Countries and Their Cultures: Qashqa'i

The Qashqa'i are tribally organized, Turkic-speaking, nomadic pastoralists and agriculturists who live in southwestern Iran. They are Shia Muslims, unlike most of Iran's other minorities, who are either Sunni Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, or Baha'is. Qashqa'i number approximately 500,000 people. The first language for the majority of Qashqa'i is Turkish, a southwestern Oghuz Turkic language. Qashqa'i Turkish is not a written language. Almost all Qashqa'i men also speak Persian, the official language of Iran. Arts include the process of weaving and the beauty of their woven goods, their music and storytelling, and watercolors.