Hezbânî

Hezbânî is an important Kurdish tribe frequently mentioned in medieval Kurdish history, which established its own emirate. The tribe is notable for being mentioned alongside major dynasties in Northern Mesopotamia and for producing prominent statesmen during the Ayyubid period.

Among the Tribes

Hezbânî is recorded as one of the important Kurdish tribes located in the geography dominated by the Mervânîler, who ruled in Northern Mesopotamia between 983-1085. In this vast geography, which was dominated by the Mervânîler and called Zevezân (Zozan) in the Middle Ages; its borders extending from Musul in the south to the Ahlât frontier, to the city of Selmâs in Azerbaijan in the east, and to Diyarbekir in the west; Hezbânî is mentioned along with other important Kurdish tribes such as Humeydî, Lârî, Mihrânî, Hakkârî, Buxtî, Beşnevî, Çûpî, and Millî (Volume 1, p. 129).

Period of Emirates

It is recorded that during the Buveyhîler period (h. 334-447 / m. 946-1055), Kurds established emirates and statelets, and these structures continued to exist during the Seljuk period (h. 447-590 / m. 1055-1195) and until the end of the Abbasid caliphate. Among these administrative structures, the most important are listed as the Ayşanî, Hasneveyhî, Anazî, Hezbânî, Büyük Lor, and Küçük Lor Emirates (Volume 2, p. 57). Thus, Hezbânî is mentioned as one of the prominent emirates in the medieval Kurdish geography.

During the Ayyubid Period

The name Hezbânî also stands out during the Ayyubid period. Hüsâmeddîn el-Hezbânî, the deputy and army commander of the Ayyubid sultan el-Melikü's-Sâlih, was one of the important figures of the period (Volume 1, p. 172). His political influence was strong enough to shape the events of the era; for example, the Egyptian mathematician and engineer Alemüddîn Kayser was dismissed from the presidency of Dîvânü'n-Nazar in 647/1250 after his relationship with Hüsâmeddîn el-Hezbânî deteriorated and Hüsâmeddîn complained to the new Ayyubid sultan Tûrânşâh (Volume 1, p. 172).

The historian İbn Vâsıl was welcomed by Hüsâmeddîn el-Hezbânî in Cairo, where he went in 642/1244, and established a long-lasting friendship with him (Volume 1, p. 186). Thanks to this closeness, İbn Vâsıl, as a close friend of Hüsâmeddîn el-Hezbânî, had the opportunity to closely follow the events of the Ayyubid period (Volume 1, p. 186).