A – Z of Iranian History
"J" & "K"
Jamshidis: A small minority Sunni tribe in north-eastern Iran. They are primarily concentrated in Khurasan. They speak mainly Persian with some Turkic (Aimaq) vocabulary. The Aimaqs are originally from Mongolia and many Jamshidis still have the same Mongolian features.
Jizya: A capitation tax prescribed in Quran, and applied to non-Muslims only. Applicable in accordance with the subjects’ capacity, the tax became a major reason why many non-Muslims adopted the new fate.
Kalhur Kurds: A major Kurdish tribe in Iran. They are mentioned as a major group from sixteenth century. They acquired dominance in the nineteenth century Iran.
Khamseh confederation: Khamseh means five in Arabic and was a powerful confederation of Arab, Iranian and Turkish tribes in Iran in the nineteenth century.
Kharijites: An extremist puritan sect in early Islam, entertaining the idea of establishing an Islamic community in which no one, not even the caliph, should deviate from the dictates of the Quran. They attracted many followers in Iran.
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP): The party was founded by Mustafa Barazani in 1946 in Iraq and is dedicated to the creation of an independent Kurdistan.
Kurds (Carduchi, Cyrtii): The Kurds are mainly in northwest in Iranian Kurdistan, mountainous region of southeast Turkey, northeast Iraq, and parts of Russia, as well as Syria. They have two main languages belonging to the northwestern Iranian group of the Indo-European family of languages with many dialects.
Kurdistan: A province in Iran, it comprises the mountainous area from Kirmanshah to Lake Urmia, and contains both Turkish and Kurdish populations.
Kurmanji: One of the two major Kurdish dialects spoken by the Kurds. It is spoken by Kurds in all major Kurdish territories in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Armenia. In Iran it is regarded as northern Kurdish.
Kassites: An ethnic group with a Zagros Mountain origin; the term applies to both the ethnic group, and their language. They first appeared in records in the early first millennium BC. They are related to Quti and Lullubi and the origins of the three groups are not very clear.
Other Links:
Haft Keshvar (7 Countries)-part 1
History of Ancient Medicine in Mesopotamia & Iran-part 1
Iran, a Brief History (part 1)
A – Z of Iran History (A)
History of Ancient Medicine in Mesopotamia & Iran-part 2
