Ilyat

Ilyat

 

the name for stock-raising nomads in the countries of the Middle East, primarily in Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan. They are distinguished from the rayat, the settled tillers of the land. The term “ilyat” also designates a union of tribes or a tribal ethnic group, such as the Ilyat-e-Kurd or the Ilyat-e-Baloch.