The historic Fereydani Georgian minority voices frustration at lack of support from Tbilisi amid wartime shortages and communications blackouts.
Almost forgotten by the wider world, the Fereydani Georgian minority in Iran has kept its customs and language alive over four centuries. Amid the destruction and hardship of an ongoing war, frustration is growing with the government in Tehran – and with Georgian authorities who they say should be doing much more to protect their rights and support emigration back to their historical homeland.
The military-political confrontation between Iran and the United States, along with growing internal instability in Iran, is having a direct impact on this community in central Iran. According to reports, more than 20 ethnic Georgians were killed in Isfahan province during the protests that swept the country in January, although exact figures remain difficult to verify because of Internet restrictions. Reports have also emerged that 15 Georgians died in Yazdanshahr.
Amid the current turmoil, local Georgians are increasingly trying to leave the country and obtain citizenship of their historical homeland, Georgia. In doing so, they hope to gain access to visa-free travel to Europe and other parts of the world.
For now, the direct threat of war in Fereydan, a historic region of Iran about 150 kilometers from Isfahan, remains relatively low, since attacks have mainly targeted military facilities. However, U.S. sanctions and the economic crisis have become a heavy burden for the local population. The devaluation of the Iranian rial and soaring inflation have significantly worsened living conditions for the Fereydanis. Basic goods and medicine are running low as the blockade of ports and the Strait of Hormuz continues.
Despite the dangers, some Fereydanis even view the military operation against the Iranian regime positively.
“Everyone who died knew where they were going and what they were doing. Their sacrifice was not in vain. The United States and Israel joined in and cut off the dragon’s head,” one local resident said. Facebook and other social media are the main forums for information about life in the region – if the Internet is working.
Locals say the economy is on the brink of collapse because of the war.
“Every time we go to the store, we are shocked. The price of oil has doubled, and buying meat or rice requires half a month’s salary,” a local respondent commented.
“Every night we go to sleep in fear, wondering when it will be our turn to be hit by a missile. People are on the verge of psychological collapse,” another added.
Constant tension and frequent cutoffs of telephone and Internet services further complicate communication between Fereydanis who have managed to get to Georgian and their friends and families in Iran. Amid the economic and political instability, demand for Georgian citizenship among the Fereydanis is increasing, although the process remains difficult because of bureaucratic barriers.
A Four-Century History of Survival
Fereydan is a region in central Iran, situated in the Bakhtiari Mountains west of Isfahan. The history of the Fereydani Georgians dates back to the early 17th century and represents one of the most tragic chapters in Georgian history.
Between 1614 and 1617, engaged in a major war with the Ottoman Empire, Shah Abbas I of Iran forcibly deported approximately 200,000 Georgians from Kakheti and Hereti (then part of the independent Kingdom of Kakheti), as he sought to depopulate eastern Georgia and replace its population with Turkmen tribes. A large number of Georgians were resettled in Fereydan (as were Armenians, whose modern-day population in the region is shrinking). As a result, Georgian villages emerged in central Iran: including Zemo Martkopi and Kvemo Martkopi (today the city of Fereydunshahr), Ninotsminda, Chughureti, Ruispiri, Telavi, Vashlovani, and others.
Initially, the Fereydani Georgians preserved their Christian faith and traditions. Later, however, they were forcibly converted to Shiite Islam, which altered some customs and traditions. Nevertheless, they have preserved the Georgian language and elements of Christian culture to this day.
Recent estimates put the number of Georgians in Fereydan – most in the city of Fereydunshahr and 14 surrounding villages – at 12,000 to 14,000 people. According to local researchers, the total number of Fereydani Georgians across Iran, primarily in Isfahan, Tehran, Shiraz, and Najafabad, may range from 50,000 to 100,000.
Georgia learned about the existence of the Fereydani Georgians only in the 19th century, when a small handful visited Georgia, seeking to establish permanent ties with the country, open a Georgian-language school in Fereydan, and send young people to Georgia for education. Decades passed, and in 1972 Soviet Georgia agreed to accept 18 Fereydani families. They received housing, employment, and educational support, as well as financial assistance. Today, Fereydanis live in Tbilisi and other parts of Georgia: perhaps several thousand, according to community organizations and media estimates. In addition, hundreds of Fereydani students have come to Georgia temporarily for university studies, some of whom later return to Iran.
Voices from Fereydan
Comments from Fereydani Georgians about the military conflict and internal unrest in Iran paint a difficult and emotional picture. Because of the information blockade, their voices mainly reach the outside world through social media and relatives living in Georgia.
Communication itself has become another serious problem:
“Contact is very rare. We cannot call them ourselves – we have to wait until they manage to contact us.”
On social media, Fereydani Georgians – often those living in Georgia – openly criticize the Iranian government. The Facebook page “From Fereydan to Georgia” circulates slogans such as “Down with all dictators!” and criticizes attempts by Iranian authorities to portray the forced deportation of their ancestors as “voluntary migration.”
Vakhtang, a pseudonym for a Fereydani Georgian now living in Georgia, says the war has deeply affected both Iran as a whole and the local Georgian community.
According to him, several members of a family from the village of Jaqjaq in Fereydan were killed during the bombardment of Isfahan.
“We do not have large factories or industrial enterprises here, so Iran’s economic problems were initially less visible in Fereydan. But after major facilities were bombed, rising prices affected our province too. Villages are suffering especially badly because people there were already poor.”
Vakhtang says many Fereydanis have moved to other parts of Iran for work over the past 50 years.
“Many of our people live in Najafabad, near Isfahan. During the war, many enterprises and state institutions shut down, forcing Fereydanis to return home without income.”
He also says internet access has been disrupted for more than two months:
“A large part of the population worked online. Everyone who depended on the Internet suffered.”
Vakhtang notes that the Iranian state applies the same policy toward all minorities.
“Iran has its own logic. It fears that strong ethnic movements could create problems. Tehran tightly controls such processes.”
According to him, Iranian authorities also dislike Georgian activism, although small-scale cultural activities are tolerated:
“Speaking Georgian and displaying Georgian inscriptions do not create problems, but any conference or gathering requires government permission.”
A man we will call Giorgi, also now living in Georgia, says there is currently no direct military threat in Fereydan itself, but the war has caused inflation and shortages of medicine and food.
“The war has pushed people into depression. Radical Islamists have also become more aggressive and take out their anger on ordinary people,” Giorgi commented, going to say that many Fereydanis expressed solidarity with the Iranian population during the protests.
community. This photo by Nino-Ana Samkharadze originally appeared on Chai Khana.
Criticism of Georgia’s Government
Giorgi stresses that the Georgian language remains the core of Fereydani identity.
“This community has preserved its language and identity for 400 years. Children first learn Georgian and only later Persian. The family is the foundation of our identity.”
According to Vakhtang, people living in Iran’s larger cities are relatively informed about political developments in Georgia.
“Influenced by Iranian media, many believe that the Georgian government is drifting toward Russia. They may not always explain it with arguments, but that perception exists.”
Fereydani Georgians say that obtaining compatriot status and citizenship of Georgia used to be easier, while today the process has become more complicated. “A Georgian passport allows travel across Europe, something that is almost impossible for Iranian citizens,” he adds.
Yet, the policies of recent Georgian governments relating to residence permits have forced many Fereydanis to return to Iran, Giorgi says, “despite the fact that even after four centuries they still consider themselves Georgians.”
According to him, Fereydanis view Georgia’s rapprochement with Russia very negatively.
“Russia has never been a trustworthy partner for Georgia,” he says. “Against the backdrop of the occupation of 20 percent of Georgia’s territory, rapprochement with Moscow is alarming for many people.”
‘For Fereydanis, Putin and the Ayatollahs Are the Same’
Art historian and ethnomusicologist Giorgi Kraveishvili says Georgians in Iran face many restrictions.
According to him, YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms are blocked in Iran, making access to information about Georgia difficult.
“Even making wine or vodka is forbidden for them. Nevertheless, Fereydanis manage to preserve their traditions. To this day, they are not officially recognized as Georgians – their passports identify them simply as Iranians.”
Kraveishvili says Fereydanis see Georgia’s distancing from the European path and rapprochement with Russia as catastrophic.
“For them, Putin’s regime and the ayatollah regime are essentially the same.”
He also notes that the Georgian language remains dominant in Fereydan, where a private Georgian school has operated since 2000. “Children speak Georgian at home and only later learn Persian.”
Activism and Passivity in Georgia
Fereydani Georgians living in Georgia, together with local activists, are reacting sharply to developments in Iran.
They regularly hold demonstrations outside the Georgian parliament and the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi, condemning the Iranian government’s violence against peaceful protesters. They call for evacuation mechanisms for Fereydanis trapped in conflict zones, and also demand action from the Georgian government on simplified citizenship or residency procedures for Georgians living in Iran.
The Georgian government has maintained a cautious and neutral stance regarding the Iran-U.S. conflict.
In statements released in March, the Foreign Ministry expressed “deep concern” over developments in the Middle East and called on all sides to de-escalate tensions.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze welcomed the fragile April ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, while Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili has stated that the ministry remains in constant contact with the Iranian ambassador and is discussing issues related to the security of the Georgian community.
Experts Warn of a Spreading Crisis
Experts working on Iran, migration, and Caucasus security believe the situation of the Fereydani Georgians is becoming increasingly difficult.
Some analysts argue that Iran uses Fereydani Georgians as an instrument of “soft power” and seeks
to influence Georgia’s foreign policy through them. They criticize Tbilisi’s “excessive caution” and believe Georgia should raise the issue of Fereydani rights more actively at the international level. Some call on Tbilisi to enact a special legal status for the Iranian Georgians and help those relocating to Georgia with financial assistance.
Others argue that Georgia lacks the resources for open confrontation with Iran and that overly harsh measures could place Fereydanis themselves in greater danger. Lawyers and migration specialists note that Georgian legislation is not adequately adapted to wartime or emergency situations.
Cultural experts fear that prolonged war and economic collapse could ultimately damage the four- century-old Georgian identity in Iran.
The hope of returning to their ancestral homeland remains strong among the Fereydani Georgians.
Vakhtang emphasizes that many Fereydanis feel a genuine connection to Georgia and regard it as their historical homeland.
“For many people, Georgia is not simply a passport,” he says. “They truly feel Georgian and work for Georgian causes.”
As Giorgi remarks, “This dream is passed down from generation to generation. There is even a saying that whoever manages to walk beneath a rainbow before it disappears will reach Georgia.”
Gela Mamulashvili has written for the Rezonansi newspaper, Gza magazine, and other Georgian publications over the past 24 years, and currently writes for ufleba.ge. His work has been awarded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Georgia, Oxfam and Bridge – Innovation and Development, the European Union within the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BTS), and other organizations.
