Adiabene

Adiabene is a historical region and kingdom located in northern Mesopotamia, east of the Tigris, defined in ancient sources with Erbil as its center. It is considered one of the ancient geographies believed to have been inhabited by Kurds.

Geography and Kurdish history

The region is centered in Erbil and located between the Great and Little Zap rivers; it has also been defined more broadly as the area extending from Nusaybin to the Diyala River (Cilt 1, s. 53; Cilt 1, s. 58). From the perspective of Kurdish history, Adiabene is considered one of the regions that should be treated as a whole with the historical geographies of Mardia, Media, Kardukhia (Corduene, Korduk/Korçeyk, and Beth Qardu), and even Armenia. In the literature, there are analyses suggesting that the tribes living in this geography were the ancestors of the ancient Kurds (Cilt 1, s. 20).

Ancient geographers

Among ancient geographers, Pliny provides important information for Kurdish history regarding place names, mountain ranges, and rivers extending from Armenia to Adiabene. According to Pliny, two tribes named Menobardi and Mosechini live in the valleys adjacent to Armenia, between Adiabene and Armenia; to the east and northeast of Adiabene, the lands of the Med extend. Pliny also mentions the location of the Battle of Arbelitis/Gaugamela in the region, which occurred between Alexander the Great and the Persian king III. Dareios, and whose name is preserved by a village near modern-day Erbil (Cilt 1, s. 47). Tacitus, in his work, provides information about the geography of Adiabene, its relations with Armenia, and the Adiabene kings named Izates and Monabazus (Cilt 1, s. 48).

Roman and Sasanian periods

Adiabene is frequently mentioned among the regions in the Roman-Persian conflicts. Eutropius reports that the Adiabenians and Arabs were defeated during the reign of Septimius Severus (Cilt 1, s. 50). During the Sasanian period, Adiabene was seen as part of Iran: In Kerdir's inscription, unlike I. Şapur's Ka'be-i Zerdüşt inscription, Armenia is shown within the anērān (non-Iranian) geography, while Adiabene is again mentioned as part of Iran. It appears that during this period, the Kurdish country was also likely part of the Persian kingdom along with Adiabene, and the Kurds were among the subjects of the Sasanian state (Cilt 1, s. 68).

Early Christianity

Adiabene is also closely associated with early Christian history. In this Erbil-centered region, records are found concerning the lives of clergy, especially those living in Erbil (Cilt 1, s. 53). It is recounted in a chronicle that the person referred to as Raqbakht, who was the satrap of the region in the mid-2nd century, was baptized as a Christian (Cilt 1, s. 54). In the History of Mar Qardagh, written in the seventh century, it is narrated that Mar Qardagh was appointed to the Erbil-centered Adiabene region (the area from Nusaybin to the Diyala River); this work sheds light on the cultural world of Iraq and Kurdistan with the details it contains about the fourth century, and the Kurds are directly mentioned, with the name Kurd used twice (Cilt 1, s. 58).