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For the language, see Qashqai language. For the car, see Nissan Qashqai.

Qashqai
Qashqai women spinning
Total population
c. 1 to 2 million (est.)
Regions with significant populations
Southwestern Iran:   1,500,000 [1]
Languages
Qashqai, Persian
Religions
Shi'a Islam [2]
Related ethnic groups
Iranian peoples, Turkic peoples

Qashqai /qash qa: ee/ (also spelled Ghashghai, Kashgai, Qashqay and Qashqa'i) are a Turkic-speaking tribal confederation of clans in Iran. They mainly live in the provinces of Fars, Khuzestan and southern Isfahan, but especially around the city of Shiraz in Fars.

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 now 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 Amalaeh, Darreh-Shuri, Kashkuli, Shesh(6) Baluki, Farsimadan, Qaracheh, Rahimi and Safi -Khani.

In 2006, Nissan Motor Corporation, named its new European model after the Qashqai people.[3][4] [5] The designers believe that the buyers "will be nomadic in nature too".[6] The new unconventional name was however met with surprise and even skepticism.[7]

Contents 1 History 2 Qashqai carpets and weavings 3 References 4 Further Reading 5 See also 6 External links 7 Images

Historically, the Qashqai are believed to have come from Central Asia, and may have been 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.

According to the Encyclopedia Iranica, they are "a conglomeration of clans of different ethnic origins, including Lurs, Kurds, and Arabs. But most of the Qashqai are of Turkic origin." [8] However, the Columbia Encyclopedia states that the Qashqai, as well as other migrant groups of the region, are of the "least mixed descent of the original Iranians." [9]

The Qashqai were a significant political force in Iran during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During World War II the Qashqais 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 of the tribal leaders were sent to exile. After the Iranian Islamic Revoltion of 1979 the living leader Khosrow Khan Qashqai moved back to Iran from Germany. He was soon arrested and executed in public for promoting an uprising against the government.

The Qashqai are renowned 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 color than wool from other parts of Iran. Qashqai saddlebags, adorned with colorful geometric designs, are considered to be the finest available.

• Bennett, Ian, ed. 1978. Rugs & Carpets of the World. Quarto Ltd., London. Reprint: Ferndale Editions, 1981. ISBN 0-905746-24-4.
• Beck, Lois. 1986. The Qashqa'i of Iran. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03212-9
• Hawley, Walter A. 1913. Oriental Rugs: Antique and Modern. Reprint: Dover Publications, New York. 1970. ISBN 0-486-22366-3.
• 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 colored, illustrating daily life of the Qashqai people, their rugs and weaving. The text is in Persian but the color photos also have English captions).

• Shahbazi, Mohammad. 2001. "The Qashqa'i Nomads of Iran (Part I): Formal Education." Nomadic Peoples NS (2001) Vol. 5. Issue 1, pp. 37-64.
• Shahbazi, Mohammad. 2002. "The Qashqa'i Nomads of Iran (Part II): State-supported Literacy and Ethnic Identity." Nomadic Peoples NS (2002) Vol. 6. Issue 1, pp. 95-123.

• Qashqai language

• www.qashqai.net(An excellent site containing information on the history, woven arts, poetry, society and an extensive bibliography).
• A personal site on the Qashqai (A good background introduction to Qashqai history and society.)
• "Qashqai" on the Encyclopedia Iranica A detailed and authoritative entry on this tribe and their history
• Guide to Qashqai rugsA guide to Qashqai rugs with many useful links and references.

Qashqai saddlebags

Qashqai women weaving carpet