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Are Ossetians Persian?
The Ossetians are an Iranian ethnic group from Ossetia, a region in the northern Caucasus Mountains in Europe. Ossetians populate North Ossetia-Alania in Russia, and the South Ossetia that is de facto independent but internationally recognised as part of Georgia. They speak Ossetic, an Iranian language.
Georgia especially rose to importance from the time of the Persian Safavids. Due to these millennia long intertwined relations, there has been a lot of political and cultural exchange between the two nations for thousands of years.
Is Ossetian Russian?
Ossetia (/ɒˈsɛtjə, ɒˈsiːʃə/; Ossetian: Ир, Ирыстон, romanized: Ir, Iryston; Russian: Осетия, romanized: Osetiya; Georgian: ოსეთი, translit. The Ossetian language is part of the Eastern Iranian branch of the family of Indo-European languages.
Are Alans Iranian?
The Alans (Latin: Alani) were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae.
What religion are the Ossetians?
While the majority of Ossetians are Christian, according to official estimates, 15-30 percent of the population is Muslim. The Ossetian capital of Vladikavkaz houses the central mosque, built in the beginning of the 20th century.
Are Iranians Circassians?
The Circassians in Iran (Circassian: Pерсым ис Адыгэхэр, Persım yis Adıgəxər; Persian: چرکس های ایران) are an ethnic minority in Iran.
Are Ossetians Christians?
Is Ossetian Indo European?
Ossetian belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family of languages (as hinted by its endonym, ирон). It is descended from Alanic, the language of the Alans, medieval tribes emerging from the earlier Sarmatians.
Georgians and Persians are part of the People of the Caucasus Ethnicities. Ossetians cluster more closely with Lezgins, Chechens and Adygeis. So, they will display closer physical approximity to each other. Regardless, Ossetians, Georgians and Persians are all categorized as People of the Caucasus Ethnicities.
Where did the Ossetians get their name from?
The Ossetians and Ossetia received their name from the Russians, who had adopted the Georgian designations Osi (ოსი, pl. Osebi, ოსები) and Oseti (‘the land of Osi’, ოსეთი), used since the Middle Ages for the single Iranian -speaking population of the Central Caucasus and probably based on an old Alan self-designation As.
What is the main religion of Ossetia?
Today, the majority of Ossetians, both from North and South Ossetia, follow Eastern Orthodoxy. In addition to Christianity, Ossetian ethnic religion is also widespread among Ossetians, with ritual traditions like sacrificing animals, holy shrines, non-Christian saints, etc.
Who are the Ossetians in Russia?
Ossetians. The Ossetians mostly populate Ossetia, which is politically divided between North Ossetia–Alania in Russia, and South Ossetia, a de facto independent state with partial recognition, closely integrated in Russia and claimed by Georgia .