Iran (IMNA) - Iran has one of the biggest nomadic populations of any country, together with Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan or Mongolia.
Moreover, Iran is so culturally and ethnically diverse that even its nomadic population is classified into different groups and tribes, the Qashqai people being, perhaps, the largest one.
he Qashqai nomads, also known as Ghashghaei, are a nomadic tribe originally from Turkey, who keep moving across the Zagros Mountains, a mountain range located in western Iran, which kind of draws the border with Iraq.The Ghashghaei tribe’s main language is a Turkish dialect but, except for some of the oldest people, all of them can speak Persian fluently, which is the official language in the country.Like most Iranians, they are Shia Muslims.
The migration of the Iranian nomads
Iran is so geographically diverse that, in one single region, you can find all sorts of climates, in just a couple of hundred kilometers.
For example, on the one hand, the area in the Persian Gulf has a very similar climate to the Arab Gulf monarchies, such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Qatar.
In winter, these countries have one of the most pleasant winters that exist but, in summer, the heat becomes unbearable and the air extremely humid.
On the other hand, in the Zagros Mountains, whose southern part begins pretty much in the Persian Gulf, the weather becomes more mountainous and much cooler, many sections having really tough and freezing winters and, at the highest point, the altitude is 4,409 meters above sea level.
All of it in a short 400-kilometer strip. Pretty impressive, huh?
This is the main reason why, for centuries, this land has been inhabited by different nomadic groups, who have kept moving across the 400-kilometer strip.
In winter, they remain in the Persian Gulf and, when the weather becomes hot, they start moving north.
In spring and autumn, you may find the nomads of Iran in the mountains around Shiraz and, in summer, around Esfahan.
The tough life of the Qashqai tribes
The life of the Qashqai people is pretty tough.
Just imagine yourself camping every day, for the rest of your life. That’s pretty much what their life is about.
Every time they move, they need to pack all their stuff, move with their flocks and set up their camps again. The same goes over and over.
The nomads always need to get water from the river, rely on solar energy and are highly dependent on their flocks.
They are self-sufficient and their herds of sheep and goats are their main source of income. From these animals, they get meat, cheese, and milk and they also sell the newborns at the markets of the different cities.
Therefore, it’s not surprising at all that, for the last few decades, many Qashqai have left their traditional life and moved to different towns and cities.
Nevertheless, many Qashqai people are happy with this lifestyle because they are very proud of continuing a tradition which has been going for many generations.
The daily routine of the Iranian nomads is pretty much the same as that of the nomads in Kyrgyzstan and the rest of Central Asia.
They wake up in the morning with the sunrise and men leave with their herds, while women stay at the camp, working on the daily household chores.
They raise goats, sheep and chickens and their diet is based on the products from these three animals.
They raise goats, sheep and chickens and their diet is based on the products from these three animals.
If you stay there, you are likely to have fresh milk, as well as home-made yogurt and cheese, of course. The rest of the food, including rice and vegetables, they buy in the markets from the surrounding cities.
However, culturally, one strong difference from the Central Asian nomads is that Qashqai tribes are much more conservative and paternalistic.
By Joan Torres
Againstthecompass
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