Buhtî

Buhtî (Buhtîyye) is a community referred to as a large Kurdish tribe, comprising numerous clans, in medieval Islamic geography and travel sources. Their homeland is in Upper Mesopotamia, extending from the mountainous region that sources call Zevezân (Zozan) to the areas towards Musul.

Buhtîs in Sources

The Buhtîs are, in Islamic era sources, counted among the prominent tribes of Kurdish geography. In the Zevezân geography, which was dominated by the Mervânîler who ruled in Northern Mesopotamia between 983-1085; they are one of the tribes mentioned by the name "Buxtî" along with important Kurdish communities such as Humeydî, Lârî, Hezbânî, Mihrânî, Hakkârî, Beşnevî, Çûpî, and Millî (Volume 1, p. 129). Authors, including the geographer el-Kazvinî who lived in the Hicrî 7th/Miladî 13th century, mention Buhtîyye among Kurdish tribes and communities such as Beşneviyye, Celâliye, Cevzekân, Cûbiyye, Dâsiniyye, Hekkâriye, Hezbanî, Humeydiyye, Lûr, Zerzârî, and Zûman (Volume 2, p. 27).

Their Castles and Center

The center of the Buhtî Kurds' homeland is the Curzekîl castle in the Zevezân region; sources directly describe it as "the central city of the Buhtî Kurds" (Volume 2, p. 27). The tribe also has other castles in the region: Atîl, located in the Zevezân/Zozan region, is shown as one of the castles of the Buhtîyye Kurds (Volume 2, p. 36); while Allûs in the Erzen district is also counted among the castles held by the Buhtîyye Kurds (Volume 2, p. 37).

Their Power and Political Influence

The power and political influence of the Buhtîs are particularly emphasized in contemporary sources. El-Umerî states that the Buhtîyye tribes lived on the opposite side of Çölemerik, in regions towards Musul; he notes that, drawing attention to the past status of these tribes, they were equivalent to the Hamidiye tribes in terms of influence and strength. He also reports that members of Buhtîyye, which comprised numerous clans, rose to high positions (Volume 2, p. 112). El-Umerî states that this Kurdish people, located opposite Çölemerikiyye from the Musul side, resembled the Hamidiyye, but were more numerous and larger than them in terms of numbers and tribal size; however, he adds that very few Buhtîs remained in his own time (Volume 2, p. 41).