Iron people
Ир, Ирæттæ / Ir, Irættæ | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| est. 200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Russia | est. 100,000 |
| Turkey | unknown |
| Syria | unknown |
| Languages | |
| Iron (East Ossetian), Russian, Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Majority: Orthodox Christianity Minority: Uatsdin Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Digor people | |
The Irons (East Ossetian: Ирон Iron, pl.: Ир Ir, Ирӕттӕ Irættæ; West Ossetian: Ирон Iron, pl.: Ирӕ Irӕ, Ирӕнттӕ Irænttæ) are a subgroup of the Ossetians. They speak the Iron dialect of the Eastern Iranian Ossetian language. The majority of Irons profess Russian Orthodoxy and a small minority profess Sunni Islam mainly in the lowland villages of North Ossetia, while the Uatsdin faith has also been preserved by a minority of Irons.