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Like the Afshari, the Qashqa´i, a nomadic tribeliving in the Fars area, have a Turkic ancestry. They are thought tohave migrated into the area in the 16th century from Azerbaijan, andtheir Turkish dialect is most strongly related to that of the tribesinhabiting that region. Adjacent to the Qashqa´i, in the eastern Farsarea, are the tribes of the Khamseh federation, who are believed tohave entered the area from the 13th century onwards. The carpets of theQashqa´i are the best known and, in general, the most beautiful of thearea and the history of the tribes is reflected in the resemblance ofthe carpet patterns to those of north-west Persia and the south-eastCaucasus. The principle Qashqa´i tribes are the Basseri, the ´Amaleh,Shesh Boluki, Qashquli and Farsi Madan; however, by no means all thedifferent Qashqa´i carpet designs can, as yet, be attributed to theindividual tribes. Even less is known about the patterns woven by theindividual tribes of the Khamseh federation which include the Basseri,the Ainalu, the Baharlu, and the Nafar. Of these, the Basseri are Farsispeaking and entered Fars from Khorasan. Rugs are also woven by Arabtribes in the area. However, by no means all the carpets produced inthis region are woven by nomads; many are woven by settled people invillages and in workshops mainly situated around Shiraz, the capital ofFars.