Fereydan ( fa, فریدن, ka, ფერეიდანი, hy, Փերիա) is a region of Isfahan Province,

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 Turkmeni ...

Georgians in Fereydan

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

Fereydunshahr Fereydunshahr ( fa, فریدون‌شهر, ka, ფერეიდანი "Phereidan") is a city and capital of Fereydunshahr County, about 150 kilometres west of the city of Isfahan in the western part of Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2011 ...

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 ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after ...

, 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 Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

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

Kakheti Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...

and the city of

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

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, Gilan province). 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) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...

Persianization Persianization () or Persification (; fa, پارسی‌سازی), is a sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Persian society becomes "Persianate", meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Persian ...

, and

islamisation Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occurre ...

, 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, and serves as the literary language or lingua franca for speakers of related languages. It is the official language of Georgia and the native or primary language of 87.6% of its p ...

, 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 Iranian Georgians or Persian Georgians ( ka, ირანის ქართველები; fa, گرجی‌های ایران) are Iranian citizens who are ethnically Georgian, and are an ethnic group living in Iran. Today's Georgia was subje ...

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 County ( fa, شهرستان فریدونشهر) is in Isfahan province, Iran. The capital of the county is the city of Fereydunshahr. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 38,955 in 9,259 households. The following cens ...

(

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

city, County Center) # Sibak #

Choqyurt Choqyurt ( fa, چقيورت, also Romanized as Choqyūrt; also known as Chūghrūt) is a village in Cheshmeh Langan Rural District, in the Central District of Fereydunshahr County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic ...

(

and

Luri Luri may refer to: * Luri people or Lurs, an Iranian people * Luri language, Western Iranian language continuum spoken by the Lurs * Luri language (Nigeria), dialect of the Afro-Asiatic language Polci * Luri, Haute-Corse, commune in France * Luri ...

village) # Nehzatabad (

and

village)

Buin va Miandasht County Buin Miandasht County ( fa, شهرستان بوئين مياندشت) is in Isfahan province, Iran. The capital of the county is the city of Buin Miandasht. At the 2006 census, the region's population (as Buin Miandasht District of Faridan Co ...

Buin va Miandasht Buin Miandasht ( fa, بوئين مياندشت), also Romanized as Bu’in Miāndasht or Bu’ino Miāndasht, all meaning "Buin and Miandasht"; The Miandasht part of this city is mainly populated by Iranian Georgians and is known in the Georgian ...

(

city, County Center) #

Afus Afus is a city in Central District, in Buin va Miandasht County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Ir ...

Dashkasan Dashkasan ( az, Daşkəsən, fa, داشکسن) is a three cave complex located south-east of Soltaniyeh. Outside the caves there is a temple called Dragon Stone of Dash Kasan Caves which was built by order of Mongol king Öljaitü in the early ...

# 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 in Fereydan

Fereydan (or Peria) was and still is populated by

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

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

Barf Anbar Barf Anbar ( fa, برف انبار, also Romanized as Barf Anbār) is a city in the Central District of Fereydunshahr County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a co ...

# Sadeqiyeh #

Mila Gerd Mila Gerd ( fa, ميلاگرد, also Romanized as Mīlā Gerd; also known as Mīlāgird) is a village in Barf Anbar Rural District, in the Central District of Fereydunshahr County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic ...

# Sureshjan #

Khuygan-e Olya Khuygan-e Olya ( fa, خويگان عليا, also Romanized as Khūygān-e ‘Olyā; also known as Khāygaz, Khāygon, Khūgān, Khūīgān, Khuijān, Khūygān, Khūygān-e Arāmeneh, and Khūygān-e Arāmeneh) is a village in Barf Anbar Rural Dis ...

(

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 across the ...

, Turkish and

village)

# Zarne (aka Boloran, presently populated by Armenians) # Hadan # Hezar Jarib Fereydan County # Khuygan-e Sofla #

Chigan Chigan ( fa, چيگان, also Romanized as Chīgān; also known as Chegān and Jīgān) is a village in Varzaq-e Jonubi Rural District, in the Central District of Faridan County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic R ...

Derakhtak Derakhtak ( fa, درختك, also Romanized as Darakhtak) is a village in Varzaq Rural District, in the Central District of Faridan County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Pe ...

Gharghan Gharghan ( fa, غرغن, also Romanized as Gharghen) is a village in Varzaq-e Jonubi Rural District, in the Central District of Faridan County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also call ...

Nemagerd Nemagerd ( fa, نماگرد, also Romanized as Nemāgerd; also known as Namājerd and Nimagird) is a village in Varzaq-e Jonubi Rural District, in the Central District of Faridan County, Isfahan Province, Iran Iran, officially the I ...

Singerd Eskandari baraftab ( fa, اسکندری برآفتاب, also Romanized as eskandari baraftab and eskandari baraftab; also known as eskandari baraftab) is a village in Zayandeh Rud-e Shomali Rural District, in the Central District of Faridan County ...

# 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 subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or drainage channels; or several of th ...

at the foot of Fereydan which belongs to the

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest emp ...

era.

References

External links