Lurs

The Lurs are an Iranian ethnic group native to western Iran. They are one of the country’s sizable ethnolinguistic communities, with their core settlements in the Zagros mountain region of Lorestan, Khuzestan, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and smaller communities across adjacent provinces. Estimates of their population vary, commonly \placing it in the several millions.

The Lurs speak Luri, a Southwestern Iranian language closely related to Persian. The Luri languages comprise several dialects, broadly divided into Northern Luri and Southern Luri, with the Bakhtiari variety often treated as part of the Luri continuum. Luri is used in daily life, media, and culture alongside Persian, which serves as the lingua franca in education and official contexts.

Historically, Lurs have been both pastoralists and agriculturalists, with many communities practicing semi-nomadic or nomadic livestock herding in the past. Today, many Lurs live in towns and cities, but traditional economic activities such as farming, herding, and craft production persist in various forms. Luri music, folklore, and crafts are important elements of cultural identity, and social organization has traditionally centered on tribal and clan affiliations, though the influence of these structures has weakened in urban settings.

Most Lurs are Shia Muslims, but there are also Sunni and smaller religious communities among them. Lur identity encompasses a diverse set of subgroups and dialects, which reflect a long history of regional residence, interethnic contact, and linguistic variation. In modern Iran, Lurs participate in regional politics, culture, and national life while maintaining distinctive linguistic and cultural traditions.