Kalkaşendî

Kalkaşendî (Ebü'l-Abbas Ahmed el-Kalkaşendî) was a scholar and scribe of the Mamluk period. His most renowned work is Subhu'l-A'şâ, concerning state organization and the art of scribeship (Vol. 2, p. 44). Subhu'l-A'şâ forms an important link in this geographical and scribal tradition, following Ali b. Said el-Mağribî who preceded him (Vol. 2, p. 30).

Subhu'l-A'şâ and the Kurds

Subhu'l-A'şâ is a work that introduces the land and sea routes of countries, famous cities and important centers, the character and traditions of their inhabitants, in a way that assists those who wish to travel; it also addresses how rulers and sultans in different towns should be addressed (Vol. 2, p. 44). The work provides information on mountainous regions and the fortresses and castles belonging to the Kurds there, discusses some Kurdish customs and traditions, the relations of the Kurds with their neighbors, and Kurdish figures who contributed to Islamic history; the word Kurd appears in the text in over thirty places, and sometimes a separate paragraph is dedicated to each usage (Vol. 2, p. 44).

Ayyubid State Organization

Subhu'l-A'şâ also contains important and original information regarding the Ayyubid state organization. Kalkaşendî, addressing the relationship of Ayyubid institutions with their predecessors, the Fatimid and Zengid institutions, meticulously detailed the symbols of sovereignty, the structure of military units, court officials, judicial, military, and financial institutions, and the tax system during the Ayyubid period (Vol. 1, p. 195).

Origin of the Kurds

Kalkaşendî, who also transmits narratives regarding the origin of the Kurds, in the lineage story based on Noah's sons, presents the Kurds as descendants of "Iran, son of Ashur"; however, he transmitted this information from Ibn Khaldun's work titled el-İber (Vol. 2, p. 49).

Geographical Classification and Kurdish Homelands

In the field of geography, Kalkaşendî divided the inhabited part of the earth into regions in his own unique way. In addition to the division based on seven climates, Kalkaşendî, who also classified using a separate method, states that the first of the inhabited parts is Iran, dividing it into two sections: north and south; he divides the northern section into twelve regions (Ermenistan, Azerbaycan, Ran, Cibal, Deylem Ülkesi, Cil, Tabaristan, Mazenderan, Kumis, Horasan, Zabilistan, Ğor), and the southern section into six regions (Vol. 2, p. 54).

Kalkaşendî, like Ebü'l-Fidâ, introduced the Cibal region, considered one of the homelands where Kurds lived, and defined its borders as Azerbaycan to the west, Irak and a part of Huzistan to the south, Horasan and the Fars Plateau to the east, and Deylem lands and Kazvin to the north; he designated Isfahan as the center of the region (Vol. 2, p. 56). He speaks of Kurdish tribes that established emirates and statelets in the region; among these structures, the Ayşanî, Hasneveyhî, Anazî, Hezbânî, Büyük Lor, and Küçük Lor Emirates are counted among the most important (Vol. 2, p. 57). Kalkaşendî, who also defined the borders of Azerbaycan within neighboring regions, delimits it to the east by the lands of Deylem and Cibal, and to the south by Irak, Hulvan, and Cezîre (Vol. 2, p. 60). Regarding Cezîre, he relates, quoting el-Umerî, that it is a large country and its center is Musul (Vol. 2, p. 62). Together with Ibn Said el-Mağribî, he states that Erbil is the center of Şehrezor (Vol. 2, p. 92).

Kurdish Figures

Kalkaşendî also includes prominent Kurdish figures from the Fatimid and Ayyubid periods in his work; for example, he mentions the Kurd Seyfeddin b. Huseyn b. Ebi el-Heyca and speaks of his Kurdish origin and his role in political events during the Fatimid period (Vol. 2, p. 79).