Fereydan (; ka, ფერეიდანი; ) is a region of Isfahan Province,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Demographics

Georgians

The Fereydan Georgians ( ka, ფერეიდნელები) are an ethnic subgroup of the Georgian people who live mostly in the city of Fereydunshahr and in the Fereydan region of Iran.

Origins

Although there have been Georgian migrations into Iran - sometimes voluntary, but mainly forced - since the time of shah

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 until his death in 1576. He was the eldest son of Shah Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Tahmasp ascended the throne after the ...

, the presence of a large Georgian community in Iran dates mainly from the reign of shah Abbas I. During the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

punitive campaign undertaken in eastern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

by Shah Abbas in 1614–17 against his (formerly most loyal) Georgian subject Teimuraz I, both the region of

Kakheti Kakheti (; ) is a region of Georgia. Telavi is its administrative center. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Qvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakhetians speak the ...

and the city of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

were devastated, and a large part of the population forced into exile. Soon after the triumphal return of Shah Abbas to Persia in 1617 following his Georgian campaign, some 200,000 ethnic Georgians from

were banished to Isfahan province, Fereydan county, and other regions in mainland Persia, such as in the north (present day

Mazandaran province Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is bordered clockw ...

Gilan province Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Regions of Iran, Region 3, west of ...

). Under forced labour, Georgians constructed bridges and organized the improvement of the farmlands of the Fereydan valley. After their

forced migration Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displaceme ...

, Persianization, and

islamisation The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...

, few of the Fereydan Georgians were able to maintain any contact with their motherland. They did, however manage to retain their mother tongue, the

Georgian language Georgian (, ) is the most widely spoken Kartvelian language, Kartvelian language family. It is the official language of Georgia (country), Georgia and the native or primary language of 88% of its population. It also serves as the literary langu ...

, which, to this day, they call Pereidnuli (and which is mutually intelligible with East Georgian dialects). Today, the number of Fereydan Georgians exceeds 100,000 individuals, while the total number of Iranian Georgians in the country as a whole (to say nothing of Iranians claiming Georgian ancestry) constitutes a far greater number, running into the millions - the result of successive waves of Georgian migration occurring between the 16th and 19th centuries. Georgians are natives in: Fereydunshahr County # Fereydunshahr ( Georgian city, County Center) # Sibak # Choqyurt ( Georgian and Luri village) # Nehzatabad ( Georgian and Luri village) Buin va Miandasht County # Buin va Miandasht ( Georgian city, County Center) # Afus # Dashkasan # Aghche Sibak.jpg, Georgian alphabet in Fereydunshahr.jpg, Torel.jpg, Shirinisaraie didar.jpg, Georgian flag in Fereydunshahr.jpg, Baran system.jpg, Greeting by Georgian scripts in Fereidunshahr.jpg, Mobaile panatel.jpg,

Armenians

Fereydan (or Peria) was and still is populated by

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

who were brought to this part of Iran by Shah Abbas of

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

dynasty in 1603 and 1604, following the Nakhchivan deportations. The population of Iranian Armenians in the region has considerably declined in modernity. The following is a list of villages historically inhabited by Armenians, which were or are a part of Fereydan: Fereydunshahr County # Barf Anbar # Sadeqiyeh # Mila Gerd # Sureshjan # Khuygan-e Olya (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

, Turkish and Luri village) Buin va Miandasht County # Zarne (aka Boloran, presently populated by Armenians) # Hadan # Hezar Jarib Fereydan County # Khuygan-e Sofla # Chigan # Derakhtak # Gharghan # Nemagerd # Singerd # Savaran

Fereydan's Cultural Heritage

More than 340 historical sites have been discovered in Fereydan County, 10 of which have been registered on the national heritage list. On Jan. 3, the Head of Cultural Heritage of Fereydan County announced the discovery of an

underground city An underground city is a series of linked subterranea (geography), subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausoleum, mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or dra ...

at the foot of Fereydan which belongs to the

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the large ...

era.

References

External links

Fereydan - ''Little Georgia''
{{coord missing, Isfahan Province Geography of Isfahan province 17th century in Georgia (country) Georgia (country)–Iran relations 17th century in Iran Historical geography of Iran