Gilaks (Gilaki: گيلٚکٚاٚٓن) are an Iranian people native to south of Caspian sea. They form one of the main ethnic groups residing in the northern parts of Iran. Gilak people, along with the closely related Mazandarani people, comprise part of the Caspian people, who inhabit the southern and southwestern coastal regions of the Caspian Sea.
They all speak the Gilaki language as their first language, an Iranian language that is closely related to Mazandarani.
History
The mountainous regions of northern Iran on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea, now comprising the southeastern half of Gilan Province, was also referred to as Daylam. The inhabitants of the region were called the Daylamites.
Gilan was the place of origin of the Ziyarid dynasty and Buyid dynasty in the mid-10th century.
The rule of the Daylamites were put to an end by the Turkish invasions of the 10th and 11th centuries CE, which saw the rise of Ghaznavid and Seljuk dynasties. From the 11th century CE to the rise of Safavids, Gilan was ruled by local rulers who paid tribute to the dominant power south of the Alborz range but ruled independently, such as the Eshaqvand Dynasty and the Ispahbads of Gilan.
Scholars suggest a link between the Gilaks and the Zazas. Zaza calls themselves Dimlī or Dīmla, derived from the word Daylam. Dimli is the name of the Zaza language.
Culture
Economy
Gilaki people live alongside the Alborz mountains and in the surrounding plains. Consequentially, those living along the northern side of the Alborz mountains tend to raise livestock, while those living in the plains farm. Gilaks play an important role in the provincial and national economy, supplying a large portion of the region's agricultural staples, such as rice, grains, tobacco, and tea.
Other major industries include fishing and caviar exports, and the production of silk. In addition to agricultural activities, Gilaks also control other principal sectors of commerce of the province of Gilan such as tourism, and share administrative and government positions with civil servants from other regions of Iran.
People
The population of Gilaks is estimated to be between 3 and 4 million in 2006.
They mainly live along the southwest coasts of the Caspian Sea and are one of the main ethnic groups that reside in the northern parts of Iran. The Gilaks are closely related to the neighboring Mazandarani, and other groups of Caucasus descent, such as Georgians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis.
Gilaki, which has two main dialect types, eastern and western, with the Safidrūd River as the general border, is a member of the Caspian subgroup. There are many subdialects of Gilaki, and, progressing to the east, it gradually blends into Mazandarani. The intermediate dialects of the area between Tonokābon and Kalārdašt serve as a transition between Gilaki and Mazandarani. The differences in forms and vocabulary lead to a low mutual intelligibility with either Gilaki or Mazandarani, and so these dialects should probably be considered a third separate language group of the Caspian area.
In Mazandaran, the Gilaks reside in the city of Ramsar and Tonekabon. There, though their dialects are influenced by Mazandarani, they are still considered dialects of the Gilaki language. Furthermore, the eastern Gīlakī dialect is spoken in the entire valley of the Čālūs river.
In Qazvin province, the Gilaks reside in the northern parts of the province, in Alamut.
Apart from four Turkish-speaking villages higher up, the inhabitants of Alamut speak Gilaki and those of Rudbar Tati.
Language
The Gilaki language is a member of the Northwestern branch of the Iranian languages. It is the main language spoken amongst the Gilak people, although various regional and local dialects of the Gilaki language are common. Gilak people are fluent in both the Gilaki language and standard Persian. Persian is the official language of education in Iran, and since teachers are discouraged from using regional dialects and accents in class, the Gilaki language is taught to children at home.
The Gilaki and Mazandarani languages (but not other Iranian languages) J2a, and G2a3b.
Assimilated groups into the Gilak people
During the Safavid, Afsharid, and Qajar eras, Gilan was settled by large numbers of Georgians, Circassians, Armenians and by other peoples of the Caucasus, whose descendants still live across Gilan.
See also
- Caspian people
- Gilan Province
- Iranian peoples
- Mazandarani people
- Northwestern Iran
- Peoples of the Caucasus
- Persian dance