Lurs

Lurs (Persian: لر‎) are an Iranian people living in the mountains of western Iran. The four Luri branches are the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kohgiluyeh and Lur proper who are principally linked by the Luri language.[3]

For the ancient Scandinavian musical instrument, see Lur. For the commune in France, see Lurs, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Not to be confused with Lori people.
Lurs
Total population
5,000,000
Regions with significant populations
 Iran
  • 4–5 million[1][2]
    Approximately 6% of Iran's population
Languages
Luri and Persian
Religion
Predominantly Shi'a Islam
Related ethnic groups
Other Iranian peoples

Lorestan Province is named after the Lurs, but the ethnic group also live in the provinces of Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan,[3] Hamadan,[4] Isfahan,[5] Tehran[6] and southern Ilam Province.[7]

Language
Main article: Luri language

Luri is a Western Iranian language continuum spoken by about four million people. The continuum constitutes the three dialects of Bakhtiari, Luristani and Southern Luri and linguist Anonby situates them between Kurdish and Persian.[5]

Luri branches[8]
  • Bakhtiari
  • Southern Lori
    • Boyerahmadi (Yasuji)
    • Kohgiluyei
    • Mamasani
  • Luristani (Northern Lori)
    • Khorramabadi
    • Borujerdi
    • Bala Gariva Lori
    • Hinimini
    • Shuhani

History
Main article: History of the Lurs
West side of the elamite rock relief said “Kul-e Farah”
area of the Elam
Relief of an Elamite noblewoman

Lurs are a mixture of aboriginal Iranian tribes, originating from Central Asia and the pre-Iranic tribes of western Iran, such as the Kassites (whose homeland appears to have been in what is now Lorestan) and Gutians. In accordance to geographical and archaeological matching, some historians argue that the Elamites to be the Proto-Lurs, whose language became Iranian only in the Middle Ages.[9][10] Michael M. Gunter states that they are closely related to the Kurds but that they "apparently began to be distinguished from the Kurds 1,000 years ago." He adds that the Sharafnama of Sharaf Khan Bidlisi "mentioned two Lur dynasties among the five Kurdish dynasties that had in the past enjoyed royalty or the highest form of sovereignty or independence."[11]

Queen Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, the second wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has a Lur father and German mother.

Genetics

Considering their NRY variation, the Lurs are distinguished from other Iranian groups by their relatively elevated frequency of Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b (specifically, of subclade R1b1a2a-L23).[12] Together with its other clades, the R1 group comprises the single most common haplogroup among the Lurs.[12][13] Haplogroup J2a (subclades J2a3a-M47, J2a3b-M67, J2a3h-M530, more specifically) is the second most commonly occurring patrilineage in the Lurs and is associated with the diffusion of agriculturalists from the Neolithic Near East c. 8000-4000 BCE.[13][14][15][16] Another haplogroup reaching a frequency above 10% is that of G2a, with subclade G2a3b accounting for most of this.[17] Also significant is haplogroup E1b1b1a1b, for which the Lurs display the highest frequency in Iran.[17] Lineages Q1b1 and Q1a3 present at 6%, and T at 4%.[17]

Culture
Dasmâl-bâzi dance, Mamasani, Iran

The authority of tribal elders remains a strong influence among the nomadic population. It is not as dominant among the settled urban population. As is true in among Kurds, Lur women have much greater freedom than women in other groups within the region. The women have had much freedom to participate in different social activities, to wear female diverse clothing and to sing and dance in different ceremonies.[18] Bibi Maryam Bakhtiari, and Qadam Kheyr are two notable Luri women from Iran.[19][20] Luri music, Luri clothing and Luri folk dances are from the most distinctive ethno-cultural characteristics of this ethnic group.

Many Lurs are small-scale agriculturists and shepherds. A few Lurs are also traveling musicians. Lurish textiles and weaving skills are highly esteemed for their workmanship and beauty.[21]

See also

References
  1. "Iran". The World Factbook. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  2. "Iran" (PDF). New America Foundation. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. Minorsky, M. V. (2012). "Luristān". Encyclopedia of Islam. 2. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_058.
  4. Amanolahi, Sekander (2002). "Reza Shah and the Lurs: the Impact of the Modern State On Luristan". Iran and the Caucasus. 6. doi:10.1163/157338402X00124.
  5. Anonby, Erik John (2003). "Update on Luri: How many languages?". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 13: 171–172. doi:10.1017/S1356186303003067.
  6. Opie, James (1992). Tribal Rugs: Nomadic and Village Weavings from the Near East and Central Asia. 9781856690256: Pennsylvania State University. p. 104.CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. Gheitasi, Mojtaba. "Language distribution: Ilam Province". Iran Atlas. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  8. Anonby, Erik. "Traditional classification tree". Iran Atlas. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  9. Edwards, I.E.S.; Gadd, C.J.; Hammond, G.L. (1971). The Cambridge Ancient History (2nd ed.). Camberidge University Press. p. 644. ISBN 9780521077910.
  10. Potts, D.S (1999). The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State (Cambridge World Archaeology) (2nd ed.). Camberidge University Press. p. 45. ISBN 9780521564960.
  11. Gunter, Michael M. (2011). Historical Dictionary of the Kurds (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0810867512.
  12. Grugni, V; Battaglia, V; Hooshiar Kashani, B; Parolo, S; Al-Zahery, N; et al. (2012). "Ancient Migratory Events in the Middle East: New Clues from the Y-Chromosome Variation of Modern Iranians". PLoS ONE. 7 (7): e41252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041252. PMC 3399854. PMID 22815981.
  13. Wells, R. Spencer; et al. (2001). "The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 98 (18): 10244–9. doi:10.1073/pnas.171305098. PMC 56946. PMID 11526236.
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. Semino, Ornella; Magri, Chiara; Benuzzi, Giorgia; Lin, Alice A.; Al-Zahery, Nadia; Battaglia, Vincenza; MacCioni, Liliana; Triantaphyllidis, Costas; et al. (2004). "Origin, Diffusion, and Differentiation of Y-Chromosome Haplogroups E and J: Inferences on the Neolithization of Europe and Later Migratory Events in the Mediterranean Area". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 74 (5): 1023–34. doi:10.1086/386295. PMC 1181965. PMID 15069642.
  17. Grugni, V; Battaglia, V; Hooshiar Kashani, B; Parolo, S; Al-Zahery, N; et al. (2012). "Ancient Migratory Events in the Middle East: New Clues from the Y-Chromosome Variation of Modern Iranians". PLoS ONE. 7 (7): e41252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041252. PMC 3399854. PMID 22815981.
  18. Edmonds, Cecil (2010). East and West of Zagros: Travel, War and Politics in Persia and Iraq 1913-1921. p. 188. ISBN 9789004173446.
  19. F.Stark, 1934,The Valleys of the Assassins: and Other Persian Travels, Modern library
  20. Garthwaite, Gene Ralph (1996). Bakhtiari in the mirror of history. Ānzān. p. 187. ISBN 9789649046518.
  21. Winston, Robert, ed. (2004). Human: The Definitive Guide. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 409. ISBN 0-7566-0520-2.
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