The Zazas, Kird, Kirmanc or Dimilis are an ethnic Iranic people whose native language is Zazaki spoken in eastern Anatolia. They primarily live in the eastern Anatolian provinces, such as Adıyaman, Aksaray, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Erzincan, Gumushane, Kars, Malatya, Mus, Sanliurfa, Sivas, and Tunceli provinces. Almost all speakers of the Zaza language consider themselves as Kurds and they are often counted as such by international statistics and surveys as part of the Kurdish people.

The exact number of Zaza Kurds is unknown, due to the absence of recent and extensive census analyses. The fact that some Zazas have mixed into other regional ethnic groups has also contributed to the uncertainty. Many Zazas live outside their homeland. Apart from widespread suppression and mass evacuation of villages, the economically miserable situation of the Zaza areas forces the local population to emigrate to Turkish or European cities. There are many Zazas living in major Turkish cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Moreover, the Zaza diaspora is spread across Europe (mainly in Germany) and beyond (United States, Canada, etc.) According to estimated figures, the Zaza population should be somewhere between 1 to 2 million.

Neil Zaza is a melodic instrumental guitarist who has become well known for his technical accuracy and adaptation of classical works by Bach and Mozart into his own blend of neo-classical, melodic, guitar instrumentals.

Before beginning a solo career, Neil Zaza formed in 1987 the rock band ZAZA which toured U.S. and released an album called Party With The Big Boys in 1991. After his second solo album, Zaza was as a guest soloist with The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, performing “1492” and a guitar interpretation of “West Side Story”.

His CDs often include guest appearances by veteran musicians including:

He has also shared the stage with notable guitarists such as Joe Satriani and Michael Angelo Batio. He holds an annual concert called One Silent Night at the Palace Theater in Cleveland with the backing of the 60 piece Cleveland Rock Orchestra and features his adaptation of popular Christmas songs to his melodic style.

Zaza is known for dramatic entrances, often suddenly appearing from behind projector screens to provide his signature brand of neo-classical guitar virtuosity.

Zaza Pachulia (Georgian: ზაზა ფაჩულია; born Zaur Pachulia February 10, 1984), is a Georgian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.

Pachulia was a very successful basketball player at a very early age in Georgia. He was approximately 6 feet 8 inches (2.04 meters) at the age of 13. He was scouted and recruited by the Turkish professional team Ülkerspor when he was a teenager. He became a member of the national basketball team of Georgia at a young age and led his team as a center to beat other Eastern European rivals, such as Belarus and Bulgaria.

Once he distinguished himself with Ülkerspor, Pachulia was drafted in the second round by the Orlando Magic during the 2003 NBA Draft. After being selected in the 2004 expansion draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, Zaza was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks where he played the 2004–05 season. While with the Bucks, Pachulia averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench. After he spent one season with the Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks became interested in him.