Sistani Persian people

Sistani Persian people (Persian: مردم سیستانی) or Sistanis are an ethnic Persian group who primarily inhabit Sistan in southeastern Iran. They live in the northern part of Sistan and Balouchistan province, where they form a major minority (20% of the province) after the Baloch people. Since recent decades many also have migrated to other parts of Iran such as Tehran and Golestan provinces in northern Iran. The largest city of Sistan region is Zabol. Sistanis speak a dialect of Persian known as Sistani or Zaboli.

Sistani Persians are Shia Muslims, in contrast to Baloch people who are Sunni Muslims. The Iranian Shia cleric Ayatollah Sistani, though from Mashhad, had an ancestor who moved to Sistan during the Safavid era to engage in religious activities in the region.