Vol. 7 · No. 2 · 2003

Seyed Eskandar Saydaie

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The Bakhtiari are the largest tribe in Iran and with an history of about eight thousand years and a spatial dispersion over several provinces, they have played a major role in economic, social and political developments in Iran, particularly in the last century. The tribe has undergone changes in coping with political, social and environmental issues. A survey of the past and present situation of the tribe and an analysis of its ecological, social, economic and cultural potentials can be very helpful in discerning its future prospects. The present research will offer an analysis of the tribe's circumstances as it moves towards sustainable development. The latest reliable figures and statistics have been used in this report, and the term 'population' is used to indicate the population of nomadic clans of the tribe.