This country has been inhabited by different people since the old days. By the time the Iranians reached this land, they faced communities that had settled down there since 7th millennium. B. C. and were skilled in farming, cattle-raising and working with brass. Although settling in villages and valleys was quite prevalent when the Aryans reached Iran, people used to live a pastoral life in many regions: they used to live in tents in summers and sere even considered and tribesmen, yet they were not nomadic, migratory people. Cattle-raising and tribal structure of the society were both attributed to migratory way of life, yet they were not the only characteristics. The only factor distinguishing them from sedentary communities was the seasonal migrations and the lack of specific village settlements.
Nomad is a member of a people continually moving to find fresh pasture for its animals and having no permanent home. As a chill wind blows in, the nomads pack up at the end of summer and start a long journey -women and kids on horseback, men on foot, belongings in tow- for the warmer regions here in southwestern Iran. In such annual or seasonal migration, nomads move from their winter resort locations to summer grazing lands with their animals and move back to their winter resort locations again when it gets cold.
In the Islamic era, Iranian tribes consisted of the Kurds, Lurs, Baluchis, Arabs, Turks, Turkmans, and the Barahuis. All these groups had a tribal structure with some living in villages and others partly migrating. In fact, this style of living gained importance in Seljuk period (11th - 14th century) and after the Mongol invasion in particular, and many Turkish speaking tribes descended to Iran gaining military control over the Iranian society from the 11th until 19th century, most ruling dynasties of this era were from among the tribal chiefs.
Meat and dairy products constitute the main economic activities of the migratory tribes; Handicrafts well known in the world also play a major role in the economy of the tribal family. Agricultural products and hunting and gathering rank next, looting the city dwellers as a means of fulfilling the tribal requirements is no longer exercised today due to the destruction of the military power of the tribes and their disarmament.
There are two kinds of migration:
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Horizontal migration occurs in dry, flat, vast deserts where water and grass can scarcely be found, like in Saudi Arabia?s deserts.
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Vertical migration occurs in regions with large difference in altitude where people move from low altitudes to higher ones in search of more favorable weather for their families and their animals, like in Iran.
Our Nomad tours are:
