Bağdat

Bağdat, Abbâsî hilafetinin başkenti ve İslam dünyasının en önemli ilim merkezlerinden biri olan; Kürt tarihine dair en erken bilgileri veren tarihçi ve âlimlerin çoğunun yaşayıp eser ürettiği bir şehirdir. Aynı zamanda Büveyhî hâkimiyetinin de merkezi olmuş, IX-XI. yüzyıllar boyunca bölge siyasetinin belirleyici düğüm noktalarından biri olarak öne çıkmıştır.

City of Early Historians

This function of Bağdat is most clearly seen in the life stories of historians who wrote early sources on Kürt history. The main authors of the period covering the Raşid Caliphs, Emevîs, and the first two centuries of the Abbâsîs spent a significant part of their lives here (Cilt 1, s. 88-93). İbn Kuteybe (d. 276/889), known for his works in the fields of language, literature, Kur'an sciences, hadith, and history, spent a large part of his life in Bağdat during the most brilliant period of the Abbâsîs and was greatly influenced by the ideas discussed in the meetings of Mu'tezile scholars he attended in his youth (Cilt 1, s. 88). Belazurî (d. 279/892-93), one of the greatest Islamic historians of the IX. century, went to Bağdat after completing his traditional education in Dımaşk and Humus and took lessons from muhaddis and historians such as el-Medâinî, İbn Sa'd, Ebu Ubeyd el-Kasım b. Sellam, and İbn Ebi Şeybe (Cilt 1, s. 89).

Allure of Knowledge and Bureaucrat-Scholars

One of the most striking examples of the city's scholarly allure is Taberî (d. 310/923). Taberî, born in Âmül, the center of the Taberîstan region, completed his education in various cities of İran and Irak, and after spending some time in Fustat, the capital of Mısır, he returned to Bağdat in h. 256 (m. 871) and spent more than fifty years of his life in this city. Taberî, who did not accept the official positions offered by Abbâsî caliphs and viziers, and chose to remain in scholarly circles by not taking their gifts and awards, passed away in Bağdat at the age of eighty-four (Cilt 1, s. 93). Bağdat's bureaucracy housed not only historians but also bureaucrat-scholars; İbn Miskeveyh, who served Büveyhî viziers, was known as one of the important figures of his era with both his bureaucrat and scholar identities (Cilt 1, s. 123).

Political History and Kurdish Dynasties

Bağdat is also directly related to the destiny of Kürt dynasties in terms of political history. The city was the center of Büveyhî rule: After Adudüddevle's death in 372/983, a struggle for the throne began among the dynasty members, and his son Şerefüddevle ascended the Büveyhî throne in Bağdat (Cilt 1, s. 121). The end of Büveyhî rule also came in this city; Tuğrul Bey's entry into Bağdat on 18 December 1055, ending the Büveyhîs, marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Kürt dynasties in the region, such as the Annâzîler, and sources ceased to provide information about a long period of Annâzî history after this event (Cilt 1, s. 143).