Some of the Saka-Scythian tribes in Central Asia would later move further southeast
and invade the Iranian Plateau, large sections of present-day Afghanistan and finally
deep into present day Pakistan (see Indo-Scythians). Another Iranian tribe related to
the Saka-Scythians were the Parni in Central Asia, and who later become
indistinguishable from the Parthians, speakers of a northwest-Iranian language. Many
Iranian tribes, including the Khwarazmians, Massagetae and Sogdians, were
assimilated and/or displaced in Central Asia by the migrations of Turkic tribes
emanating out of Xinjiang and Siberia.[82]
The modern Sarikoli in southern Xinjiang and the Ossetians of
the Caucasus (mainly South Ossetia and North Ossetia) are remnants of the various
Scythian-derived tribes from the vast far and wide territory they once dwelled in. The
modern Ossetians are the descendants of the Alano-Sarmatians,[83][84] and their claims
are supported by their Northeast Iranian language, while culturally the Ossetians
resemble their North Caucasian neighbors, the Kabardians and Circassians.[80][85] Various
extinct Iranian peoples existed in the eastern Caucasus, including the Azaris, while
some Iranian peoples remain in the region, including the Talysh[86] and the Tats[87] found
in Azerbaijan and as far north as the Russian republic of Dagestan. A remnant of the
Sogdians is found in the Yaghnobi-speaking population in parts of the Zeravshan valley
in Tajikistan.
Later developments
The main migration of Turkic peoples occurred between the 6th and 10th centuries,
when they spread across most of Central Asia. The Turkic peoples slowly replaced and
assimilated the previous Iranian-speaking locals, turning the population of Central Asia
from largely Iranian, into primarily of East Asian descent.[88]
Starting with the reign of Omar in 634 AD, Muslim Arabs began a conquest of the Iranian
Plateau. The Arabs conquered the Sassanid Empire of the Persians and seized much of
the Byzantine Empire populated by the Kurds and others. Ultimately, the various Iranian
peoples, including the Persians, Pashtuns, Kurds and Balochis, converted to Islam, while
the Alans converted to Christianity, thus laying the foundation for the fact that the