Oghuz branch
Qashqai
A Turk tribal confederation of southern Iran, long known for seasonal migration and renowned weaving.
Kaşkaylar / Qashqayi
The Qashqai are a confederation of Turk tribes in Fars province in southern Iran. For generations many Qashqai families followed a seasonal migration between summer pastures in the high Zagros and winter pastures in the lowlands towards the Persian Gulf.
The confederation took shape in the 18th and 19th centuries under hereditary leaders (ilkhans). In the 1930s a policy of forced settlement disrupted nomadic life; today most Qashqai are settled, while some families still migrate with their flocks.
- Language
- Qashqai, an Oghuz Turk language closely related to Azerbaijani
- Branch
- Oghuz
- Homeland
- Fars province in southern Iran, around Shiraz and the Zagros mountains
- Also living in
- Other provinces of Iran and a small diaspora
Key dates
18th–19th centuries
The Qashqai confederation consolidates in Fars under its ilkhans.
1930s
Forced settlement of nomadic tribes under Reza Shah disrupts seasonal migration.
Today
Most Qashqai live settled lives; seasonal migration continues for some families.
Heritage
- Qashqai carpets, gabbeh and kilims, prized for their colour and design
- Distinctive dress, music and wedding traditions
- Seasonal migration between Zagros summer and lowland winter pastures
Sources
- L. Beck, The Qashqa’i of Iran (Yale University Press, 1986)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Qashqāʾī”