Minorsky's Theory about Goran and Its Connection with Gilan and the Shores of the Caspian Sea: A Historical Critique

In the last hundred years, some orientalists have been formulated different theories about Goran, which do not agree with the narration of Arabic and Persian historical sources. One of the most prominent Oriental scholars of this period is Vladimir Minorsky, whose theory has been widely reflected in academic and public circles. Minorsky's theory is based on three bases: the denial of Goran Kurdish identity, the migration of Gorans from Gilan and Deylaman to Kurdistan, and the existence of an independent Goran language. The main problem of this research, which is written with a historical method, is to review and criticize the foundations of this theory from a historical approach. The findings of the research show that Minorsky interpreted the sources with a reductionist view and selected them according to his own preferences, and this has caused many contradictions in his theory. So, in contrary to his theory, historical sources, while emphasizing the Kurdishness of Gorans, did not provide accurate evidence that they migrated from the shores of the Caspian Sea.