Tribes of Karadagh

Arasbaran, also known as Karadagh in Azerbaijani language (قره‌داغ), is a vast mountainous area in the north of East Azarbaijan Province in Iran.

In this area there were several Turkic tribes, including the Beghdillu, Haji-Alilu, Hoseynaklu, Hasanbeyglu, Ilyaskhanlu, Tokhmaqlu, Bayburdlu and Qaradaghlu.

During the epoch of Rezā Shāh (1925–1941) there was a concerted campaign not only to settle the pastoral nomads but also to eliminate their distinctive culture in terms of language, dress and authority structures.

[9] Following the departure of the Shah and the ensuing period of uncertainty, some nomads revived remnants of their culture without attempting to return to the traditional authority structures.

Ashik music has evolved in relation to the pastoral life of Turkic tribes[10] and was mainly preserved in the Arasbaran region during the cultural repression of the Pahlavi era.