Çölemerik

Çölemerik (Çölemerikiye; today's Hakkâri city center) is a mountainous region and settlement in the southeast of Doğu Anadolu, on the banks of the Büyük Zap river. In medieval Islamic geographical literature, it is referred to as an independent mîrlik, considered part of the Cibal region and home to a renowned Kurdish tribe; while in the Osmanlı period, it is referred to as the administrative center of the Hakkâri Sancağı (Volume 2, p. 57; Volume 4, p. 93).

Çölemerik in the Middle Ages

In medieval sources, Çölemerik is described as a large and powerful political entity. It is reported that the ruler of Çölemerik, who dominated this land consisting of many cities and castles, also established authority over other Kurds, that his word was heeded, and that other tribes appreciated him (Volume 2, p. 50). İbn Fadl el-Umerî names the lands inhabited by Kurds as Memleketu'l-Cibal and provides detailed information about Çölemerik and the Çölemerik tribe, which he considered part of the Cibal region (Volume 2, p. 57). el-Umerî, who mentions high mountains around Çölemerik, near Marguvan, named after the same name, states that the inhabitants living there are Kurds (Volume 2, p. 84).

According to el-Umerî's account, the people of Çölemerik lived between Şehdinan Dağı in the south and Bîr Dağı in the west, in the midst of these mountains. Since the soil of these high mountains, which receive snow and rain, was fertile, the region constituted an important economic resource for its inhabitants; it was recorded that its fruits and grains had a special taste, and with the beauty of its air and scenery, it became a place worth visiting (Volume 2, p. 84).

Mîrlik and leadership

Regarding leadership, İbn Fadl el-Umerî estimates the total population of the Çölemerik tribes as three thousand and states that their leader was İmaduddin, son of Esed, son of Metkalan; he also adds that valuable minerals and stones were found in the region where they lived (Volume 2, p. 111). The borders of the Çölemerik Mîrlik expanded from time to time, and this mîrlik, which possessed many cities, castles, and fortresses, spread to include Malazgirt (Volume 2, p. 60).

The mîrlik was in relation with other Kurdish tribes in its vicinity; el-Umerî states that the Buhtîyye tribes lived on the opposite side of Çölemerik, in regions falling towards Musul. The Çölemerik Mîrlik maintained its existence until late periods, and during this process, it struggled in various ways with the Selçuklular, Atabekler, Harezmîler, and Moğollar (Volume 2, p. 112).

Kurdish identity

Researchers agree that the people of Çölemerik are Kurds, and the region is independently discussed in the context of the origin and homelands of the Kurds. Despite claims that the beys of Çölemerik descended from Emevî or Abbâsî lineage, contemporary researchers believe that there is no lineage connection between these beys and either the Emevîs or the Abbâsîs (Volume 2, p. 111).

Ottoman period

In Osmanlı period sources, Çölemerik stands out as the administrative center of Hakkâri. The center of the province is the town of Çölemerik on the banks of the Büyük Zap river, and Başkale and İmadiye are among the important locations (Volume 4, p. 93). In the administrative division, Çölemerik is shown among the districts (kazas) of the Hakkâri Sancağı (Volume 4, p. 127; Volume 4, p. 142). According to Ali Tevfik's geographical work, the town of Çölemerik is located on the Başkale road of the provincial center, on the south side, and within a plain; its air is described as heavy (vahim), lead mines are found in the town and sulfur mines in its vicinity (Volume 4, p. 143). At the beginning of the 20th century, the region also became the scene of political developments; in 1919, the negotiations of Faik from Bedirhanis with the Şemdinan, Gevar, and Çölemerik tribes were reflected in archive documents (Volume 3, p. 132).