Yerevan: Ed. YSU and the Caucasus Center for Iranian Studies, 2012. 130 p.

In February 2012, the collective monograph "Introduction to the History and Culture of the Talysh People" by the staff of the Department of Iranian Studies of Yerevan State University (Yerevan, 2011), edited by Professor G. S. Asatryan, was awarded the Presidential Prize in Iran as one of the best publications in the world on Iranian studies for 2011 [Asatryan, 2011].

And here we have a new edition by the same author - a monograph on a rather relevant topic of the ethnic map of Iran, which is an abridged summary of the seminars on Iranian ethnology that Professor G. S. Asatryan has been teaching for many years at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of Yerevan State University. The article deals with the issues of Turkophony of the so-called Azerbaijani minority in Iran, which have become relevant due to various political circumstances, as well as the problems of ethnic self-identification of Kurds, Balochs, Gurans, Talyshs, Tats, and Arabs in Iran and neighboring states. The author notes that Iranian ethnology is a very complex academic discipline that requires a deep knowledge of history, religion, culture, linguistics, Indo-European comparative studies and other related academic knowledge. Today, we are witnessing that Iranian ethnology is often taken up by authors who not only do not have the necessary training, but also come from very dubious and politically biased semi-scientific circles. The author uses a complex diachronic method in presenting the subject of research of the material offered to the readers ' attention.

The first chapter examines the prehistory of the Iranian ethnic groups in the Aryanam-vaijah expanses ("Aryan Expanse", "Eransharkh", "Iranian Ecumene"), and provides the opinion of E. Benveniste, A. Christensen, and J. R. R. Tolkien. Gnoli on the space-time dimension of this concept [Benveniste, 1954, p. 265-274; Christensen, 1943, p. 72-74; Gnoli, 1989, p. 69-81]. It is noted that in the western Iranian area, the South Caspian region is a certain exception, due to the fact that before the linguistic Iranization of this region, the pre-Iranian autochthonous peoples of the Kadusians, Gels, Tapirs, Delimai (Dalemites), Kasps, and Mards lived here (Dyakonov, 1971, p. 125-131), who later, in the Muslim era (after the VII century). They are already known as Gilyans, Talyshs, Mazandarans, and Dalemites (Asatrian, 2011(2), pp. 22-39). The passionate energy of the South Caspian region gave rise to the Deylemite Bund dynasty in the tenth century, which put the Abbasid Caliphate under its control.

According to anthropological characteristics, the appearance of the Iranian ethnic groups of the last two millennia, judging by the descriptions of the sources of the Arabic and Persian languages of presentation, has hardly changed. Even the invasions of the Seljuk Turks, then the Mongols, and their political dominance for several centuries did not lead to an anthropological transformation of the Iranian ethnic groups. The pre-Aryan autochthons of Western Iran-Lulubei, Guti, Kassites, Khuzas, Hurrians, Kardukhs, Kitii, and Gurans (Medvedskaya, 2010, p.36-44) - still remain unidentified linguistically and in terms of their genetic affinity. The spread of Iranian languages did not lead to a complete change in the ethnic environment, but rather it took place without visible ethnic tension and in a peaceful way. Deportations and wholesale extermination of local autochthonous peoples are not observed in ancient Iran. The newly arrived Aryans on the Iranian plateau were a minority and mixed with other peoples, and the indigenous people of the region were the main ethnic dominant, but at the same time the Iranian language became the main one for both. Foreign elements in the ethnic space of Iran are Turkmens in Khorasan, Brakhis in Sistan, Mandeans in Khuzistan, Hazaras in Khorasan, Arabs near the Persian Gulf, opposite Basra, and Gypsies (about 1.5 million), the Shahseven, Aynallu, Waharlu, and Khalaj tribes (also about 1.5 million). According to the 2006 census, the results of which were published in 2011 [Asatrian, 2011(1), p.18-23], out of 70-495-782 inhabitants of Iran (in 2011, almost 73 million people - SM), only 6.4% of the country's inhabitants are non-Iranians. These include

¹ Another spelling-Aryana Veja [Myths of the peoples of the world. Vol. 1. 1980. p. 104].

the same applies to about 150 thousand rubles. Armenians, 15 thousand Jews, 10 thousand Aisors, 100 thousand Afghans (Pathans), about 10 thousand Georgians [Asatrian, 2011(1), p. 10-26].

Thus, modern Iran is a single ethno-cultural, political and civilizational unity. In fact, no Iranian calls himself man farsam - "I am a Persian", because such self-identification is devoid of any meaning, although a mechanical logical conclusion would seem to dictate a chain: the country "Persia" is inhabited by the people of "Persians", but the concept of "Persian" as the name of an ethnic group in the Islamic period (since the beginning of the Islamic period). VII century) and is still missing in Iran. Residents of the country most often identify themselves by place of residence: Khorasan, Kerman, Khuzestan, Isfahan, etc., by religious affiliation: Shiite Muslim, Sunni Muslim, Christian, Zoroastrian, Zaydite, Karmat, Ismaili. And only a number of tribes have a clear ethnic coloring: Lurs, Kurds, Bakhtiars, Brakhis, Balochis, Gurans, Avromanians, Turkmens, Mandeans.

Further, the author dwells on the concept of "Persians", which allegedly make up 51 % of the country's population [CPS Report..., 2008, p. 3]. If these are only residents of Fars province, then, according to the 2006 census, there are only a little more than 4 million people. If it is also residents of the three provinces of Khorasan, then this is another 7 million people. It still doesn't get 51%. Perhaps all Iranian-speaking peoples should be included in the concept of "Persians", but then it is not clear on what basis the Kurds, Balochs, Gilyans, Talyshs, Mazenderans, Tats, Semnans, Gurans, Bashagards, whose languages are no less different from Persian, are not included in this concept. If we talk about the written tradition, the earliest literary tradition is found in the Mazenderan language (Perry, 2001, p. 194-196; Asatrian and Vahram, 2002, p. 49-51). If we keep in mind the established "national identity", then it is instilled in Mazenderans from the outside, and does not come from local local foundations. The political conjuncture creates mythical national liberation movements based on the projects of dividing Iran into several states that are hostile and obedient to the West (primarily the United States). Thus, according to the laws of politicians, ethnic mythologems are born. This is clearly seen in the appearance of the number of 51% "Persians in Iran", which was announced and replicated by the "Congressional Research Service" in 2008: "Persians make up 51% of the population of Iran, dominate the central government of Iran. Experts say that Persians with only a slight preponderance in the number have a special sense of superiority over other Iranians " [CPS Report..., 2008, p. 3]. This statement implies "national minorities", allegedly oppressed by "Persians", and suggests the idea of the multi-ethnic nature of the Iranian state today. However, G. S. Asatryan believes that "there is no more stupid definition of today's Iran than the statement about the' multi-ethnic nature 'of this state" (p.49). This is an indicator of a completely unprofessional approach to the ethnic picture of modern Iran, which can lead to absolutely false, mythical conclusions.

The monograph goes on to discuss the so-called Iranian Azerbaijanis, who allegedly represent a multi-million-strong minority and are part of the "Azerbaijanis" people divided into two parts, who, as the titular ethnic group of the current Republic of Azerbaijan, live in the north of the Arak River, and a large "minority" in the territory of Northwestern Iran to the south of Araks. This usually refers to the population of five provinces: Zanjan, Ardabil, West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan and Qazvin. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the number of 33 million "Azerbaijanis" in Iran was published in the press - it turned out that about half of the country's population is "Azerbaijanis". By the end of the 1990s, this number was "adjusted" to 30 million without any scientific or statistical reasoning. It was especially popular in the political circles of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Already at the beginning of the XXI century, the number of 20 million "Azerbaijanis" in Iran appeared, which even in Russia has been repeated in recent years at the highest level. A lower threshold for a fake number has been introduced - "from 18 million to 20 million", as if taking into account all possible errors. But there is no such population in all five northern provinces of modern Iran: according to the 2006 census, 964-601 people live in Zanjan province, 1-288-155 people live in Ardabil province, 2-879-459 people live in West Azerbaijan Province, 3-603-456 people live in East Azerbaijan Province, and 1-143-200 people live in Qazvin province [Asatrian, 2011(1), pp. 18-22].

Thus, the total number of people in all these five north-western provinces (potentially "Azerbaijani")is Iran is 9-818-871 people, of which you need to

subtract at least 2 million Kurds, about 500 thousand Tats, about 1 million Iranian-speaking population, at least 1 million Talyshs, several percent of the Aisors (Assyrians) and Armenians. As a result of simple calculations, approximately 5 million 320 thousand rubles remain. "Azerbaijanis" (Turkophones), and this is the most realistic number, and the errors here may be in the range of 200-300 thousand, but not millions. The well-known Iranian scholar Sekandar Amanolahi estimates that the total number of Turkophones (Turkic speakers) in Iran does not exceed 9 million people (Amanolahi, 2005, p.37). But it includes the Shahsevens, part of the Qashqais, Khalajs, and Aynallas. According to G. S. Asatryan, it is absolutely wrong to mix all the Turkic-speaking residents of Iran into one group, making them only "Azerbaijanis". For example, the purely Iranian confederation of Baseri tribes includes tribes that speak both Turkic and Arabic, although politically biased authors quite arbitrarily incorporate them into the "Azerbaijanis of Iran".

Then the monograph contains another mythical statement that almost half of the inhabitants of Tehran (from 4 million to 7 million in a city with a population of 13 million) are "Azerbaijanis". Estimates show that the real number of" Azerbaijanis " (natives of the five provinces mentioned above) actually ranges from 500,000 to 1 million people in the capital (pp. 58-59).

Not all Turkish-speaking people in Iran can be identified as "Azerbaijanis". In today's Iran, the term tork(Turk) lacks a specific ethnic connotation, according to the author of the monograph [Asatrian, 2011 (2), p.56-64]. It indicates (with some pejorative connotation) those residents of Iran who speak Turkic among themselves in everyday life, and their self-identification is most often associated with the place of residence-Tehroni, Gilani, Tavrizi, Qazvini, Shomali, Ardabili, Marandi, Shabestari, Hamadani, Kord, lor, maragei, etc. [Bazin, 1988, p. 49].

Demographic picture of Azerbaijan province in Iran even after several waves of Turkic migration since the 12th century. By the 16th and 17th centuries, the country did not undergo any significant changes - as in the case of the pre-Aryan population of Iran, there was a change of the Asari language to Turkic in the north-western provinces, and the main part of the local population (also Asari) remains, and this is witnessed by travelers who passed through these regions in those centuries. Recently, anthropological and genetic studies of the population of Northwestern Iran conducted by the Iranian scientist V. Rashidvash have shown that the Azarians of Iran and Kurds are autochthonous and belong to the gracious anthropological type of the Southern European branch [Rashidvash, 2009, p. 73-78; Rashidvash, 2011, p.43-49].

It is known, writes G. S. Asatryan, that the renaming of the Transcaucasian regions of Arran and Shirvan to" Azerbaijan " took place on September 15, 1918, when Musavatist power was proclaimed in Baku occupied by Turkish troops. The political background of this issue was that in the future it was supposed to unite Musavati Azerbaijan with the Iranian province of Azerbaijan. This was clearly stated by Academician V. V. Barthold, and later General A. I. Denikin wrote about the same thing in his memoirs. During the Soviet period, an attempt was made to implement this association, but this dramatization of the "democratic movement" in 1945-1946 failed.

It is known that throughout the 19th century and even in the Soviet period, until 1936, the population of modern Azerbaijan was designated by the confessional sign (Muslims) or by the term "Caucasian Tatars". The process of consolidation of the Turkic-speaking population in Eastern Transcaucasia under the name "Azerbaijanis" began in the 1930s and was especially intense after World War II until the collapse of the USSR. As for the idea of a "divided people" and the myth of this cultural kinship between the inhabitants of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Turkic-speaking population of Northwestern Iran, it is enough to refer to the conclusion of the late academician Z. M. Buniyatov, who, after a trip to Iran in 1989, said to the media of the Republic of Azerbaijan with disappointment: "Once again I felt that the unity of language it means the unity of the people." And it is hard not to agree with this, because otherwise there will be several dozen examples all over the world when the unity of language can be presented as a case of a "divided people". For example, the Tajiks and Iranians, despite their linguistic affinity, are not a single people.

Moreover, in the modern Republic of Azerbaijan, according to opinion polls, the self-identification of Azerbaijanis varies significantly: about 57% of them consider themselves "Azerbaijanis", 22%-call themselves "Azeri - Turk", 10% - "Azeri", 9% - Turks and 2% - "Azerbaijani Turks" [Yunusov, 2007, p. 218].

According to G. S. Asatryan, the term " tat "is a reduplication of the onomatopoeic basis "ta". So, apparently, the Turks marked the Iranian language (or Iranians, local residents). The Tats themselves call their language Parsi (or Persian). There is no doubt that the Tats 'original self-designation was "Persian" (Asatryan, 2011: 83-91; Bazin, 1988: 49). Tatymsulmans and Tats-Jews living in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Southern Dagestan, as well as Armenian-Tats living in the villages of Madras in the Ismaili district and Kilvar in the Divichi district of the AR, and now expelled from their native places, speak very close dialects of a single language. This language dates back to the southwestern array of New Iranian dialects, a variety of Persian in the Caucasus. However, the language of the Iranian Tats (living south of the Arake River) is a "Median" dialect, very close to the Talysh language. Tats-Jews (Mountain Jews) live in Iran in Isfahan, Borujerd, Kashchan, Mashhad, and Tehran. Tats-Jews in Southern Dagestan, apparently, did not appear earlier than the X century AD, and it is unlikely that their community could have appeared in Southern Dagestan in the III century BC. The Asatryan Mountains represent the earliest layer of Jewish presence in the Caucasus. I may add that, according to church traditions and literary tradition, Jews in Georgia, in the Mtskheta region, are clearly known from the first century BC.

The Muslim Tats of the South Caucasus are most likely descendants of the Iranians of the Absheron Peninsula, Arran and Shirvan, who formed one of the main substratum layers of the current Azerbaijani ethnic group in the 20th century.

There is no mass Turkist ideology in Iran. Although northwestern Iran has historically always been a contact zone of different cultures and ethnic groups, this region is characterized by pan-Iranian intensity rather than the popularity of pan-Turkism. Perhaps because pan-Turkism is a cultural phenomenon that emerged as an ideological interpretation (perhaps hypertrophied) of the contribution of the Iranian ecumene to world civilization, while pan-Turkism is a purely political phenomenon with a clearly expressed aggressive expansionist character. Turkey and its ally in the Caucasus, the Republic of Azerbaijan, are making great efforts to spread pan-Turkism in Northwestern Iran. Various "Azerbaijani societies" are being created from among the Iranian emigrants of Turkic origin, which are generously funded from private funds and other sources. In May 2012, the proclamation of the "National Council of Turks of Southern Azerbaijan" took place in a hotel in Ankara, and amid anti-Iranian hysteria, it announced the beginning of the struggle for the rights of Southern (Iranian) Azerbaijan. It is interesting that this" council " includes representatives of political parties and public organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Then came the threats of the Parliament (Mejlis) Azerbaijan should denounce the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty of 1828 between the Russian Empire and Persia. I wonder how a party that not only did not participate in an international treaty, but did not even exist at that time, can denounce an international treaty as a result of the war.

Regarding the theoretical possibility of implementing the project of "Great Azerbaijan" by absorbing the north-western regions of Iran by the Baku authorities, political circles in this country often say that in fact everything can happen exactly the opposite, and the authors of the project of "Great Azerbaijan" should rather think about the integrity and preservation of their own state, and not about the state itself. on the rejection of their native territories by neighbors [Amanolahi, 2005, p. 37-38].

G. S. Asatryan's monograph examines the ethnocultural features of Balochs, Kurds, Gurans, and Avromanians. Baloch nationalist groups such as Jindillah have been actively supported from the United States since 2010. they often commit terrorist acts. The activity of the Baloch people, in addition to external support, is also related to the long-standing confessional tension and the general economic backwardness of this region of Iran.

The number of Kurds in Iran is approximately 4 million. Iraqi Kurds are similar in language and culture to Iranian Kurds, which cannot be said about the Kurds of Turkey and Syria. The author notes that the term "Kurdistan" has never had a political attribution in history. Rather, it is a buronym indicating the place of residence. The languages of the northern Kurds (Kurmanji) and southern Kurds (Sorani) are represented by dialect branches of the Northwestern Iranian language (Asatrian and Livshits, 1994, p. 84-92). Iranian Kurds are closely integrated into the country's socio-political and social life.

Gurans live in Kermanshah province on the border with Iraq. Their total number is about 500 thousand people. Several tens of thousands of Avromanians are closely adjacent to them. Their ssi language-

V. F. Minorsky thought that the ancestors of the Gurans migrated to the Kermanshah region around the 14th century from the southern Caspian regions of Iran. The Gurans are known in Persian-language sources as a warlike people. Social understanding of the term "Guran" is the result of secondary development, when these tribes moved to a sedentary lifestyle and engaged in agriculture. Kurds call Gurans "machu machu", and politically motivated authors often refer to Gurans as one of the branches of Kurds. G. S. Asatryan sees the reason for this phenomenon in the great popularity of Guran poetry among Kurds and the proximity of these two ethnic groups on the same territory. The head of the tribe was called "sultan" by the Gurans, "sheikh"by the Kurds. Civilizational development largely destroyed the traditional tribal structure of the Gurans in the XX century.

Khuzistan, with an Arab population of about 1.5 million native Arabic speakers (2006 census), is often cited as one of the most problematic regions of modern Iran.They are mostly Shiites, as are the 150,000 Arabs in Khorasan. But Khorasanskis Arabs are Persian-speaking and have been thoroughly assimilated. Khuzistan in ancient Iran was called Elam, and the Persian language and culture continuously dominated this territory for centuries. Khuzistan's Arabs are bilingual and speak both Arabic and Persian equally. They are loyal to the Iranian authorities and even during the 1980-1988 war did not show much activity in the interests of Arab unity. For Iranian Arabs, belonging to Shiism is a more important marker of self-identification than ethnic proximity to other Arabs. Attempts by al-Qaeda emissaries and active participants in the" Arab Spring " of 2011 to activate anti-Iranian separatist movements among the Arabs of Khuzestan were very ineffective. The cultural and historical affiliation of the Khuzestan Arabs is built into the system of the Iranian civilizational cauldron, and they do not think of themselves outside of Iran.

G. S. Asatryan's work raises a number of important issues from a political point of view in an academic way and allows us to take a fresh look at the ethnological, demographic, cultural and civilizational processes in Iran. Of course, there are still many unresolved issues that require a more in-depth analysis of the author's positions, conclusions and guesses, which, in my opinion, allow us to hope for further research. In the argumentation of the presented points of view, the depth of erudition and breadth of coverage of questions from various related disciplines are clearly visible, and the effectiveness of the author's use of diachronic review and comparative studies indicates a deep knowledge of the material presented.

I would also like to mention the author's extensive knowledge of the latest Iranian ethnosmographic, historical and literary reality. This allows us to hope for the appearance of new publications by the author that will develop and expand our understanding of the real ethnic situation in Iran.

list of literature

Asatryan G. S. (ed.) Introduction to the history and culture of the Talysh people. Yerevan: Ed. YSU and the Caucasus Center for Iranian Studies, 2011.

Diakonov I. M. Vostochny Iran do Kira (K vozmozhnosti novykh postanovok voprosa) [Eastern Iran to Kira (To the possibility of new statements of the question)]. Istoriya iranskogo gosudarstva i kul'tury, Moscow, 1971.

Msdvsdskaya I. N. Ancient Iran on the eve of the Empire (IX-VI centuries BC). History of the Median Kingdom. St. Petersburg, 2012.

Myths of the peoples of the world: Encyclopedia, vol. 1. A-K. M., 1980.

Yunusov A. Azerbaijan at the beginning of the XXI century: conflicts and potential threats. Baku, 2007.

Amanolahi S. A Note on Ethnicity and Ethnic Groups in Iran // Iran and Caucasus. Vol. 9.1. Lcidcn-Boston. 2005.

Asatrian G.S. Baft-c nczadi-c mardom-c Iran: Gunadguni-e qoumi ya gunaguni-c zabani? // Farhang-e mardom. Tehran, 2011(1).

Asatrian G. Comparative Vocabulary of Central Iranian Dialects. Tehran, 2011(2).

Asatrian G.S., Livshits V.A. Originc du systcmc consonantiquc dc la languc kurdc // Acta Kurdica. Vol. I. Erevan-London, 1994.

Asatrian G.S., Vahman E.F. Notes on the Language and Ethnography of the Zoroastrians of Yazd. Copenhagen: Danish Royal Academy of Sciences and Letters, 2002.

Bazin L. Lcs turcophoncs d'Iran: apcrcus ethno-linguistiques // Le fait ethnique en Iran et en Afghanistan. P., 1988.

Bcnvcnistc E. L'Eran-vcz Et I'originc légendaire des lranicns// Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies. Vol. 7. № 2. 1933-1935.

Christcnscn Л. Le premier chapitre du Vendidad et l'histoire primitive des tribus iraniennes. Kobenhavn, 1943.

CPS Report for Congress: Iran; Ethnic and Religious Minorities. Updated November 25, 2008.

Gnoli G. The Idea of Iran: An Essay on its Origin. Roma, 1989.

Perry J. The Historical Role of Turkish in Relation to Persian of Iran // Iran and the Caucasus. Vol. 5. Leiden: Brill, 2001.

Rashidvash V. The Rase of the Azerbaijani People in Iran // Humanity and Social Sciences. Vol. 4(1). Dubai: Dcira, 2009.

Rashidvash V. Multivariate Comparison of Cephalometric Traits in lranicn Azaris and Persians // Armenian Biological Journal. Vol. 63(2). Yerevan, 2011.

Permanent link to this publication: