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The Bakhtiari (or Bakhtiyari, Bakhtyari) are a group of southwestern Iranians.
A small percentage of Bakhtiari are still nomadic pastoralists, migrating between summer quarters (yaylāq) and winter quarters (qishlāq). Bakhtiaris speak Luri, they are closely related to the Luri people and also related to Persian people.[citation needed] Numerical estimates of their total population widely vary. In Khuzestan, Bakhtiari tribes are primarily concentrated in the eastern part of the province. Bakhtiaris trace a common lineage, being divided into Chahar Lang (Four "limbs") and Haft Lang (Seven "Limbs") groups. The Bakthtiaris are Shia Muslims.

There are two main tribal groups, the Chahar Lang (“Four Legs”) and the Haft Lang (“Seven Legs”), each controlled by a single powerful family. The overall Khan alternates every two years between the chiefs of the Chahar Lang and the Haft Lang.

Bakhtiaris primarily inhabit the provinces of Lorestan, Khuzestan, Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari, and Isfahan. In Iranian mythology, the Bakhtiari consider themselves to be descendants of Fereydun, a legendary hero from the Persian national epic, Shahnameh.
The Bakhtiari captured Teheran under the Haft Lang khan Sardar Assad and played a significant role in constitutional reform and the abdication of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1907-1909) in 1909, after which he was exiled to Russia. Reza Shah Pahlevi (r. 1925-1941) attempted to destroy the Bakhtiari and they have never fully recovered since that time. They are noted in Iran for their remarkable music which inspired Borodin.

(From Wikipedia)