Sistani Persians

rdf:langString Sistani Persians

rdf:langString Sistani Persian people

rdf:langString Sistani Persians near the Hamoun Lake

rdf:langString Sistani Persian people

rdf:langString Other Iranian peoples

rdf:langString Predominantly Shi'a Islam

rdf:langString Sistani Persians (Persian: مردم سیستانی) (also known as the Sistanis, Sistan, and historically referred to Sagzi) are a Persian ethnic group, who primarily inhabit Sistan in southeastern Iran and historically southwestern Afghanistan as well. Their descendants in Afghanistan are primarily the Pashtun tribe of the Sakzai who are the largest ethnicity in the Southwestern parts of Afghanistan. They live in the northern part of Sistan and Balouchistan province, where they form a major minority (40–50% of the province) after the Baloch people. Since recent decades many also have migrated to other parts of Iran such as Tehran and Golestan provinces in northern Iran. The largest city of Sistan region is Zabol. Sistanis speak a dialect of Persian known as Sistani or Zaboli. Sistani Persians are Shia Muslims, in contrast to Baloch people who are Sunni Muslims. The Iranian Shia cleric Ayatollah Sistani, though from Mashhad, had an ancestor who moved to Sistan during the Safavid era to engage in religious activities in the region.