Qashqai (also spelled Ghashghai, Qashqay, Kashgai and Qashqa'i). The Il-e Qasqāy is a tribal confederation of clans in Iran. They live mainly in Fars, Khuzestan and southern Isfahan Provinces, but particularly around the city of Shiraz.

The Qashqai were originally nomadic pastoralists and some remain so today. The traditional nomadic Qashqai travelled with their flocks each year from the summer highland pastures north of Shiraz roughly 480 km or 300 mi south to the winter pastures on lower (and warmer) lands near the Persian Gulf, to the southwest of Shiraz. The majority, however, have settled, or are partially settled. The trend towards settlement has been increasing markedly since the 1960s.

The Qashqai are made up of a number of tribes and sub-tribes including the Amalah, Darrah Shuri, Kashkuli, Sish Baluki, Farsimadan, Qaracha, Rahimi and Safi Khani.

There are many stories about when the Qashqai people originally moved into their present lands in Fars Province. The earliest definite mention of them there is by Ebn Shahāb Yazdi who mentions a group camped at Gandomān, their yaylāq, or summer quarters, about 160 km southwest of Isfahan in 1415. The famous Arab traveller, Ibn Battūta, left Yazd-e-Kwāst for Shiraz in 1326 or 1327 CE, and mentioned that: "Thence we travelled across a stretch of open country inhabited by Turks, and reached Shiraz, a densely populated town, well built and admirably planned." It is probable that this passage refers to one of the early Qashqai encampments.

It seems most likely that the Qashqai originally came from Central Asia, and were probably among the Turkic groups that arrived in Iran in the 11th or 12th centuries. Some of these groups began to identify themselves as Qashqai in the 18th century or possibly earlier. Most Qashqai speak the Qashqai language, which is a Turkic language closely related to Azerbaijani, although many speak Farsi or Persian as well.

Although the Qashqais are mostly of Turkic stock, and speak a Turkic language which they call Turki, their language shows influences from Lori, Kurdish and Arabic. There are said to be approximately one and a half million Qashgai speakers in Iran, making them the second largest Turkish group in Iran after the Azerbaijanis.

The Qashqai were a significant political force in Iran during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Reza Shah closed the pass between their summer and winter pasture grounds in the 1930s and many perished of hunger. During World War II the Qahsqais organized resistance against the British occupation forces and received some help from the Germans, once again becoming the major political force in southern Persia. In 1946 there was a major rebellion of a number of tribal confederacies, including the Qashqais, who fought valiantly until the invading Russians were repelled. The last major revolt was in the 1960s, but was soon brutally suppressed.

Most are Shia Muslims, although there is a small Christian minority.

Qashqai carpets and weavings

The Qashqai are noted for their magnificent pile carpets and other woven wool products. The wool produced in the mountains and valleys near Shiraz is exceptionally soft and beautiful and takes a deeper colour than wool from other parts of Iran. Qashqai saddlebags, adorned with colourful geometric designs, are considered to be the finest available.

References

• Bennett, Ian, ed. 1978. Rugs & Carpets of the World. Quarto Ltd., London. Reprint: Ferndale Editions, 1981. ISBN: 0-905-746-24-4.
• Beck, Lois. 1986. The Qashqa'i of Iran. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 030-00321-2-9
• Hawley, Walter A. 1913. Oriental Rugs: Antique and Modern. Reprint: Dover Publications, New York. 1970. ISBN: 0486223663.
• Kiani, M. 1999. Departing for the Anemone: Art in Gashgai Tribe. Kian nashr Publications, Shiraz. ISBN 964-91200-0-9.(This beautiful book has hundreds of photos, both black and white and coloured, illustrating daily life of the Qashqi people, their rugs and weaving. The text is in Farsi but the colour photos also have English captions).

External Links

• [1](An excellent site containing information on the history, woven arts, poetry, society and an extensive bibliography).
• [2] (A good background introduction to Qashqai history and society.)