Unsuccessful Identification: Qajar Iran and the Turkmen question (1210-1343/1795-1925)

Abstract

The Turkmens were clans of the Ural–Altaic tribes who migrated to Iran between the 10th and 16th centuries, from the other side of Syr Darya. The Turkmen’s tribes who had migrated to Iran before the Ṣafavid dynasty (R.1501-1722) gradually assimilated into Iran's culture and connected with other Iranians. However, after the establishment of the Ṣafavid, the tribes who entered Iran took actions against the Iranian dynasties, and until the late nineteenth century repeatedly plundered the northeast of Iran. These newly-arrived Turkmen tribes, who settled in northern Khorasan and eastern Astarābād, converted to Sunni Islam under the influence of the Uzbeks of Bukhara. Following the Uzbek scholars, Turkmens were given the right to loot and kill the Shia Muslims. In Turkmens perception death at the hands of Shias was looked upon as martyrdom. Interestingly, when Turkmens changed their religion to Shia Islam, they stopped looting and killing Iranian Shias and took actions against other Turkmens. Anyway, the Qajars who themselves were assimilated Turkmens and had a long term ties with these newly-arrived Turkmen tribes, tried to give them the Iranian identity and prevent them from looting. However, Qajar strategies ended in failure. In this paper, I will show what strategies the Qajars adopted towards the Turkmens. I will further discuss the reasons behind their failure and would provide some analysis.

Keywords

• turkmens
• identification
• qajars
• khorasan
• astarābād