Nomads of Iran

To deepen your knowledge of different cultures of Iran, you should head to the less touristic places. This means traveling through untouched territories where people hardly receive visitors. A journey to the living place of nomads will take you deep into their traditional life style. Many of the nomadic tribes that still have maintained the essence of their wandering life are direct descendants of the tribes that gave life and personality to the Persian empire. Bakhtiari, Qashqai, Shahsevan, Balouchi, Kurd, Turkman, Afshar, Lor and Arab are the existing clans of Iranian nomads. Migration is the basic characteristic of nomadic life which helps them find pastures for feeding and developing their herd. It is an outstanding cultural show. 

If you are interested in anthropology tourism, Uppersia offers Iran Nomad tour, in both cold and warm season, which is a very good opportunity to get familiar with a whole different world of culture and customs.

Nomads in Iran

Meet the kurdish nomads of Iran

The culture, the myths and the traditions of the nomads in every corner of Iran are so diverse that you might feel you have traveled to a whole new country by visiting each tribe. The meaningful dance of Qashqai nomads, the beautiful migration of Bakhtiaris through the mountains and canyons or the stunning handicrafts of Shahsevans are all magnificent traditions that will leave you wondered. The Kurdish nomads of Iran, known as one of the biggest nomadic populations in the west of Iran, have their own wonderful culture and customs. 

kurdish nomads

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.

The stunning Carpets of Qahqai Nomads.

Qashqai carpet (one of the most fantastic types of Persian carpets), is as colorful and cheery as the culture and the customs of the Qashqai nomads. Qashqais, who are a big nomadic population in Iran, live on the wealds of Fars province and their music and carpets are inspired by the wildlife around. The weavers simply imitate the flowers and the wild or tamed animals on the carpet and express their feelings with the colors they choose. What is more artistic than performing the pure feelings, fears and wishes in form of motifs? Some other Qashqai rugs show noble motifs of Iran, like “Lachak o Toranj”, “Maahi dar ham”, “Chelipa” (cross), peacock, lion and cypress tree, which are all legendary motifs of ancient Persian carpets. These hand-made masterpieces are registered by the UNESCO as a cultural heritage.

A Qashqai woman spinning the wool for weaving a carpet.

Nomads of colors.

Qashqais are Turk nomads, living in Fars province of Iran especially in Firuzabad. Animal husbandry is the main job of Qashqai nomads and they migrate between summer quarters (yeylaq) and winter quarters (qishlaq) to find better pastures for their herd, every year as the seasons change. During the cold season, they set up their tents in southern areas of Fars, like Jahrom, Lar and Firuzabad, while in summer they travel to northern cities of Fars, like Abadeh, Sepidan and Zagros Mountains.

The black handmade tents of Qashqai nomads are made of goat hair and they are propped with timbers and woolen strings. These tents are embellished with stunning pieces of carpets like colorful kilims, small pieces of rugs and Gabbeh. The eye-catching margins and the fine wool, dyed with herbs, like madder and mignonette are the reasons that these stunning and high-quality carpets are inscribed as an intangible world heritage by the UNESCO.

A Qahqai tent on the pasture.