Hizan

Hizan, located around Bitlis, is a settlement and administrative unit historically governed by Kurdish beys. During the Ottoman period, it was first recorded as a government/sancak with yurtluk-ocaklık status, and later as a kaza affiliated with Bitlis Vilayeti.

Administrative Position in the Ottoman Period

Hizan is mentioned under the administration of Kurdish beys from the early period when the Ottoman Empire brought the region under its dominion. Among the Kurdish mîrs who moved with the Ottoman army during Yavuz Sultan Selim's campaigns in Iran (East), Hizan Hâkimi Emir Dâvergüzîn is also included, alongside Bitlis Hâkimi Emir Şerafedin (Cilt 4, s. 35).

The administrative position of the region is evident in Ottoman archival documents. Hizan is counted among the administrative units affiliated with Diyarbekir and Kürdistan vilayets, along with units such as Çapakçur, Hasankeyf, and Zaho (Cilt 3, s. 50). In Mühimme records, it is seen that places like Hizan, Şirvi, and İspa(yert) were given under the command of Mahmudi sancakbeyi Hasan Bey, who was tasked with the annexation of Kıran Kalesi, which was affiliated with Iran (Cilt 3, s. 15). These records are part of the administrative system where Kurdish beys governed places like Hizan for centuries on a hereditary, yurtluk-ocaklık basis (Cilt 3, s. 50).

Hizan in Şerefnâme

Şeref Han records in Şerefnâme that the people of Hizan are Muslim, and they rise at night and dawn to worship; information is also conveyed regarding the situation of the Mahmudî beys and the surrounding Kurdish tribes in the same region (Cilt 4, s. 40).

Kaza in Salnames

In salname and population records belonging to the late Ottoman period, Hizan appears as one of the first-class kazas of Bitlis Sancağı, affiliated with Bitlis Vilayeti; the İspayert/İsparit nahiye is attached to the kaza, which is mentioned alongside Ahlat and Mutki (Cilt 4, s. 259). In the administrative division of Bitlis Vilayeti, Ahlat, Hizan, and Mutki are listed together (Cilt 4, s. 119); in village count tables, it is stated that 173 villages are registered to Hizan Kazası (Cilt 4, s. 126). The existence of an unnamed castle in Hizan is also mentioned in salnames (Cilt 4, s. 302).

Language and Culture

An important record regarding Hizan's linguistic and cultural structure appears in the language classification of the region's population: it is stated that in the kazas of Şirvan, Hizan, Harzan, and Beravil within Bitlis Vilayeti, there are many Armenians who do not know Armenian and speak only Kurdish (Cilt 4, s. 173). The kaza is also known for its religious and scholarly figures; names such as Hizanlı Şeyh Mehmed Bathayi and Şeyh Teyran from İsparit, who has Kurdish and Persian poems, have been recorded in Bitlis salnames (Cilt 4, s. 301).