Diyarbekir

Diyarbekir (Âmid), one of the central cities of Upper Mesopotamia, has stood out throughout history as both a dynastic center and one of the most important administrative and economic centers of the Kurdish geography during the Ottoman period. The city is referred to in sources by both Diyarbekir and its old name, Âmid.

Islamic Period

During the Islamic period, Diyarbekir was one of the main cities forming the western border of the Mervânî dynasty, which ruled in Northern Mesopotamia between 983-1085; indeed, the Mervânîs were also referred to by names such as “el-Mervâniyye Mulûku Diyârbekir” (Mervânî Rulers of Diyarbekir). The western end of the geography called Zevezân (Zozan) in the Middle Ages, dominated by the Mervânîs, who were shown to belong to the Çehârbuxtî branch of the Kurdish Humeydî tribe, extended to Diyarbekir (Cilt 1, s. 129). Another record pointing to the region's place in Islamic cultural history is İbn Ebû Usaybi‘a’s medical history work ‘Uyûnü’l-Enbâ’ fî Tabakâti’l-Etibbâ’; the tenth chapter of the work was dedicated to physicians living in Iraq, el-Cezîre, and Diyarbekir, and included biographies of 74 physicians (Cilt 1, s. 180).

Ottoman Province and Records

During the Ottoman period, Diyarbekir became the center of an independent province. There are numerous tahrir defters recorded in different periods related to the Diyarbekir Eyaleti; thanks to these defters, it is possible to obtain extensive information about the villages and hamlets where Kurds lived, the settlements of non-Muslims they lived with, the products produced, tribal names, the taxes paid by tribes, and the waqfs they established (Cilt 3, s. 19). The 937/1530 dated Vilayet-i Diyar-i Bekr ve ‘Arap ve Zü’l-Kadiriyye Defteri includes the tahrirs of sancaks such as Amid, Mardin, Sincar, Musul, ‘Arabgir, Ergani, Çermük, Siverek, Kiğı, Çemişgezek, Harput, Ruha; the detailed kanunname of the defter contains information about taxes such as ispenç, ağnam, asiyab (mill), yaylak, and kışlak collected from the reaya in the administrative units connected to Diyarbekir (Cilt 3, s. 20). It is seen that sancak tahrirs were also kept independently, as in the 924/1518 dated Diyarbekir Mufassal Tahrir Defteri (Cilt 3, s. 21).

The city stands out in judicial records as well as administrative records. The originals of Diyarbekir kadı sicilleri are found in the archive in İstanbul, and although there are no records from the 16th century, Şer’iyye Sicilleri are available, which started in 1065/1654 and were regularly kept until 1338/1919 (Cilt 3, s. 38). In the Hurufat Defterleri regarding educational life, there are records concerning the appointments of duâgû serving in Amid medreses and the varying fees of these officials, ranging between five and ten akçe (Cilt 3, s. 34).

Trade and Finance

Diyarbekir was also an important trade and finance center. The city was one of the strategic points for transporting goods from Iran to Anatolia and Halep; merchants paid customs (tamga) tax when they sold their goods brought to the Diyarbekir Gümrüğü (Cilt 3, s. 35). Records regarding the Diyarbekir treasury show unpaid cizye and avarızhaneler as well as official salaries; for example, records concerning tribes and muhassıllar who did not pay their taxes between 1081-1082/1671-1672 shed light on the city's socio-economic situation (Cilt 3, s. 36).

Tribes and Administration

Diyarbekir governors also played a central role in regulating conflicts between Kurdish mirs and tribes in the region. Rulings were sent from the center to the Diyarbekir governor for the punishment of those who caused conflicts with tribes in regions administered by Kurdish mirs (Cilt 3, s. 17), and similarly, firmans concerning Kurdish tribes were conveyed to the governors of Maraş, Halep, and Diyarbekir (Cilt 3, s. 13). The region hosted important Kurdish tribes; Zilan is referred to as an ancient tribe extending “from Diyarbekir to serhada” (Cilt 3, s. 12). A Mühimme record mentions the Bisyan and Bociyan tribes migrating from Diyarbekir with 300 households to the regions of Erzurum and Malazgirt; these records bear important traces of tribal mobility from Diyarbekir towards the serhad region (Cilt 3, s. 13).