Qashqai (pronounced also spelled Ghashghai, Ghashghay,Gashgai, Gashgay, Kashkai , Qashqay, Qashqa’i and Qashqai: قشقایی) are a semi-nomadic Turkic people who mainly live in the provinces of Fars,Khuzestan and southern Isfahan, especially around the city of Shiraz in Fars. They are bilingual and speak the Persian language and the Qashqai languagewhich is a member of the Turkic family of languages. The Qashqai were originally nomadic pastoralists and some remain so today.
The Qashqai are made up of a number of tribes and sub-tribes including theAmalaeh, Darreh-Shuri, Kashkuli, Shesh(6) Baluki, Farsimadan, Qaracheh, Rahimi and Safi -Khani.
The Qashqai are renowned for their magnificent pile carpets and other woven wool products. They are sometimes referred to as “Shiraz” because Shiraz was the major marketplace for them in the past. The wool produced in the mountains and valleys near Shiraz is exceptionally soft and beautiful and takes a deeper color than wool from other parts of Iran.
“No wool in all Persia takes such a rich and deep colour as the Shiraz wool. The deep blue and the dark ruby red are equally extraordinary, and that is due to the brilliancy of the wool, which is firmer and, so to say, more transparent than silk, and makes one think of translucent enamel.”
Qashqai carpets have been said to be “probably the most famous of all Persian tribal weavings.” Qashqai saddlebags, adorned with colorful geometric designs, “which are superior to any Cultural references