Semnani people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 300,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Northern Iran | |
| Languages | |
| Semnani (indigenous), Persian (national) | |
| Religion | |
| Shi'a Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Iranian peoples, Caspians |
The Semnani people (Semnani: سمنی مرتمونی, samani mertimüni) are a Caspian[1] and Iranian people who primarily live in northern Iran and speak the Semnani languages. Today, the majority of Semnani people speak Persian.
The Semnani people are Caspians who migrated to the northern fringe of the central Iranian plateau from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. It is not known when this migration occurred, but these Caspian-speaking tribes slowly intermixed with the tribes of the plateau, creating what has been dubbed in Persian literature as an "Isle of Dialects."[2]
These same Caspian migrants also settled in the villages and towns of Biyabunak, Eyvanakey, Sorkheh, Garmsar, Shahmirzad, Darjezin, and Mehdishahr. The city of Semnan is the primary hub of the Semnani people, though it is unclear whether the name itself came from the people or the settlement.
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