Erciş

Erciş is a historical city located north of Van Gölü, continuously mentioned in sources of Kurdish history from the Islamic period to the last years of the Ottoman Empire. So much so that in Ottoman periodicals, Van Gölü is sometimes directly referred to as "Erciş Gölü", introduced as the largest lake between Kürdistan and Ermeniye (Cilt 4, s. 85).

Islamic Period Sources

In Islamic period geography and travel books, Erciş is counted among the prominent cities of the vast region called "Ermenistan". In these sources, the region is described by dividing it into four parts; when listing the cities of "Üçüncü Ermenistan", Erciş is mentioned along with Kalkila (Kalikila), Hilat (Ahlat), and Bacunis (Cilt 2, s. 59). el-Bağdâdî lists Şamşat, Kalikila, Erciş, and Bacunis as the most important cities of Ermenistan; Yakut el-Hamevî repeats this information without alteration (Cilt 2, s. 60). The common emphasis of these sources is that a significant portion of the populations of Azerbaycan, Ran, and Ermenistan consists of Kürtler (Cilt 2, s. 60).

Medieval Kurdish Dynasties

The geography in which Erciş is located entered the sphere of influence of Kurdish dynasties in the Middle Ages. The region dominated by the Mervânîler (Benî Mervân) extended from Musul in the south to the border of Ahlat (Cilt 1, s. 129). The Dustekî-Mervanî Kürt Devleti (h. 345-489 / m. 956-1095) is considered the most prominent example of the period when Kürtler ruled in Cezîre; the influence of this state covered a wide area including Ahlat, Van, and Bitlis, and the surrounding mîrler declared their allegiance to it (Cilt 2, s. 64).

Ottoman Period

The richness of the region in terms of administrative and financial records in Ottoman archive documents is noteworthy: Hundreds of tımar ruznamçe records related to places densely populated by Kürtler, such as Van, Erciş, and Adilcevaz, are found (Cilt 3, s. 29).

In the late Ottoman period, Erciş regularly took its place in the administrative division as a kaza of Van Vilayeti (Cilt 4, s. 119; Cilt 4, s. 142). In the classifications of Kürdistan Eyaleti, Erciş was also counted among the kazas affiliated with Van Livası, along with Bargiri and Adilcevaz (Cilt 4, s. 247; Cilt 4, s. 261). According to Salname records, Erciş Kazası consisted of 122 villages and 6 nahiyes (Cilt 4, s. 126). The towns of Erciş, Adilcevaz, and Bargiri are located around Van Gölü as kaza centers affiliated with Van mutasarrıflığı; in these sources, the distance between Bargiri and Erciş is given as seven hours, and between Erciş and Adilcevaz as twelve hours (Cilt 4, s. 143). Erciş was also a stop on the postal route extending from Sivas to Van via Bayburt, Erzincan, Erzurum, and Malazgirt (Cilt 4, s. 139). Geographically considered one of the kazas on the shore of Van Gölü, the Haydar Bey and Orta rivers originating from Erciş flow into the lake (Cilt 4, s. 277).

Republican Period

The name of Erciş is also reflected in sources during the founding process of the Republic: Among the notables of the Van region who reacted to discourses regarding the cession of Vilayat-ı Şarkiye to Ermenistan was also Erciş Mayor Muştak Bey (Cilt 3, s. 140).