Historically, the term was commonly applied to refer to changes in the cultures of non-Iranian peoples living within the Persian cultural sphere, particularly during the early and middle Islamic periods, such as Arabs and various South Caucasus (Georgians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis) and Turkic peoples, including the Seljuqs, the Ottomans and the Ghaznavids. The term has also been applied to the transmission of aspects of Persian culture, including language, to the non-Persian peoples in area surrounding Persia (Iran), such as Anatolia and South Asia.