Akkoyunlu

Akkoyunlu is a Türkmen dynasty that was influential in Doğu ve Güneydoğu Anadolu and the surrounding geography in the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Its name comes from the Türkmen tribes bearing this dynasty.

Place in Sources

In the sources of Kürt history, Akkoyunlu is counted among the periods that shaped the region's history; in the Diyarbekir provincial history in the yearbooks, the Akkoyunlu period is also recounted along with Hamdaniler, Mervaniler, Artuklular, Eyyûbîler, Tatarlar, İlhanlılar and Karakoyunlu (Volume 4, p. 257). The arrival of the Türkmen tribes called Akkoyunlu and Karakoyunlu in the region and their mixing with the populace is narrated in the sources along with the spread of the Kürt people from south to north; for the Erzurum province as well, it is stated that many Türk and Türkmen tribes settled here during the Abbasi, Selçuklu and Akkoyunlu times (Volume 4, p. 101, 104).

Relations with Kürt Beys

The dynasty is also mentioned in Ottoman chronicles in the context of its relations with Kürt beys and scholars. The important scholar and statesman İdris-i Bitlisi had previously been in the Akkoyunlu court, and with the establishment of the Safevî Devleti in 1501, he moved to the Ottoman and entered the service of II. Bayezid (Volume 4, p. 25). Again, according to sources, during the reign of II. Mehmed, the Akkoyunlu ruler Uzun Hasan sent his mother and the ruler of Çemişgezek, Kürt Şeyh Hasan Kürdî, as envoys for peace (Volume 4, p. 49).