´¡¹ó&³§³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;Ä€¸é, one of the twenty-four original Ḡuz Turkic tribes (T. Houtsma, “Die Ghuzenstämme,” WZKM 2, 1888, pp. 223-24). Now widely scattered in Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan, the AfšÄrs were first mentioned by KĚḡarÄ« (Divanü lûÄŸat-it Türk, Ankara, 1939-41, I, p. 56). According to RašÄ«d-al-dÄ«n, AfšÄr, the eponymous founder of the tribe, was a son of Yildiz Khan, the third son of Oḡuz Khan (JÄmeÊ¿ al-tawÄrīḵ, ed. A. A. Ali-Zade, Moscow, 1965, I/1, pp. 79-80). The name AfšÄr means “obedient” (J. Németh, A honfoglaló magyarság kialakulása, Budapest, 1930, p. 168).
The AfšÄrs apparently penetrated into the Middle East at the time of the great Saljuq migrations (5th/11th century). Already in the 6th/12th century, we find two AfšÄr vassals of the Saljuqs serving as governors of ḴūzestÄn (C. E. Bosworth in Camb. Hist. Iran V, pp. 171-72). During the following two centuries, the name AfšÄr does not appear in any of the chronicles, but the reason for this is probably that the historical works of that time generally use the vague term Turkoman instead of more specific names for any and all Turkic tribes. When we hear from them again in the 8th/14th and 9th/15th centuries, the AfšÄrs have spread out over much of Iran, and their leaders have become pillars of first the Qara QoyunlÅ« dynasty (see F. Sümer, “Kara-Koyunlular,” Ä°´¡, fasc. 58, p. 293) and then the Ä€q QoyunlÅ« dynasty (M. H. Yınanc, “Ak Koyunlular,” Ä°´¡, fasc. 4, p. 253). Under the Safavids, the AfšÄrs figured prominently in both the QizilbÄš (see C. Huart, “Ḳizil-BÄsh,” EI1 II, p. 1053) and ŠÄhseven (V. Minorsky, “ShÄh-sewan,” EI1 IV, p. 267) tribal confederacies which formed the military backbone of the regime. They also provided the Safavid state with several ±çÅ«á¹›ÄÄ«bÄå&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;Ä«s (commanders of the royal guard), as well as with numerous field commanders and provincial officials (Ḥasan RÅ«mlÅ«, II, pp. 10, 58, 70, 87, 103, 121, 125, 133, 136, 143, 184, 192, 208; L. -L. Bellan, Chah Ê¿Abbas I, Paris, 1932, pp. 20-23, 28, 31, 33-35, 37-38, 56-58, 131, 175, 269; Eskandar Beg, I, p. 140; tr. Savory, p. 225).
But during the Safavid period the AfšÄr tribe was also further dispersed. There had always been a tendency for tribal leaders who were appointed governors of various provinces or districts to take along their own tribal retinue as servants and bodyguards. However, under the Safavids, who sought to establish a strong central government, this fragmentation process was greatly intensified. The breaking up of refractory tribes, or tribes which were deemed potentially dangerous to the ruling dynasty, became a matter of national policy. Often clans or larger tribal components were moved to frontier areas, where they could both function as shields against foreign incursions and give vent to their predatory propensity by raiding across the border. This process reached its apogee under Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I (996-1038/1587-1629), who engineered widespread migrations—sometimes of entire tribes—throughout his vast empire.
The AfšÄrs regained much of their former strength and influence under NÄder Shah (1148-60/1736-1747), who was a QirqlÅ« AfšÄr. (For details, see L. Lockhart, Nadir Shah, London, 1938; and Mohammed Mahdi, Histoire de Nader Chah, London, 1807.) But it is interesting to note that among NÄder Shah’s assassins there were leaders from three different AfšÄr clans (O. Mann, ed., Das MuÇ°mil et-TÄrÄ«kh-i BaÊ¿d NÄdirÄ«je des Muhammed EmÄ«n Abu’l-Hasan aus GulistÄne, Leiden, 1891, p. 15). An Afsharid state in Khorasan survived the death of NÄder Shah and his immediate successors (see Afsharids). It constituted a buffer state between the Zands in Iran and the DorrÄnÄ«s in Afghanistan. Its ruler, ŠÄhroḵ, maintained his independence for nearly half a century. He was tortured to death when Ä€á¸¡Ä Moḥammad Khan QÄÇ°Är conquered Khorasan in 1210/1796 (cf. E. Pakravan, Agha Mohammad Ghadjar, Tehran, 1953, pp. 189-209). Although the AfšÄrs constituted a substantial portion of Qajar army, and AfšÄr leaders performed valuable services to the Qajar state in helping to suppress rebellions and in fighting against foreign aggressors, AfšÄr tribe had become so fragmented by then that it had lost all of its former power.
Some of the estimates which have been made of the total AfšÄr population in Iran are: J. M. Jouannin, 88,000 individuals (his list of tribes in A. Dupré, Voyage en Perse fait dans les années 1807, 1808 et 1809, Paris, 1819, II, p. 457); J. J. Morier, 20,000 families (“Some Accounts of the Iliyiáts, or Wandering Tribes of Persia, obtained in the Years 1814 and 1815,” JRGS 7, 1837, p. 231); Gazetteer of Persia, 12,000 families (Simla, 1914, II, p. 14); S. I. Bruk, 300,000 individuals (Naselenie PeredneÄ Azii, Moscow, 1960, p. 31). But these estimates are highly unreliable. The AfšÄrs have become so scattered, and so many have become sedentary (and thereby lost their tribal identity) that it is impossible to form a clear idea of how numerous they are. The names of the principal AfšÄr clans are: AlplÅ«, ArašlÅ«, BekešlÅ«, Gündüzlü, Imirlü, Köse AḥmedlÅ«, PÄpÄlÅ«, QÄsemlÅ«, QereḵlÅ« and QirqlÅ«. The ImirlÅ« clan is probably related to the Imir tribe, one of the original Ḡuz tribes (Houtsma, “Ghuzenstämme,” p. 225). Branches of the AynallÅ« (variants: InÄnlÅ«, ImÄnlÅ«), Uá¹£ÄlÅ« (variant: Uá¹£ÄnlÅ«) and UstÄÇ°lÅ« tribes were also incorporated into the AfšÄr tribe.
A brief description of various AfšÄr groups in Iran follows. There is an important AfšÄr group in OrmÄ«a and its vicinity, in western Azerbaijan. According to legend, a first wave of AfšÄrs settled in that region ca. 802/1399-1400, when TÄ«mÅ«r named a certain GorgÄ«n Beg Uá¹£ÄlÅ« governor of that region (B. Nikitine, “Les AfšÄrs d’Urumiyeh,” JA, 1929, p. 71). But we cannot find any corroborating data in the available historical sources. From present information it appears that the AfšÄr colony of OrmÄ«a dates from Safavid times and that its founder was one QÄsem Solá¹Än ImÄnlÅ« AfšÄr. During the early years of the reign of Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I, QÄsem Solá¹Än became the leader of a group of AfšÄrs whose duty it was to protect the marches around KermÄnšÄh. He fought against the Ottomans with such distinction that he was rewarded, in 1032/1622-23, with governorship of Mosul. But shortly thereafter, owing to the outbreak of a plague, he moved towards western Azerbaijan with his tribe (Eskandar Beg, tr. Savory, pp. 959, 1142, 1229, 1239-41). His son, Kalb-e Ê¿AlÄ« Beg, was made governor of OrmÄ«a in 1037/1627-28 (ibid, p. 1311). Their descendants formed the QÄsemlÅ« clan, named in honor of QÄsem Solá¹Än. The AfšÄrs provided OrmÄ«a with a total of thirty-nine governors, many of whom bore the eminent title of ²ú±ð²µ±ô²¹°ù²ú±ð²µÄ« (Nikitine, “AfšÄrs,” pp. 105-06). The most famous of the AfšÄr governors of OrmÄ«a was one Fatḥ-Ê¿AlÄ« Khan ArašlÅ«, who, during the chaos that preceded KarÄ«m Khan Zand’s rise to power, extended his sway over much of Azerbaijan, including TabrÄ«z and MarÄḡa (FasÄʾī, I, pp. 204-15). The AfšÄrs of OrmÄ«a were frontier warriors. They suffered much not only through being exposed to Ottoman incursions but also through indulging in constant warfare with the neighboring Kurdish tribes (Nikitine, “AfšÄrs,” pp. 90-105; P. Oberling, The Turkic Peoples of Iranian Azerbayjan, New York, 1964, pp. 68-70). Today, the AfšÄrs of OrmÄ«a are sedentary. Their clans are: Göklü, Gündüzlü, QÄsemlÅ«, BekešlÅ« OstÄÇ°lÅ«, ĪmÄnlÅ«, ArašlÅ« and á¹¢ÄrÄ« BeglÅ« (Oberling, Turkic Peoples, p. 70). Although it is impossible to guess their number accurately, they comprise at least 30,000 individuals.
NÄder Shah moved some 3,000 families of AfšÄrs from OrmÄ«a to one of his favorite resting places, the region around á¹¢Äyen Qaḷʿa (now ŠÄhÄ«n Dež), in the valley of the JaḡÄtÅ« (now ZarrÄ«na) river, in southern Azerbaijan (Nikitine, “AfšÄrs,” p. 88). In the early 19th century the valley of the JaḡÄtÅ« contained some 300 villages inhabited by 3,500 families of AfšÄrs, as well as numerous refugees from the MokrÄ« and Moqaddam tribes and from Kurdistan (H. C. Rawlinson, “Notes on a Journey from Tabriz . . . in October and November, 1838,” JRGS 10, 1840, p. 41). But the economy of the valley was shattered by the arrival of the ÄŒahÄr DowlÄ«s, a tribe of Turkicized Lurs. Ä€á¸¡Ä Moḥammad Khan QÄÇ°Är (1193-1212/1779-97) had moved them from FÄrs to the vicinity of QazvÄ«n. Now, Fatḥ-Ê¿AlÄ« Shah (1212-50/1797-1834), at the request of Ê¿AbbÄs MÄ«rzÄ, transplanted them to southern Azerbaijan (R. Ker Porter, Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, Ancient Babylonia, etc. . . . During the Years 1817, 1818, 1819, and 1820, London, 1822, II, p. 538; V. Minorsky, “á¹¢Äin-Ḳaḷʿa,” EI1 IV, p. 75). When the ÄŒahÄr DowlÄ«s came to the valley of the JaḡÄtÅ«, they numbered approximately 4,000 families; they were given substantial holdings stretching from MÄ«ÄndoÄb to á¹¢Äyen Qaḷʿa, from which they could draw the revenues on condition that they provide the Persian army with a contingent of cavalry. To make room for the newcomers, however, many AfšÄrs were forced to return to OrmÄ«a. As the ÄŒahÄr DowlÄ«s were little interested in agriculture, the valley’s prosperity steadily declined. Then, during the 1825-27 war with Russia, most of the ÄŒahÄr DowlÄ«s deserted the area, settling down in a district which still bears their name, in the HamadÄn region. After the war, the valley contained only about 1,000 AfšÄr families and approximately the same number of ÄŒahÄr DowlÄ«s. Both, now in a weakened state, fell prey to the Kurds, who raided the area with impunity (Rawlinson, op. cit., p. 41 ). In 1960, the AfšÄrs of á¹¢Äyen Qaḷʿa lived in some 150 villages in an area stretching from MaḥmÅ«d JÄ«q to TakÄb (and, mostly to the north of the road linking these two communities). Many of them spent the summers on the flanks of nearby mountains with their flocks. They were divided into the following clans: QÄsemlÅ«, QÄ«lÄ«Ä á¸´ÄnÄ« and QereḵlÅ« (Oberling, Turkic Peoples, p. 79).
A third group of AfšÄrs has been inhabiting the province of Ḵamsa (the region around ZanÇ°Än), probably since Safavid times. According to H. Field, these AfšÄrs originally numbered some 5,000 families but, by 1920, had been reduced to about 1,000 families (Contributions to the Anthropology of Iran, Chicago, 1939, p. 170). Around 1850, Lady Sheil estimated their number at 2,500 families (Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia, London, 1856, p. 397). Most of them have settled down in their former ±ç±ð&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;±ôÄå±ç (winter quarters), in what is today the »å±ð³ó±ð²õ³ÙÄå²Ô (subdistrict) of QešlÄqÄt-e AfšÄr, on the Qezel OzÅ«n river, southwest of ZanÇ°Än (RazmÄrÄ, Farhang II, p. 212). In the early 1880s, A. Houtum-Schindler also encountered AfšÄrs on the ĪǰarÅ«d plateau, between ZanÇ°Än and the Qezel OzÅ«n river, and in the village of ÄŒerÄḡ Tepe, thirty-two km northeast of TakÄb (“Reisen im nordwestlichen Persien, 1880-82,” Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin 18, 1883, pp. 322, 328-29). When still nomadic, their ²â²¹²â±ôÄå±ç (summer quarters) were above Solá¹ÄnÄ«ya and farther northeast into to hills of ṬÄrom (Field, Contributions, p. 170). P. A. Jaubert, who visited Ḵamsa in 1805, wrote that ZanÇ°Än was the chief center of trade of the AfšÄrs “who are dominant” in the province (Voyage en Arménie et en Perse fait dans les années 1805 et 1806, Paris, 1821, p. 197). The AfšÄr tribe has also provided the province with many of its governors.
A fourth group of AfšÄrs has established itself in the vicinity of Tehran. Its ²â²¹²â±ôÄå±ç are on the slopes of the Alborz mountains, and its ±ç±ð&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;±ôÄå±ç are around ŠahrÄ«Är and ḠÄr, a few miles southwest of Ray (KayhÄn, ´³´ÇḡrÄå´ÚÄ«Äå II, p. 112). Jouannin estimated the number of these AfšÄrs at 7,000 individuals (Dupré, Voyage en Perse, p. 457) and Lady Sheil at 900 families (Life and Manners, p. 397).
A fifth group established itself in MÄzandarÄn, but very little is known about it. Jouannin estimated the number of these AfšÄrs at 5,000 individuals (Voyage en Perse, p. 457), Lady Sheil at 100 families (Life and Manners, p. 396). But they were apparently absorbed by the surrounding population, for they are not mentioned in any recent source.
A sixth group of AfšÄrs made its way to the Darra-gaz region, north of Mašhad, in Safavid times. According to Mohammed Mahdi, these AfšÄrs, who were from the QirqlÅ« clan, migrated thither from northwest Iran during the reign of Shah EsmÄÊ¿Ä«l I (907-30/1501-24); they established their ²â²¹²â±ôÄå±ç around the MÄ«Äb-e KapkÄn spring, on the flanks of the AllÄho Akbar mountain range, and their ±ç±ð&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;±ôÄå±ç in the “Dastgerd-e Darra-gaz” area (Nader Chah I, p. 39). A. KasravÄ« maintains that they were moved into Khorasan along with a group of ÄŒamišgazak Kurds by Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I to seize the districts of NesÄ and AbÄ«vard from the Uzbeks (ÄŒehel maqÄla, Tehran, 1335 Š./1956, p. 126). But Eskandar Beg (pp. 93, 140) mentions a certain AfšÄr leader Ḵosrow Solá¹Än KÅ«roḡlÅ«, whom he describes as having played a role in the disputes which flared up in Khorasan following the death of the Uzbek chief Ê¿Obayd (946/1539-40). This would indicate that there were AfšÄrs in that province already during the reign of Shah ṬahmÄsp I (930-84/1524-76). Mohammed Mahdi writes that, in the course of his campaign against Afghanistan in 1729, NÄder Shah moved an additional 12,000 families of AfšÄrs into Khorasan; among these 2,000 families were of the QirqlÅ« clan (Nader Chah, p. 191). There are probably thousands of persons in the Darra-gaz, AbÄ«vard and KalÄt-e NÄderÄ« regions who are descendants of those AfšÄrs. According to Bruk, there are also AfšÄrs south of BoÇ°nÅ«rd and QÅ«ÄÄn, and between SabzavÄr and NÄ«šÄbÅ«r (Naselenie, p. 31). The QirqlÅ« AfšÄrs of Khorasan reached the pinnacle of their strength and influence during the reign of NÄder Shah, who was a member of that clan and was born in a tent near Darra-gaz (today often also called MoḥammadÄbÄd).
A seventh group of AfšÄrs has been situated, at least since early Safavid times, in KermÄnšÄh province. Jouannin estimated their number at 7,000 individuals (Voyage en Perse, p. 457). Their descendants are now found in the »å±ð³ó±ð²õ³ÙÄå²Ô of Jolga-ye AfšÄr (east of HamadÄn) and around KangÄvar, near which there is village named AfšÄrÄn (cf. H. L. Rabino, “Kermanchah,” RMM 38, March, 1920, p. 17; RazmÄrÄ, Farhang V, p. 107). These AfšÄrs served as frontier warriors and participated in many wars against the Ottoman empire.
An eighth group of AfšÄrs settled down in what is today southwest Iran in Saljuq times. Its earliest known leader, Šomla, became governor of ḴūzestÄn ca. 550/1155 (cf. Bosworth, Camb. Hist. Iran V, pp. 171-72). In Safavid times these AfšÄrs, the principal clans of whom were the Gündüzlü, the ArašlÅ« and the AlplÅ«, were very numerous and were to be found in KÅ«h GÄ«lÅ«ya (KohgÄ«lÅ«ya), RÄm Hormoz, Dawraq and ŠÅ«štar (cf. KasravÄ«, ÄŒehel maqÄla, pp. 80-83). During the Safavid period and the reign of NÄder Shah they produced numerous governors of ḴūzestÄn and KÅ«h GÄ«lÅ«ya, as well as of DezfÅ«l and ŠÅ«štar (Sayyed Ê¿AbdallÄh ŠÅ«štarÄ«, Taá¸kera-ye ŠÅ«štar, Calcutta, 1924, pp. 42ff., 96-100; Eskandar Beg, tr. Savory, pp. 225, 677; Ḥasan RÅ«mlÅ«, pp. 121, 133, 136, 208). But they were also involved in continual squabbles with their Lur and Arab neighbors, and they staged several major rebellions against governmental authority (cf. P. Oberling, “The Turkic Tribes of Southwestern Persia,” Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher 35, fasc. B, 1964, p. 165). The latter culminated in the revolt of the ArašlÅ«s and Gündüzlüs of KÅ«h GÄ«lÅ«ya against an unpopular governor in 1005/1596-97. AllÄhverdÄ« Khan, who was sent by Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I with a punitive expedition, suppressed the rebellion with consummate brutality, massacring thousands of tribesmen in the process (Eskandar Beg, tr. Savory, pp. 699-701).
The rebellion of 1005 dangerously weakened the AfšÄrs of southwest Iran. The KaÊ¿b Arabs, the BaḵtÄ«ÄrÄ«s, and other tribes put increasing pressure on them to yield their choice pasture grounds, causing many to flee. The AfšÄr territories were even further reduced when, during the period of anarchy that followed the assassination of NÄder Shah (1160/1747), the KaÊ¿b Arabs seized the Dawraq region. The AfšÄr refugees from ḴūzestÄn and KÅ«h GÄ«lÅ«ya made their way to KermÄnšÄh province and to the district of OrmÄ«a (where, among the AfšÄrs of that region, there was until recently a clan by the name of KÅ«h GelÅ«, which is another name for KÅ«h GÄ«lÅ«ya; cf. C. A. de Bode, Travels in Luristan and Arabistan, London, 1845, pp. 114-15; and Nikitine, “AfšÄrs,” p. 75). Today the remaining AfšÄrs in southwest Iran are the Güdüzlüs of ŠÅ«štar and the AfšÄr clan of the AḡÄÄ ErÄ« tribe of KÅ«h GÄ«lÅ«ya. The AfšÄrs of ŠÅ«štar live in the quarter of that city called BoleytÄ« and in some nearby villages. They comprise some 250 families (Oberling, “The Turkic Tribes of Southwestern Persia,” pp. 169-70). The AfšÄrs of KÅ«h GÄ«lÅ«ya live, for the most part, in the village of ÄŒam Tang, near HendÄ«Ç°Än. They comprise some 100 families (ibid., p. 177).
There are two small groups of AfšÄrs in FÄrs province. The first, AfšÄr KermÄnÄ«, forms a clan of the KaškÅ«lÄ« KÅ«Äek tribe of the QašqÄʾī tribal confederacy and, in 1958, comprised some 120 families (Iranian Army Files). More than a century ago, Lady Sheil, who called this group “QÄÇ°Är AfšÄå°ù,&°ù»å±ç³Ü´Ç; described it as a mixture of Turks and Leks, comprising some 350 families, 250 of which were Turkic (Life and Manners, p. 398). The AfšÄr KermÄnÄ«s probably joined the QašqÄʾīs when the latter and other Turkic nomads temporarily moved to ŠÄ«rÇ°Än in KermÄn province in the early 1830s as a result of a dispute with the governor-general of FÄrs. Today, the Lek component is a separate clan of the KaškÅ«lÄ« KÅ«Äek tribe. The second AfšÄr group is called AfšÄr ŪšÄgÄ«, and forms a clan of the AynallÅ« tribe of FasÄ. Whether this group followed the AynallÅ«s to FÄrs from central Iran or was also picked up in SÄ«rÇ°Än in the 1830s is not known. But there were probably previous AfšÄr migrations into FÄrs. It is possible that some AfšÄrs accompanied Manṣūr Beg AfšÄr when he was made governor-general of FÄrs in 904/1498-99 (Ḥasan RÅ«mlÅ«, p. 10). In all likelihood, the AlplÅ« AfšÄr governors of KÄzerÅ«n, who ruled the area for nearly 250 years starting with the reign of Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I (FasÄʾī, II, pp. 251ff.), had their own tribal retinue. Finally, Bellan mentions a group of AfšÄrs which inhabited the AbarqÅ«h region in the early years of the reign of Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I (Chah Ê¿Abbas I, pp. 28, 35).
There are at least three groups of AfšÄrs in KermÄn province. The first AfšÄrs to set foot in the province probably did so in the 10th/16th century. In any case, the first AfšÄr governor, ŠÄh-qolÄ« Solá¹Än, was appointed in 933/1526-27, during the reign of Shah ṬahmÄsp I (A. Ê¿A. WazÄ«rÄ« KermÄnÄ«, °ÕÄå°ùīḵ-±ð°±ð°ù³¾Äå²Ô, Tehran, 1961, p. 437). In 943/1536-37, he participated in Shah ṬahmÄsp’s fourth campaign in Khorasan (Ḥasan RÅ«mlÅ«, p. 125). There were eight more AfšÄr governors of KermÄn up to the Zand dynasty (°ÕÄå°ùīḵ-±ð°±ð°ù³¾Äå²Ô, pp. 268, 437-38). Two of these, YÅ«sof Khan and WalÄ« Khan, served as ±çÅ«á¹›ÄÄ«bÄå&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;Ä«s at the beginning of Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I’s reign (Bellan, Chah Ê¿Abbas I, pp. 21, 28). The last of the AfšÄr governors of KermÄn, ŠÄhroḵ Khan, took possession of KermÄn during the period of turbulence that followed the death of NÄder Shah. He defeated the SÄ«stÄnÄ«s and the BalÅ«Ä, and for a decade ruled as a semi-independent potentate in southeast Iran. But he was routed and killed by KarÄ«m Khan Zand in 1172/1758-59 (Sir P. Sykes, Ten Thousand Miles in Persia, London, 1902, pp. 67-68).
Some of the population estimates of the AfšÄrs of KermÄn are: Jouannin, 6,000 individuals (Voyage en Perse, p. 457); Sheil, 1,500 families (Life and Manners, p. 398); Sykes, 10,000 families (letter to Marquess of Salisbury, dated May 14, 1900, F.O. 60, n. 621); KayhÄn, 5,000 families (´³´ÇḡrÄå´ÚÄ«Äå, p. 94); Field, 4,275 families (Contributions, pp. 234-35). The AfšÄr groups in KermÄn province are : 1. The AfšÄr JahÄnšÄhÄ«s. Their elders claim that this group originated in northwest Iran and that it settled in KermÄn province after a prolonged stay in the neighborhood of FasÄ and Jahrom in FÄrs. They could be related to the JahÄnšÄhlÅ« clan of the AfšÄrs of ZanÇ°Än mentioned by Field (Contributions, p. 170) and to the AfšÄr ŪšÄḡīs of FasÄ. In 1957, they numbered some 1,200 families. They were still nomadic and lived in SÄ«rÇ°Än (P. Oberling, Turkic Peoples, pp. 108-09). 2. The AfšÄr Ê¿Amūʾīs: Their elders claim that this group was moved to KermÄn province from the OrmÄ«a region by NÄder Shah. In 1957, they numbered some 400 families. They were still nomadic and lived in SÄ«rÇ°Än (ibid, pp. 109-10). 3. The BuÄÄqÄÄ«s: Their elders claim that this group was once affiliated to the AfšÄrs of ZanÇ°Än and Ray and that it was moved to KermÄn by NÄder Shah. In 1957 they numbered some 500 families. They were still nomadic and lived in SÄ«rÇ°Än (ibid., pp. 116-19). The BuÄÄqÄÄ«s were notorious robbers. Sykes described their chief as the “Robin Hood of Persia” (Ten Thousand Miles in Persia, p. 435). The BuÄÄqÄÄ«s played an important role in the anti-British uprisings in southern Iran during World War I—especially in the so-called “SÄ«rÇ°Än Episode” of August-October, 1916 (cf. P. Sykes, A History of Persia, 3rd ed., London, 1951, II, pp. 464-65). 4. The AfšÄr MÄ«r ḤabÄ«bÄ«s: There might still be remnants of this group around BardsÄ«r, in SÄ«rÇ°Än. It was mentioned by Sykes (Ten Thousand Miles in Persia, p. 73) and Field (Contributions, p. 235); Sykes estimated their number at twenty-five families. A recent description of the AfšÄrs in KermÄn is to be found in the study of G. Stöber.
In addition, there are many groups of AfšÄrs in Turkey. They are described in detail in the following sources: A. Refik, Anadolu’da türk aÅŸiretleri, 966-1200, Istanbul, 1930, pp. 47-48, 53-54, 76-77, 81-82, 100, 106-07, 112-13, 121, 131, l45-47, 169-71, 176-83, 186-87, 191-92, 200-01, 209-10, 212, 214, 219; F. Sümer, “AvÅŸarlar’a dâir,” Fuad Köprülü armaÄŸani, Istanbul, 1953, pp. 453-78: F. Köprölü, “AvÅŸar,” Ä°´¡, fasc. 11, pp. 36-37. There are also many AfšÄrs in Afghanistan. Bruk estimates their number at 30,000 individuals (Naselenie, p. 31 ). J. P. Ferrier, who traveled in Afghanistan in 1845, estimated that the AfšÄrs comprised three-fourths of the population of Andḵūy; and when he visited the town of ÄŒahÄršanba near Maymana, he found there a mixed population of AfšÄrs, JamšÄ«dÄ«s and QipÄaqs (Caravan Journeys and Wanderings in Persia, Afghanistan, and Beloochistan, London, 1856, pp. 197, 204). Ferrier believed that the Ê¿AlÄ« ĪlÄ« Turkomans of the Andḵūy region are of AfšÄr origin, but G. Jarring has expressed doubt regarding this theory (On the Distribution of Turk Tribes in Afghanistan, Lund, 1939, p. 49). Ê¿Abd-al-KarÄ«m BoḵÄrÄ« (p. 261) claimed that the AfšÄrs of Andḵūy were moved there from Khorasan by Shah Ê¿AbbÄs I. There must still be AfšÄrs in the region of FarÄh and AsfozÄr (today called SabzavÄr) in western Afghanistan, which was long an AfšÄr fief. The first known AfšÄr governor of that area was Aḥmad Solá¹Än, who was appointed to that position by Shah EsmÄÊ¿Ä«l in 928/1522 (Ḥasan RÅ«mlÅ«, pp. 87, 106-07). There might also be AfšÄrs among the descendants of the thousands of “QizilbÄš” troops left behind by NÄder Shah to garrison Kabul, Herat and other cities of Afghanistan during his invasion of India in the late 1730s.
Bibliography:
The most useful general sources on the AfšÄrs of Iran are: A. KasravÄ«, “AfšÄrhÄ-ye ḴūzestÄn,” “EnteqÄd-e maqÄla rÄÇ°eÊ¿ be ṬarzÄ« AfšÄå°ù,&°ù»å±ç³Ü´Ç; and “Īl-e AfšÄå°ù,&°ù»å±ç³Ü´Ç; ÄŒehel maqÄla, Tehran, 1335 Š./1956, pp. 80-85, 96-97, and 122-28.
F. Köprülü, “AvÅŸar,” Ä°´¡, fasc. 11, Istanbul, 1949, pp. 28-38 (an abbreviated version of which is “AfshÄå°ù,&°ù»å±ç³Ü´Ç; EI 2 I, pp. 239-41).
B. Nikitine, “Les AfšÄrs d’Urumiyeh,” JA, 1929, pp. 67-123.
G. Stöber, Die AfshÄr Nomadismus im Raum KermÄn, Marburg, 1978.
L. Lockhart, Nadir Shah, London, 1938. J. R. Perry, Karīm Khan Zand, Chicago, 1979.
(P. Oberling)
Originally Published: December 15, 1984
Last Updated: July 28, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 6, pp. 582-586
P. Oberling, “´¡¹ó&³§³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;Ä€¸é,” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/6, pp. 582-586; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afsar (accessed on 14 March 2014).
