Nomadism in Iran

Apart from its wonderful landscapes, the main interest of Iran lies in its people and its traditional and unique way of life. Today, nomads live in various areas of Iran and carry on ancient traditions.

Nomadic lifestyle

Understanding this unique way of life is certainly the main goal of any traveller coming to Iran. Travelling in the land of nomads is a journey through time as well as through space, a discover that puts in perspective the obligations of our modern world. Nomadic accommodation is called yurt. A yurt can be quickly described as a circle tent covered with felt and with a white waterproof hard-wearing hessian.

Join Uppersia nomadic tours  to stay an overnight in nomadic tents and experience their lifestyle.

Nomadism in Iran

The Iranian traditional life is based upon breeding of five animals: yaks, sheep, goats, camels, and horses. The products these animals give satisfy almost all the needs of the family: beef, mutton and goat's meat are an important part of the Mongolian diet; the sheep's wool is transformed in felt and used to make clothes, bedding, and insulating of yurts; horses, camels and yaks are used for transport; and even the hair and bones are used to make music instruments and toys

Nomadic traditional clothes

The Nomadic traditional costume consists of a deel, a hat, boots, and accessories. There are differences between the costumes of the various ethnic groups, but all the deels have the same shape: long sleeves, a wide flap that gets folded up on the chest.

Nomadic food

Because Nomadic culture is based on livestock farming, the Nomqdic traditional diet consists of food that comes from the five domestic animals: cow, goat and sheep.

Nomadic people usually eat a three full meals per day. During the day, they drink great quantity of tea with milk, sometimes mixed with rice, flour, meat, or with small cakes. The dinner includes meat, traditionally boiled, and often served with rice.

Iran Nomad Tour

All Nomad adventures are off the beaten track and the emphasis is on the journey, as well as the destination.  If you dream of having an authentic Iran adventure, a Nomad tour is one of the best ways to achieve it Unexpected events are part of the package and often add to your experience. We organized and planed a nomad tour for our guests in Sarvestan and they enjoyed a unique experience.

our guests enjoyed a unique nomad tour in Sarvestan

Experience Nomadic Lifestyle by Uppersia

There are still millions of people scattered around the globe living as nomads .Iran is one of the nomad countries in the world. 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. They are particularly famous for their weaving and their carpets, which are made from special Shiraz wool and are, therefore, brighter in color and softer in texture than the products from elsewhere in the country. Have you ever tempted to try nomadic lifestyle? Uppersia helps you to try it and stay an overnight in their tent. It sounds amazing. Isn’t it? Leila, our well-informed guide-driver, accompanied this adventurous family to chase their own dreams and discovered nomadic life style in Kahkaran.

This adventurous family discovered nomadic life style in Kahkaran

Meet Bakhtiari nomads with Uppersia, this spring.

There are still about 1,300,000 Bakhtiari nomads in Iran who choose to keep their own lifestyle and put their black tents and utensils on horses and migrate through the plains and mountains twice a year. This primitive and natural lifestyle with all its hardships is something that many of the travelers and adventurers wish to experience while they are in Iran.

The forever travelers of Bakhtiari, divided into different tribes and clans, inhabit a vast area in the southwest of Iran, between Kohgiluyeh o Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan, Isfahan and Lorestan provinces. These areas with plenty of water resources, green plains and very fertile soil have been home to this race for thousands of years. Bakhtiari nomads can be introduced as the first people who have lived in Iran. Every symbol and tradition in their society roots back to thousands of years ago when their ancestors lived and wandered in the same land.

A bakhtiai man grazing his herd.

How is the lifestyle of the Bakhtiari nomads?

The big population of Bakhtiari nomads, considered as a precious cultural heritage in Iran, live in a vast area between the west and southwest of the country. It is said that the Bakhtiari nomads, who speak in Luri language, have lived in this area for 40,000 years and a lot of ancient metal objects and murals, related to the Paleolithic era, have been discovered in the caves.

Bakhtiari nomads live in hand-made black tents made of goat hair and twice a year they pack their utensil, carry their babies and ride their horses between the picturesque heights of Zagros with a cool climate and the warm plains in Khuzestan to find pastures for feeding and developing their herd. The immigration of the Bakhtiari nomads is a stunning cultural show.

A piece of hand-made Bakhtiari rug.