Ossetians/Alans ( Iranian People ) Осетины

Real Sarmatians:

Very few individuals are even aware of the existence of these forgotten northern Iranians. In the west, the Sarmatians are incorrectly assumed to be another group of "Eastern Germans" (Ostrogoths). Some western authors have recently attempted to avoid referring to the Saramatians Iranian origins. Nevertheless History cannot be changed and the descendents of the Saramatians now live in a region called Ossetia (between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia). The Ossetians speak an Iranian language related to the Farsi of Iran.
The Ossetians descend from Iranian tribes of Eurasia, namely Alans, Sarmatians and Scythians. They became Christians during the early Middle Ages under Georgian and Byzantine influence. In the 8th century a consolidated Alan kingdom, referred to in sources of the period as Alania, emerged in the northern Caucasus Mountains, roughly in the location of modern Circassia and North Ossetia-Alania. At its height Alania was a regional power, with a strong military and vast wealth from the Silk Road. Forced out of their medieval homeland (south of the River Don in present-day Russia) during Mongol rule, they migrated towards and over the Caucasus mountains, where they formed three distinct territorial entities:

• Digor in the west came under the influence of the neighboring Kabard people, who introduced Islam. The lands once known as Digor are now part of the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic.
• Tualläg in the south, in the Georgian central region of Shida Kartli. In 1924 part became known as South Ossetia
• Iron in the north became what is now North Ossetia/Alania, under Russian rule from 1767.
The Ossetians of Georgia suffered under Soviet rule in the 20th century and in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict in the early 1990s.

Language
Main article: Ossetic language
The Ossetic language is divided into two main dialect groups, Kudarian (os. - Къудайраг) of South Ossetia; Ironian (os. - Ирон) and Digorian (os. - Дыгурон) of North Ossetia. There are also some other dialects, like Tualian, Alagirian, Ksanian, etc. Ironian dialect is the most widely spoken.
Ossetic is classified as Northeastern Iranian, the only other surviving member of the subgroup being Yaghnobi, spoken more than 2,000 km to the east in Tajikistan. Both are remnants of the Scytho-Sarmatian dialect group which was once spoken across Central Asia.

Religion
Today the majority of Ossetians, from both North and South Ossetia, follow Eastern Orthodoxy. As the time went by, Digor in the west came under Kabard and Islamic influence. It was through the Kabardians (an East Circassian tribe) that Islam was introduced into the region in the 17th century. Today, a large minority profess Islam (mostly Sunni, but Sufi orders are widespread). Tuallag in the southernmost region became part of what is now Georgia, and Iron, the northernmost group, came under Russian rule after 1767, which strengthened Orthodox Christianity considerably. Most of the Ossetes today are Eastern Orthodox Christians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossetians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarmatians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_peoples

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