Torkashvand (tribe)
The Torkashvand (Persian: ترکاشوند) are a tribe living mainly in western Iran, specifically around the provinces of Hamadan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, and Khuzestan. The tribe are Lurs by origin although a large part were later considered Kurds. They speak multiple languages and mainly follow Shia Islam.
History
The Torkashvand were claimed to have left their homeland around Aleshtar in the 1800s, and migrated to Hamadan, where the local Turks called them "Torkashvand", which derived from "tork-shodand", meaning "Turkified" in Persian. Some considered the name of the tribe to be composed of two parts, "Turk" and "ashvand", an unknown suffix, although the claim was weak and the naming of the tribe remained unclear.[1]
The Torkashvand historically lived in Shahrestaneh, Artiman, Oshteran in Tuyserkan, and the highlands of Nahavand. The Torkashvand later lived in Asadabad, Tuyserkan, and Nahavand in Hamadan, Mehran, Dehloran, and Darrehshahr in Ilam, Kangavar and Sahneh in Kermanshah, and several cities in Khuzestan. In 1998, the nomadic Torkashvand population was reported at 919 households or 5,222 individuals, dispersed across the provinces of Hamadan, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Ilam, and Khuzestan.[2][3]
The Torkashvand were traditionally divided into the tribes of Rahmati, Soleymani, Milijani, and Murshidi, each tribe named after its ancestor. The tribes were divided into as many as 120 clans, with the Rahmati historically being the largest and most important. Later on, the tribes lost cohesion as the Torkashvand in general declined, and by 1975, they were considered poor compared to the other Lur tribes.[4]
The Torkashvand were said to be Lurs who spoke a Laki dialect.[5][6] However, Kurdish locals from Aliabad, Kangavar described their Torkashvand neighbors as multilingual, competently speaking Luri, Laki, Kurdish, Persian, and Turkic.[7]
The Torkashvand traditionally lived on the borders of the regions of Kurdistan and Luristan.[8] Although the Torkashvand had Lur origin, some of the tribe migrated from Hamadan to Kermanshah and come into contact with Kurdish tribes such as the Jomur, afterwards adopting the Kurdish language and often being categorized with the Kurds.[3] The Torkashvand were the most important tribe which spent winters in Hamadan.[9]
References
- ↑ "ترکاشوند | دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی | مرکز دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی". www.cgie.org.ir (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2025-06-24. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "ترکاشوند | دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی | مرکز دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی". www.cgie.org.ir (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2025-06-24. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 "ʿAŠĀYER". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "ترکاشوند | دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی | مرکز دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی". www.cgie.org.ir (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2025-06-24. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Tribal Pastoralists in Transition: The Baharvand of Luristan, Iran, Frank Hole, Sekandar Amanolahi-Baharvand, 2021, pp. 179, ISBN 978-0-915703-99-9.
- ↑ "ALVAND KŪH". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Village Ethnoarchaeology: Rural Iran in Archaeological Perspective, Carol Kramer, 2014, pp. 21-23, ISBN 978-1-4832-5833-1
- ↑ Tribal Pastoralists in Transition: The Baharvand of Luristan, Iran, Frank Hole, Sekandar Amanolahi-Baharvand, 2021, pp. 179, ISBN 978-0-915703-99-9.
- ↑ "HAMADĀN ii. POPULATION". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2026-05-31.