12–13: "Many writings state that the Arabs are Sunni, but the only bases for this assertion seem to be that most Arabs in the world are Sunni, that some Arabs in Khuzestan rarely are Sunni, and the Shi’a Arabs follow some customs that Persians associate with Sunnism. In the absence of scholarly work or census surveys, it is impossible to estimate the percentages of Shi’as and Sunnis among the Arabs, but the evidence suggests that the great majority of Iranian Arabs are Shi’ite. First, the Arabs border on a part of Iraq that is, and has long been, almost entirely Shi’ite, and it would be surprising to find a Sunni pocket in such an area, especially since, second, they live in the Shi'ite state of Iran."
  3. ^Fast, April (2005).Iran: The Land.Crabtree Publishing Company.ISBN978-0-7787-9315-1.
  4. ^abCIA World Factbook
  5. ^Plan of "study and measure the indicators of the country's public culture" (non-fixed indicators);ISBN978-600-6627-48-9
  6. ^Human Geography of Qom Province - Qom Governorate 2013
  7. ^Karimipour, Kosar - Karimipour, Yadollah: Khuzestan Arabs: Divergence and Convergence. In the journal: "Geographical Research". Summer 1 - No. 1. P. Statistics on the Comprehensive Plan of State Division 2.
  8. ^Egger, Vernon O. (2018).A history of the Muslim world to 1750: the making of a civilization(2d. ed.). New York (N.Y.): Routledge.ISBN9781315143309.
  9. ^abDaniel, E. L.(1985). "Arab settlements in Iran". InYarshater, Ehsan(ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica, Volume II/2: Anthropology–ʿArab Moḥammad.London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 210–214.ISBN978-0-71009-102-4.
  10. ^Iran OverviewfromBritish Home OfficeArchived2009-07-18 at theWayback Machine
  11. ^"Minorities and indigenous peoples in Iran: Arabs".Minority Rights Group International.Minority Rights Group International.Retrieved15 August2023.
  12. ^"Ahwazi Arabs".Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization.Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization.Retrieved15 August2023.
  13. ^Oberling and Hourcade, P.and B."Arab tribes of Iran".Encyclopædia Iranica.Retrieved2011-04-09.
  14. ^ FRYE, Richard Nelson(May 2, 2006)."PEOPLES OF IRAN".Encyclopaedia Iranica.Retrieved2008-12-14.
  15. ^abNasidze, I., Quinque, D., Rahmani, M., Alemohamad, S. A. and Stoneking, M. (2008), "Close Genetic Relationship Between Semitic-speaking and Indo-European-speaking Groups in Iran."Annals of Human Genetics,72: 241–252.
  16. ^ 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
  17. ^ 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
  18. ^R. Spencer Wells et al., "The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (August 28, 2001)
  19. ^Kivisild, Toomas (18 July 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.PMC3399854.PMID22815981.
  20. ^abcAhmadi, Hamid (2013). "Political Elites and the Question of Ethnicity and Democracy in Iran: A Critical View".Iran and the Caucasus.17(1): 82.doi:10.1163/1573384X-20130106.
  21. ^ab"ʿARAB iv. Arab tribes of Iran".iranicaonline.org.Retrieved2022-09-25.
  22. ^abTowfīq, F."ʿAŠĀYER" tribes "in Iran".Encyclopædia Iranica.Retrieved14 April2012.
  23. ^Ghayyem, Abdonnabi, a sociological look into life and culture of Arabs of Khuzestan, National seasonal magazine, 217.
  24. ^Yasini, Razieh, a cultural and sociological study on local costumes of Iranian women from Southern seaside, Woman in culture and art magazine.
  25. ^History of the Arabs. Filip Hetti 1990
  26. ^The History of Iran (Greenwood Press, 2001), (pg. 14)
  27. ^Lorentz, J. (1995) p.172

External links[edit]

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