Get to know Iran's Georgia – Kojaro

Fereydoun Shahr is the center of a city with the same name in Isfahan province, which is one of the highest cities in Iran with an altitude of 2,530 meters above sea level.

Fereydoun also knows the city by other names such as “Martqpi”, “Sepli” and “Akhore”; Because this city was founded by Georgians living in Iran and named it Georgian. The Georgian city of Iran was founded about 400 years ago in the Safavid era and after the Georgians were exiled to Iran, and now, more than 90% of its residents are Georgian speakers.

Shah Abbas I attacked Georgia more than 10 times between 1013 and 1034 AH, and following these attacks, he forcibly sent the people of this region to Iran. According to Persian historical sources, during these wars, the Iranian army captured more than 180,000 Georgians and then deported them to Iran.

By order of Shah Abbas, these captives were sent to a place that is similar to their original homeland in terms of weather conditions. For this reason and at first, the exiled prisoners were sent to Mazandaran; But the unfavorable weather of that region for Georgians made them go to the central regions of Iran. About half of Georgians went to Isfahan and settled in this city after the establishment of Najafabad by Sheikh Bahai.

Shah Abbas ordered Georgian warriors to come to Feridan to protect the area of ​​Faridan and the city of Isfahan from the attacks of Kurds and Lors. Favorable climate, suitable fields and hunting grounds of Feridan caused the migration of other Georgians to this area, and after reaching Feridan, they first founded the city of Efos. After that, the two cities of Fereydunshahr and Miandasht were founded by some of them.

_{An old photo of the construction of the first school in Feridounshahr; Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; Photographer: Unknown}

Pietro Della Valle, an Italian orientalist and traveler who traveled to Iran during the time of Shah Abbas, also writes about this incident:

When Shah Abbas moved thousands of Georgian, Armenian and Shervani families to Iran in 1013 AH; In particular, he ordered that each of these ethnic groups be transferred to a province where the climate and living requirements are similar and close to their original homeland. For this reason, at the beginning of the arrival of Georgians to Iran, they were settled in Mazandaran, which was believed to be similar to Georgia in terms of climate. But due to the unfavorable weather, they suffered a lot of casualties and then they were sent to the inner cities of Iran.

The Georgians who were immigrated to Feridunshahr and Feridan, during the reign of Shah Abbas, first lived in the neighborhood of Abbas Abad in Isfahan and then for a while in Najaf Abad, and when four people from Najaf Abad were killed in a fight, they faced the enmity of the residents and continued They were in a fight. As a result, Shah Abbas orders Georgians to move to Feridunshahr in order to end these conflicts and also to prevent successive attacks of nomads on Feridun villages and on the other hand, to settle the barren lands. Of course, the Georgians themselves were also very interested in coming to the western areas of Feridan; Because by doing this, firstly, they evaded paying taxes to some extent, and secondly, they used hunting grounds in the region for their food.

Some sources believe that the first residents of Georgian origin settled in Fereydunshahr were 19 families. In fact, it is said that Fereydunshahr initially included 19 neighborhoods and each neighborhood belonged to a specific family. During the period of Safavid, Afshariya and Qajar governments, the number of Georgian nationals in the country increased. About 225,000 Georgians settled in Iran during the Safavid era, 30,000 Georgians during the Afsharia era, and 15,000 Georgians during the Qajar period.

During the Zandiyeh period and after Karim Khan's attack on the Georgians of Fereydunshahr, some of the residents of this city, who survived the attack of the Zandiyeh Corps, migrated to the surrounding villages. However, Fereydunshahr still maintained its centrality and remained the heir of Georgian language and culture in Iran until today.

_{Old photo of Fereydonshahr 100 years ago; Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

John Richard Perry wrote about this in a book titled “Karim Khan”:

Karim Khan made it clear that he wishes to dominate the mountainous land of Bakhtiari. After the victory, he immediately demanded tribute from all the residents and neighbors of Bakhtiari. The Georgians living in the village of “Akhreh” (old Fereydunshahr) refused to pay tribute and started an armed resistance together with the people of the nearby Armenian villages. Karim Khan also attacked them with his military forces. Many peasants were killed and captured, and the Georgian leaders were shot and Khan Zand left with a large number of prisoners.

Iranian Georgians living in Fereydunshahr, like their ancestors and due to the linguistic transformation resulting from exile, speak the Georgian language and the Faridnoli dialect, which is different from the official language of the Republic of Georgia. Some exiled Georgians were also scattered in other areas of Iran such as Yazd, Shiraz, northern coastal areas, etc. It is said that the Georgian language has been forgotten among many of them and they can be identified from other elements. For example, Georgians from the northern regions are known for preserving their cultural elements such as dress, dance, music, cuisine and architecture.

For this reason, Fereydoun city is considered to be the largest Georgian city in Iran, which, in addition to Georgians, also houses Fars, Bakhtiari, Turks, and Armenians.

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Quora; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Pinterest; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Abkhaz World; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: endofmonoling; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; Google map; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: wikimedia; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Pinterest; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: instagram/azam.aspanani; ; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Awai Georgiani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Awai Georgiani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Awai Georgiani; Photographer: Unknown}

_{Photo source: Pinterest; Photographer: Unknown}

If you are a resident of Fereydounshahr or have the experience of traveling to this Georgian city of Iran, please share your opinions and experiences with Kajaro and its users.

_{Cover photo source: Awai Georgian; Photographer: Unknown}