It’s time to tell you about our visit to real nomads.

Not to a staged settlement, but to the real thing.

Welcome to visit the nomadic people! They call themselves Qashqai.

The Qashqais are a union of Turkic-speaking tribes roaming the Fars region, Khuzestan and Southern Isfahan in Iran. The total number is about 1.7 million people. They speak the Qashqai dialect of the Azerbaijani language. All Qashqai people speak Persian as a second language. Nowadays, the Qashqai people have preserved patriarchal-feudal relations. At the head of tribal associations are leaders - Ilkhans, who pass on their power by inheritance.

The main occupation of the Qashqais is nomadic cattle breeding: sheep and goats, camels, horses. It is the Qashqai people who are considered the best horse breeders and riders in Iran. The Qashqai people make the longest migrations in Iran: the Qashqai people spend the winter in the Iranian highlands near the Persian Gulf, and when the weather warms, they migrate north.

What is the home of this nomadic people? Qashqais live in rectangular tents made of black wool. Life for the Kashka people is difficult. It's especially difficult for women. It is necessary to milk the dairy cattle and bake bread. They always have milk, homemade yogurt and cheese on the table. Qashqai residents buy the rest of their food at the markets of surrounding cities. Qashqai women are also engaged in spinning yarn, dyeing it and weaving woolen products. When a family goes on a nomadic journey, it is the woman who must prepare the property for the move. The Qashqai people love their nomadic life. They are very proud to continue a tradition that has gone on for many generations. To the question: “Do you want to settle in the city?” The answer we received was: “In the city the walls are pressing. But here my walls are mountains. My ceiling is the starry sky.”

In 2006, the Nissan Motors automobile corporation introduced a model of its Nissan crossover, the Qashqai, named in honor of this proud and resilient people. When you see a Nissan Qashqai on the road, remember this post.