KEYVĀNLU TRIBE

 

KEYVĀNLU, a Kudish tribe of Khorasan. It was one of those Kurdish tribes that Shah ʿAbbās I (r. 1588-1629) forced to migrate from western Persia around 1600 for the purpose of fighting off the incursions of the Uzbeks (Afšār-Sistāni, p. 998). The tribe settled around Qučān, Rādkān, and Čenārān, northwest of Mashad. Because the sub-province of Darra-gaz was under-populated, Allāhyār Khan Čāpašlu, its governor from 1854 to 1865, moved some 300 families of Keyvānlu there. 150 families were given pastures around Sarāb-e Šamsi-Ḵān, and the fort of Zangalānlu was built for them; 50 families were given pastures between Čāpašlu and Moḥammadābād (Darra-gaz), and the fort of Qalʿa-ye Aspatān was built for them; and 100 families were given pastures between Nowḵandān and Jašnābād, and the fort of Kāhu was built for them. Later, more Keyvānlu were moved to the vicinity of Nowḵandān, and the fort of Taku (also known as Takāb) was built for them (Mirniā, II, pp. 32-33). A British source informs us that already by 1929 most of the Keyvānlu had become sedentary, making a living from agriculture (Military Report on Persia, p. 52). According to the same source, the tribe numbered some 8,000 individuals at that time (Idem). Today, the Keyvānlu dwell in the vicinity of Zangalānlu, Aspatān, Nowḵandān, Čāpaslu, Jašnābād, and Kāhu, north and northwest of Mashad (Mirniā, I, p. 16). They comprise the following clans: Tuzānlu, Gavārešgānlu, and Miānlu (Afšār-Sistāni, p. 998). They are Shiʿites and speak Kurdish, as well as a smattering of Turkish and Persian (Mirniā, II, p. 33).

 

Bibliography:

Iraj Afšār-Sistāni, Ilhā, čādornešinān wa ṭawāyef-e ʿašāyeri-e Irān, 2 vols., Tehran, 1987.

“British Intelligence and Policy on Persia, 1900-1949,” Military Report on Persia, vol. 1 (Khurasan and Seistan), Calcutta, 1930.

Sayyed ʿAli Mirniā, Ilāt wa ṭawāyef-e Darra-gaz, 2 vols., Mashad, 1983.

(Pierre Oberling)

Originally Published: January 1, 2000

Last Updated: May 25, 2010