 They occupy Lorestan, Kohkiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan and Fars (especially Lamerd, Mamasani and Rostam), Bushehr, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Hamadan, Ilam, and Isfahan provinces.The Lur people mostly speak the Luri language, a Southwestern Iranian language related to Persian.According to the "Encyclopaedia of Islam", the Luri language is the closest living language to Archaic and Middle Persian.