Dicle

The Dicle is a great river flowing from Upper Mezopotamya and traversing the geography inhabited by the Kürtler. In both ancient Grek-Roma sources and Islamic period geography and travel books, it is one of the main geographical axes constantly referred to when describing the settlements, borders, and peoples of this geography.

In Ancient Sources

In ancient sources, the Dicle stands out as the key to understanding the historical geography of the region; these works contain valuable information particularly about the settlements around the Dicle and the great and small Zap rivers, and the routes used in this geography (Cilt 1, s. 30). The river and its basin form the framework within which ancient writers located neighboring regions such as Zabdicena, Carduena, Rhemena, and Zelena, especially Korduene/Carduene (Cilt 1, s. 37). In the same basin, the names of small settlements like Marde, Savara, Dosa, and Gomara are also recorded in the sources (Cilt 1, s. 35).

The Dicle also periodically served as a de facto border between the Roma and Sasani/Pers empires; this geography, located east of the Fırat and constantly changing hands, was at the center of conflicts and border adjustments between the two empires (Cilt 1, s. 39). The river's location has also been a measure in defining the peoples of the region: in the sources, the war techniques and duties in the Pers army of the Deylemîler, who "remained far from the Dicle river" on the Pers border, are mentioned in this context (Cilt 1, s. 38). Late ancient sources generally provide detailed information about the geography corresponding to the area between the Fırat and Dicle rivers; in this context, it is reported that the Roma army, while attacking Arzenene/Arzun, crossed the Dicle Nehri and razed everything in its path (Cilt 1, s. 56).

In Islamic Geography

In the Islamic period, the Dicle continues to be a fundamental reference for both political geography and settlement history. The large geographical unit of the region, known as Cezîre, is defined directly according to the Dicle and Fırat rivers: The Memlûk period geographer Ebü'l-Fidâ determines the scope of the region by following these two rivers and explains that Cezîre extends north to where the Dicle and Fırat originate, and south to the point where the Fırat approaches the Dicle (Cilt 2, s. 62). The settlement areas of Kürt communities are also described according to the river; the existence of Kürt communities living in the region extending from Cizre to the Dicle is mentioned in the sources (Cilt 2, s. 55).

Islamic geographical literature also describes the water regime of the Dicle in detail. According to these sources, among the tributaries of the Dicle are the Erzen Nehri and the Aşağı Zap, which significantly contribute to the increase in its water volume and flow rate; it is recorded that the source of the Aşağı Zap is in the Sulk Dağları between Şehrezor and Azerbaycan, and it flows into the river upstream of Tikrit (Cilt 2, s. 85).

In City and Personality History

The river has also left its mark on the city and personality history of the region. One of the gates of the city of Âmid (Amid) bears the name Bâbu'l-Mâ, meaning "Dicle Gate," and is mentioned in events related to the history of the Mervânî Devleti (Cilt 1, s. 130). Similarly, it is stated that the Nastûrî scholar İliya en-Nasîbînî was also known as Bar Şînâyâ because he was born in Şînâyâ, located near the Dicle (Cilt 1, s. 136).