Talysh people

Talysh
Tolışon • تالشان
Talysh people dancing, early 20th century in Iran
Regions with significant populations
Iran700,000–1,000,000
Azerbaijan500,000–1,000,000
Languages
Talysh
Religion
Islam (predominantly Shia in Azerbaijan, predominantly Sunni in Iran)
Related ethnic groups
other Iranian peoples
especially Gilaks, Mazandaranis and Kurds

The Talysh people (Talysh: Tolışon, تالشان) or Talyshis, Talyshes, Talyshs, Talishis, Talishes, Talishs, Talesh are an Iranian ethnic group, with the majority residing in Azerbaijan and a minority in Iran. They are the indigenous people of the Talish, a region on the western shore of the Caspian Sea shared between Azerbaijan and Iran. The main city of the Talysh people and their homeland is Lankaran, the majority of the population of which is ethnically Talysh. They speak the Talysh language, one of the Northwestern Iranian languages. The majority of Talyshis in Azerbaijan are Shiite Muslims, and predominantly Sunni in Iran.

The Talysh people are famous for their longevity and centenarianism.