The story
In May 2022, I guided a small group of travelers to visit a Qashqai nomadic family in the Zagros Mountains, two hours from Shiraz, Iran. It was a memorable experience—a brief but intense encounter with a unique culture that is gradually fading away.
The family's son collected us in Shiraz and drove us to their camp in his old Defender. Their summer camp sits in a beautiful valley within a nature preserve. We encountered officials with government permits who monitored unauthorized access. Our special permit allowed us to visit the area while supporting the nomads' livelihood.
Today, an estimated 1.5 million nomads live in Iran, with the Qashqai being among the most well-known. These Turkic people migrated from Central Asia and have roamed the deserts of southwestern Iran since settling there in the 11th and 12th centuries.
At the main tent, we were greeted by an older woman in traditional dress who welcomed us with a warm smile. She invited us to take shelter and served us tea made from herbs she had gathered nearby. Though she told us the herbs' name, I couldn't recall it. When we asked about collecting some ourselves, she explained that they gather them from beneath the snow on the hillside behind their tents—no simple task.
The Qashqai are pastoral nomads who raise livestock and practice small-scale farming. Their traditional attire features ornate short tunics, loose trousers, and women wear distinctive head scarves.
Twice a year, they migrate with their herds between summer pastures in the highlands north of Shiraz (480 km south) and winter pastures in the warmer lowlands near the Persian Gulf. Since the 1960s, many Qashqai have settled permanently or semi-permanently due to government initiatives. Yet some families maintain their ancestral nomadic lifestyle, determined to preserve their centuries-old traditions.
We were invited to witness the woman milking the goats, and then we attempted it ourselves, though with little success. It is not easy and requires training and practice, even though it may appear to be a game.
The woman offered us two types of cheese. Our guide explained in detail the cheese-making process and the various products obtained from the milk, which was quite impressive. I could not remember all the steps and products. The dried cheese we sampled was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted, absolutely fantastic. Of course, you cannot get that same flavor in the city or from a factory. The surrounding hills, pastures, herbs grazed by the animals, sunshine, and clean air all contribute significantly to the cheese production, not to mention the hard-working nomads.
The husband appeared briefly, looking weary. He explained that he had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to tend to their animals, which were mostly goats.
Despite the political and economic upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s, many of the 400,000 Qashqai in southwestern Iran have maintained their nomadic herding lifestyle. The 1978-1979 revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran led to a resurgence of tribal traditions and a return to successful pastoralism.
The fine carpets beneath us caught our attention immediately. The Qashqai are famous for their pile carpets and woolen products, which are often called "Shiraz" carpets after their traditional marketplace in Shiraz. The wool from the mountains and valleys near Shiraz is exceptionally soft and distinctive, featuring deeper, richer hues than wool found elsewhere in Iran.
Despite their challenges, the Iranian government actively supports the Qashqai's way of life by managing migration routes and regulating livestock. The designation of their land as a nature reserve helps protect not only the wildlife and rare flora but also preserves the nomads' traditional lifestyle.
We walked to one of the nomads' wells to explore the area. The pristine valley stretched before us, dotted with scattered nomadic tents. Our hosts told us that about 15 families lived there, maintaining close connections with one another.
Though the family lived simply, they organized their space well—one tent for storage, another for cooking, and a third for sleeping, where our host was taking an afternoon nap.
The food was delicious—tender meat, fluffy rice, and vegetables perfectly cooked over an open fire. Though I'm not much of a foodie and can't recall the dish names, the flavors were simply amazing. For dessert, we enjoyed their "nomad ice cream"—snow collected from nearby hills mixed with a sweet, sorbet-like topping.
The Qashqai are one of Iran's largest nomadic tribes, alongside the Bakhtiari (who gained fame through the classic documentaries "Grass" and "People of the Wind"). Their rich culture has inspired numerous scholarly studies, popular works like Vincent Cronin's "The Last Migration" (1957), and films such as Mohsen Makhmalbaf's "Gabbeh".
We had a wonderful day with this lovely family. Inspired by the experience, I started planning longer hikes in the Zagros Mountains. The local guide told us that travelers often trek from camp to camp through the mountains for three to four days, staying overnight with nomads to fully immerse themselves in this traditional way of life.
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