Hemedan

Hemedan is a city located in the el-Cibal (Irak-ı Acem) region, which is counted among the areas where Kurds settled in medieval Islamic geography and history sources.

Location and Geography

When the borders of the Cibal region are drawn in the sources, Hemedan is taken as a starting point: these borders are described as the mountains separating the Arab land from the Acem land, starting from Hemedan and Şehrezor Mountains and extending to the Dicle in Cezîre (Vol. 2, p. 55). The city's location has also been defined by its relation to surrounding settlements: Şehrezor is a large settlement located in the Cibal region between Erbil and Hemedan, whose entire population is Kurdish (Vol. 2, p. 37); the same Şehrezor's location is also shown between Musul and Hemedan (Vol. 2, p. 91). Kasr-ı Şirin is found near Hemedan and Hulvan (Vol. 2, p. 90); Brucerd, considered one of the regions close to Hemedan, initially a village, later grew into a city (Vol. 2, p. 88).

Kurdish Population

Hemedan is a geography where the Kurdish population is mentioned. Mes‘ûdî, in his work Mürûcü'ẕ-ẕeheb, drew a very wide geographical boundary for the places where Kurdish tribes lived (Vol. 1, p. 97). Kalkaşendî stated that the inhabitants of Hemedan Mountains are Kurdish (Vol. 2, p. 83). Umerî, on the other hand, points to a Kurdish tribe in the Hemedan mountains called Renkliyye, who are brave, cunning, and number two thousand; they are also called the Cemaluddin Balan community, and Hemedan and Şehrezor are counted among the regions where they spread (Vol. 2, p. 39; Vol. 2, p. 109).

Political History

From the perspective of political history, Hemedan appears as one of the centers of Büveyhî rule. Ebü'ş-Şevk's army defeated Şemsüddevle, the Büveyhî ruler of Hemedan, in Kirmanşah; in 420/1029, Ebü'ş-Şevk succeeded in stopping the Oğuz Turks, who were besieging Dînever and Esedabad, by besieging Hemedan (Vol. 1, p. 142).

Academic Life

The city also left its mark on medieval Islamic academic life. İbnü'l-Fakīh, known by the nisba el-Hemedânî, belonged to the branch that primarily focused on Mekke and Hicaz instead of Bağdat and Irak, and provided information about Kurds in his work Kitâbü'l-Büldân (Vol. 2, p. 13; Vol. 2, p. 14).