İstanbul

İstanbul (formerly known as Kostantiniye / Konstantinopolis) is a city that stands out in the sources of Kurdish history as a center for the political, cultural, and intellectual life of Kurds, both in medieval Islamic geographical literature and during the Ottoman period.

In Medieval Geographical Literature

In medieval Islamic travel and geographical literature, the city is mentioned through the information conveyed by İbn Battûta. According to this, "Tekfur lands" are Kostantiniye, which is present-day İstanbul; the reason the city bears this name, according to information provided by İbn Battûta, is based on Tekfur, the son of King Cercis, who was its ruler (Vol. 2, p. 56).

Ottoman Classical Period

During the Ottoman classical period, İstanbul was a city where authors who served as sources for Kurdish history were raised, being a center of scholarly and state life. Müneccimbaşı, known for his Arabic general history titled Câmiü'd-düvel, after starting his scholarly and educational life at the Selanik Mevlevîhanesi, went to İstanbul to study Islamic sciences as well as medicine and natural sciences, and on this occasion, served as müneccimbaşı in the Ottoman palace for many years (Vol. 1, p. 103).

The Second Constitutional Era and Archives

The city's true significance for Kurdish historiography becomes evident during the II. Meşrutiyet Dönemi (1908-1914). This period was one in which Kurds were politically, culturally, and intellectually active; archival records related to numerous societies, associations, newspapers, and magazines established by Kurds, primarily in İstanbul and other geographies of the empire, maintain their importance as invaluable sources for Kurdish historiography (Vol. 3, p. 10).

İstanbul is also a center where relations between the state and Kurdish tribes can be traced. The Yıldız Sarayı Archive, collected at the Yıldız Sarayı in the city and containing documents, registers, and photographs from the period of II. Abdülhamid (1876-1909), houses a significant portion of the correspondence regarding the Hamidiye Alayları, which holds an important place in Kurdish historiography; this collection includes photographs showing scenes such as the Miran Aşireti joining the Hamidiye Alayları in front of the Diyarbekir Hükümet Konağı, as well as reports prepared by governors serving in provinces like Van and Bitlis (Vol. 3, p. 93).