Gerash

Gerash (Persian: گراش‎‎, also Romanized as Gerāsh and Girāsh) is a city in and the capital of Gerash County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 37,574, in 8,261 families.

Gerashis speak Achomi, a language shared with many neighboring cities including Evaz, Arad, Fedagh, Khonj, and Bastak. The Gerashi variant of the Achomi language includes two accents: Nassagi (ناساگی) and Barqe-Roozi (برق روزی, commonly known as Belalizi). Despite the high volatility in the population due to seasonal migration, the population is estimated to be at around 50,000.

People

The people of Gerash were native Persians following the Zoroastrian faith before converting to Shia Islam in the 5th century of Hegira (11th century AD) by Amir Mohi al-Din Ibn Amir Qotb al-Din Ibn Amir Rooh al-Din, a direct descendent of the Prophet of Islam, and an aide of Afeef-Addeen Al Musawi, to whom the conquest of certain areas in the South of Iran by Arab Muslim warriors is attributed. It is known that Afeef-Addeen left Hijaz (in present-day Saudi Arabia) along with warriors from two tribes from Medina, namely Hawazin Bani Al-Muntafiq and Banu Tamim, and set for the conquest of the Persian South; areas that, due to their dry conditions and mountainous array, had remained immune to the Islamic conquests during the second Caliphate's time. Prior to its conversion to Islam, Gerash was ruled by a Zoroastrian leader by the name of Sarem Khoora (Persian).