Southern Lurs ( Southern Luri: لݸرَلِ جنۈبی) are a large part of

Lurs Lurs () are an Iranian people living in the mountains of western Iran. The four Luri branches are the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kohgiluyeh and Lur proper, who are principally linked by the Luri language. Lorestan Province is named after the Lurs ...

who natively speak the Southern Luri language a branch of

Western Iranian languages The Western Iranic languages are a branch of the Iranic languages, attested from the time of Old Persian (6th century BC) and Median. Languages The traditional Northwestern branch is a convention for non-Southwestern languages, rather than a ...

, and are an

Iranian people Iranians or Iranian people may refer to: * Iranian peoples, Indo-European ethno-linguistic group living predominantly in Iran and other parts of the Middle East and the Caucasus, as well as parts of Central Asia and South Asia ** Persians, Irania ...

. They occupy some regions in Southwest of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

including Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad (fully), Sotheastern parts of

Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it cover ...

(

Behbahan Behbahan ( fa, بهبهان, also romanized as Behbahān and Behbehān) is a city and capital of Behbahan County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. Etymology The origin of the name "Behbahan" may be from two words: "Beh" meaning good better, and "Baha ...

, Omidiye,

Hendijan Hendijan ( fa, هنديجان; also Romanized as Hendījān; also known as Hendeyān, Hendīān, Hindīān, and Hindijan) is a city and capital of Hendijan, Khuzestan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...

, Ramhormoz and

Bagh-e Malek Bagh-e Malek ( fa, باغ‌ملک; also Romanized as Bāgh-e Malek, Bagh-i-Malik, and Bagh Malek) is a city and capital of Bagh-e Malek County Bagh-e Malek County ( fa, شهرستان باغ‌ملک) is in Khuzestan province, Iran. The ca ...

counties) Northwestern parts of Fars ( Mamasani,

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, Lamerd, Kazerun, Sepidan and Eqlid counties), and Western parts of Bushehr Province ( Deylam, Ganaveh and

Dashtestan Dashtestan County ( fa, شهرستان دشتستان) is located in Bushehr province, Iran. The capital of the county is Borazjan. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 222,226, in 47,773 households. Retrieved 6 November 2022 At the ...

counties). Kurangun panels, 2009-05-08

Demographics

The exact number of Southern Lurs is unknown, due to the absence of recent and extensive census data. The most recent documented statistics concerning their language are available for the year 1999, where is estimated about 900,000 ethnic population. Southern Lurs are predominantly

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the ...

Muslims.

Language

Southern Luri is the southernmost section of

Luri language Luri ( lrc, لٛۏری, Łôrī, luz, لُرِی, Lorī) is a Southwestern Iranian language continuum spoken by the Lur people, an Iranian people native to Western Asia. The Luri dialects are descended from Middle Persian and are Central ...

. Luri is a Western

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

language continuum spoken by the Lurs in Western Asia. Luri language forms three language groups known as Central Luri, Bakhtiari,Erik John Anonby (2003). Update on Luri: How many languages?. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Third Series), 13, pp 171-197. doi:10.1017/S1356186303003067.G. R. Fazel, ‘Lur’, in Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey, ed. R. V. Weekes (Westport, 1984), pp. 446–447 and Southern Luri. The language is derived and descended from Pahlavi language and in comparison with other

Iranian languages The Iranian languages or Iranic languages are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken natively by the Iranian peoples, predominantly in the Iranian Plateau. The Iranian languages are grou ...

has been less affected by foreign invaders language e.g.

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

and

Turkic Turkic may refer to: * anything related to the country of Turkey * Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages ** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation) ** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language * ...

.Erik John Anonby
"Update on Luri: How many languages?"
// Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Third Series), volume 13, issue 02, Jul 2003, pp 171–197.

Culture

The authority of tribal elders remains a strong influence among the nomadic population. It is not as dominant among the settled urban population. As is true in other Luri communities and Kurdish societies, southern Luri women have much greater freedom than women in other groups within the region.

Southern Luri clothing

As a subdivision of Luri clothing, a special clothing system distinguishes Southern Lurs form their adjacent societies. In recent years, due to cultural changes male clothing is very less in use but female clothing is commonplace. Southern Lurish Female and Male Costume

Southern Luri dance

Southern traditional dance is an integral section of their culture and probably grew in close association with traditional music. Southern

Luri dances The mosaic dance of Iran is as vibrant as the country's cultural diversity, and the Iranian dances are the colorful tapestries of practices which permeate the country, as well as the Iranian diaspora. The Luri dances include a range of folk dance ...

include both

circle dance Circle dance, or chain dance, is a style of social dance done in a circle, semicircle or a curved line to musical accompaniment, such as rhythm instruments and singing, and is a type of dance where anyone can join in without the need of partne ...

and dance double and like Kurdish dance it is mixed-gender that distinguishes them from other Muslim neighbors. Dasmaal Baazi (handkerchief dance) a

is the most popular dance and includes different performing styles like Ashtafi-manganaa. Chubazi (twig dance) is a special dance double that is performed in Celebrations and joys and is inspired by the heroic battles.

Notable Persons

The most famous person of Southern Lurs is Rais Ali Delvari, an independence fighter and anti-British colonialism activist who organized popular resistance against the British troops in this clashes, Rais Ali was killed .Then the Britishs used pro-British tribes to scatter the enemy into the hinterland. At the end, local tribal leaders murdered the British vice consul (a Persian) in Shiraz. and now is commemorated as a national hero in Iran. KayLohraas Baatuli is a well-known local hero.تقوی مقدم، سیدمصطفی: تاریخ سیاسی کهگیلویه، تهران: مؤسسه مطالعات تاریخ معاصر ایران، 1377. who fought for years against Reza Shah Pahlavi troops in Boyer Ahmad and Mamasani.

References

{{Reflist Ethnic groups in Iran Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province Luri tribes