Dailam

Dailam or Daylam or Deylamite were an Iranian people [MichaelFishbein, "e History of Al-Tabari: The Victory of the Marwanids A.D. 685-693/A.H.", SUNY Press, 1990. Page 90 excerpt: "Note 336: The Daylamites were an Iranian People living in the highlands of Gilan in northern Iran. They had served the Sassanians as mercenaries and stubbornly maintained their independence despite many Muslim expeditions against them.] inhabiting northern Iran. We know at least since the advent of Islam they spoke a northwestern Iranian dialect very similar to the language of their neibours. [ [http://www.iranica.com/articles/v7/v7f4/v7f408.html Deylamites] in Encyclopaedia Iranica - " [...] people inhabiting a shifting region in northern Persia and adjacent territories, including the Deylama@n uplands...in the Islamic period they spoke a northwestern Iranian dialect very similar to the language of the Gilites. [...] "]

Buyids established the most successful of the Deylamite dynasties of Iran.

They had a prominent position during the Sassanid Dynasty era, their presence extended to Mesopotamia (Iraq) and their ancestors are now Arabized and are known under the name of Delaim or Dulaim tribe.

Another Iranian group that are likely the descendants of Deylamites are the Zaza people. The Iranian people call themselves Diml^ or D^mla, apparently derived from Deylam [http://www.zazaki.de/englisch/articels/dimili-asatrian-iranica.pdf] .

ee also

* [http://www.iranica.com/articles/v7/v7f4/v7f408.html Encyclopedia Iranica: DEYLAMITES]

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