Bayezid

Bayezid (today's Ağrı/Doğubayezit) is a frontier sanjak close to the Iranian border under Ottoman rule, governed by Kurdish mîrs. Its strategic border location, yurtluk-ocaklık status, and power struggles among regional beys are extensively reflected in Ottoman archival documents.

Administrative Structure and Ocaklık

The sanjak's position under Ottoman rule was registered with berats; the berat granted by Sultan III. Ahmet to Mahmud Paşa, the Ekrad Mîr of Bayezid Sanjak, indicates the place of this mîrlik in the state order (Volume 3, p. 2). The administrative structure of the sanjak is meticulously recorded in the tahrir defters: centers such as Bayezid sanjak and its dependencies Diyadin, Eleşkird, Şelve, Ovacık, Urut, and İskender Kalesi were subjects of mufassal and icmal defters (Volume 3, p. 24). According to the Bayezid 33 (Old no. 199) Mufassal Tahrir Defter, the sanjak consists of a total of seven livas: Eleşkirt, Şelve, Ovacık, Diyadin, Bayezid, Urut, and İskender Kalesi (Volume 3, p. 25). These defters provide important information about both the names of the Kurdish beys who governed the sanjak, such as Bayezid Bey, Taceddin Bey, Ürkmez Bey, and Kılıç Bey, and the socio-economic life of the Kurds in the region (Volume 3, p. 25).

Bayezid was a sanjak administered by Kurdish beys with yurtluk-ocaklık status. It is understood that in 1045/1635, the sanjakbeylik of Bayezid Kalesi was granted to Abdi Bey as yurtluk-ocaklık (Volume 3, p. 48). In 1718, the illuminated berat concerning Mahmud Paşa, who was appointed to the Bayezid sanjakbeylik, indicates the sanjak's "ebaen cedden," meaning hereditary, ocaklık nature (Volume 3, p. 51).

Rivalry Among Beys

From the beginning of the 18th century, Bayezid became the scene of intense power rivalry with surrounding sanjaks. Serious conflicts occurred among the sanjakbeys of Bayezid, Eleşkird, Şelve, and Diyadin; these rivalries caused great material and moral damage to the populace (Volume 3, p. 17). In a conflict that took place in the Bayezid and tevabiha region, Mehmed Sani Bey and Süleyman Bey were killed (Volume 3, p. 17). During Osman Bey's rebellion, when Halil, the sanjakbey of Eleşkird, and Mahmud Paşa, who was appointed to the Bayezid sanjakbeylik, attacked with a large force, the rebels could not hold their ground in Bayezid and fled from Bayezid Kalesi (Volume 3, p. 17). After Mehmed Sani Bey, the sanjak remained without a governor for about a year; then Abdulfettah Paşa, who was appointed, also engaged in a power struggle with the surrounding Kurdish beys and was dismissed after numerous complaints were made against him (Volume 3, p. 47). Osman Bey's rebellion was suppressed in 1720 by the joint action of the beys of Kars, Çıldır, and Karahisar-ı Şarki, and the governor of Erzurum (Volume 3, p. 47).

Border, Military, and Trade

Its location on the Iranian border made Bayezid militarily critical. The Van Beylerbeyi continuously sent soldiers to the castles of Bayezid, Hoy, and Makü, located on the Iranian border (Volume 3, p. 14). In a record dated 1177/1764, the Bayezid sanjakbey reported that the castle's bastions and bars were ruined, and the cannons in the castle had become inoperable over time; it was stated that logistical support was provided to Abdi Bey and his men, who were in charge of the sanjak's defense (Volume 3, p. 30). Upon the attack of the Russian and Austrian (Nemçe) states in 1204/1790, more forces were requested from Kurdish regions such as Diyarbekir, Sayda, Musul, Rakka, Revan, and Bayezid (Volume 3, p. 42).

Besides being a border sanjak, Bayezid was also a strategic point in Iranian trade. It was requested that the Bayezid sanjakbey not interfere with the resm-i baca tax to be collected by the state, and that customs and ihtisabiye taxes be collected from merchants who secretly fled (Volume 3, p. 35). The Erzurum Customs defters record that merchants from Bayezid sold silk brought from Iran in the region; this indicates the intense trade of merchants in the Kurdistan geography with Iran (Volume 3, p. 37).

19th Century Wars

In the 19th century, Bayezid remained on the front line of the Ottoman-Russian wars. The invasion of Bayezid (Ağrı) during the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War was among the events subject to military investigations of the period (Volume 3, p. 80).