iranian

An Iranian is a person or thing relating to Iran, its people, culture, or the Iranic branch of languages. In contemporary usage, Iranian most often denotes a citizen of Iran, who may belong to various ethnic groups and speak multiple languages, but share a national identity tied to the country of Iran. The largest ethnic group is Persians; other significant communities include Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Lurs, Baluchis, Arabs, Turkmen, Mazandarani and Gilaki people, among others. Islam is the predominant religion, with Twelver Shia accounting for the majority, while religious minorities such as Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Bahá’ís are present.

Persian (Farsi) is the official language and lingua franca; numerous Iranian languages belong to the Iranic language family, including Kurdish, Balochi, Luri, Tajik, and others. Iranian culture encompasses literature, art, music, cinema, and culinary traditions with historical influence from ancient Persian empires and the broader Persianate world.

The term Iran dates from antiquity; in 1935 Reza Shah requested using Iran internationally. The modern Iranian identity blends ancient Persian heritage with modern nationhood shaped by the 20th and 21st centuries, including the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.