Having arrived in Iran in two waves under the Seljuks and the Mongols in I I th and I3th centuries, respectively, Afshars are pastoral nomads. They have their summer quarters on the slopes of the Sabalan mountain at 4,860 meters (Azarbaijan), between Lake Orumieh and Qazvin and Hamadan, and their winter quarters are in the hot plains ofMoghan, near the Caspian Coast. Some Afshar tribes are also scattered in areas between Kerman and Bandar-e Abbas in southern Iran.

Today, an ever- increasing number ofAfshar.jpg" width="250" align="right" vspace="10" border="2"> Afshars have settled down and became farmers. Living in the northeastern Azarbaijan province, Shahsevans (renamed Ilsevan after the victory of Islamic Revolution) were organized by Shah Abbas I in the I7th century as a militia from tribes of diverse origin. Mainly Turkish speaking, they were used to put down rebellions of other tribes. They were divided between Iranian Azarbaijan and the Russian or former Soviet Azarbaijan after the occupation of part of our country by the aggressive Russian forces during the Qajar dynasty.