Persian

Inhabitant of or native to Persia, now Iran, and referring to the culture and the language (see also Farsi). The Persians claim descent from central Asians of southern Russia (Aryans) who are thought to have migrated south into the region around 2000 BC.

It was the second wave of these people who may have adopted the name Parsua (Persia). Following the Arab invasions of the 7th century AD the Zoroastrian religion was supplanted by Islam. Today the majority of Persians are Shiite Muslims, though some still subscribe to the old Persian religion. Although Iran has large industrial and urban centres, many people survive by share-cropping on the estates of large landowners. The main crop is wheat, and goats and sheep are herded. Women and children weave traditional carpets which are sold to urban merchants. Rural people live in self-contained villages with mud walls surrounding separate households. There is considerable regional variation, such as in the north where farms are often smaller and are owned by the farmers themselves. There are many minorities in Iran, including Turkomen, Arabs, Baluchis, and Kurds. The Persian language belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family.