People / group

Gilaks

Also known as Gilites

The Gilaks are an Iranian people of Gilan, the humid lowland on the south-western shore of the Caspian Sea, who speak the Gilaki language. In early Islamic times the Gil and their Daylamite neighbours long resisted Arab rule, and in the late 9th and early 10th centuries many converted to Zaydi Shia Islam under the Alavid rulers of Tabaristan.

Gilaks
Image: Langroodi.gilak · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Alavid dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Gilaks. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gilaks
MLA
“Gilaks.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gilaks. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Gilaks.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gilaks.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Gilaks’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gilaks (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻