On the Number of Iranian Turkophones

In: Iran and the Caucasus: research papers from the Caucasian Centre for Iranian Studies = Iran i kavkaz : trudy Kavkazskogo e͏̈tìsentra iranistiki, Band 19, Heft 3, S. 279-282

Abstract

The main body of the Iranian Turkophone mass generally consists of two parts: proper Turkic groups (the Turkmens par excellence) and the Turkic-speaking ethnic Iranians, predominantly the Azaris, inhabiting the north-west provinces of Iran roughly covering historical Aturpatākān. The number of the latter, usually depicted as a huge multimillion conglomeration, has remained one of the most speculative issues of the field.
The article analyses the statistical data concerning namely this segment of the Iranian citizenry.