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( Turanian)
Turan (Persian ?????) is the ancient Iranian name[1] for Central Asia, literally meaning "the land of the Tur". As described below, the original Turanians are the Tuirya Iranian people.[2][3][4] of the Avesta age. According to the Shahnamehs account, at least 1500 years later after the Avesta, the nomadic tribes who inhabited these lands were ruled by Tur, who was the emperor Fereydun's elder son. The association with Turks is also primarily based on the Shahnamehs geographical account where Turkification of Central Asia was partially completed during that time.[5] Tur/Turaj (Tuzh in Middle Persian)[6] is the son of emperor Fereydun in ancient Iranian mythology. In the Shahnameh, he is identified with the Turks[7] although culturally, there is no relationship between Turanians of the Shahnameh and the culture of ancient Turks.[8]. In 19th century and early 20th century discourse, now obsolete, Turan was primarily an ideological term designating Turkic, Ugric languages, Uralic languages, and even Dravidian people(Southern Turanian Group)[9] and people more or less indiscriminately, implying a common ancestry and common culture of the various ethnicities in question. The oldest existing mention of Turanian is in the Farvardin Yashts of the young Avesta, which is dated by linguists to have been composed approximately 2500 years ago.[10]. The Avesta contains the names of various tribal groups who lived in proximity to each other. According to Prof. Gherardo Gnoli’’Iranian tribes that also keep on recurring in the Yasht, Airyas, Tuiryas, Sairimas, Sainus and Dahis’’.[11]. In the hymns of the Avesta, the adjective Turya is attached to various enemies of Zoroastrism like Fra?rasyan (Shahnameh Afrasiab). The word occurs only once in the Gathas, but 20 times in the later parts of the Avesta. Apparently there is no ethnic difference between the Turya and the Arya in the Avesta, both having Iranian names and being related genealogically. The Turanians or Tuiryas as they were called in Avesta play a more important role in the Avesta than in the Sairimas, Sainus and Dahis. Zoroaster himself hailed from the Airya people but he also preached his message to other neighboring tribes.[12][13].
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