Korduk

Korduk is a historical geographical name used in Late Antiquity Armenian sources for a mountainous region south of Van Gölü. Its name is mentioned along with similar and parallel appellations found in pre-Islamic period sources, such as Med, Kardukhia, Corduene, Qardu (Beth Qardu), Kordrik, and Korçeyk (Volume 1, p. 17).

Relationship with Kurdish History

How much these types of appellations are related to the Kurds is one of the most speculative topics concerning pre-Islamic Kurdish history. Being drawn by the allure of homophonous words to the word Kürt and reaching a direct conclusion is considered an incorrect method; therefore, the variety of words in the sources needs to be analyzed carefully and correctly (Volume 1, pp. 17, 22). Armenian sources, especially after the fourth century AD with the development of Armenian historiography parallel to the Sasanian period, are of great importance for early Kurdish historiography (Volume 1, p. 22).

Korduk in Armenian Sources

The name Korduk appears in various Armenian works. The work attributed to Agathangelos, nicknamed "the good messenger" and considered the first Armenian History written in Armenian, is one of the sources where the geography of Korduk is mentioned (Volume 1, p. 73). In the work attributed to P'awstos Buzand, it is written that the people of Korduk, Kordik, and Korcheyk allied with the Armenians and fought against the Persians (Volume 1, p. 75). The same work is considered one of the important sources of Kurdish history because it also contains the Niphates (Npat) mountains and rich geographical descriptions related to the historical geography of Kürdistan (Volume 1, p. 75).

Moses Khorenatsi uses the term "Korduats'i" for the region south of Van Gölü, and the name "Korduk" for a mountainous region also south of this lake; he also states that I. Ardeşir, the founder of the Sasanian state, pursued a Parth dignitary who rebelled against him, through Korduk all the way to Azerbaycan (Volume 1, p. 77). Ełishe, in addition to the expressions Korduk and Kordik, also mentions the Tmorik (Thamanon) region; according to him, the inhabitants of regions extending from south of Van Gölü to Mezopotamya, such as Korduk, Dasn/Duhok(?), Tsawde, and Arznarzn, had been baptized and joined the Catholic church (Volume 1, p. 78).

In the text attributed to Sebeos, it is recounted that a rebellious group of nobles, after burning and destroying everything in their path in the region, even attacked the "inaccessible" land/mountains of Korduk and attempted to capture the fortresses there; in another section of the same text, it is stated that the people of Kordrik were "infidels" (Volume 1, p. 79).

Geographical Scope with Korçeyk

In a later source, Korduk is discussed together with the regions of Korçeyk and Kordrik. According to this work, Korçeyk is a broad geographical area encompassing Korduk, which includes T'man' (Thamanon), and the upper, middle, and lower Kordrik regions, and is a slightly larger-scale version of the region referred to as Kardukhia and Corduene in classical sources, extending north and east. It is stated that the name Korçeyk itself is the Armenian version of Gordyene or Corduene, which appear in Latin/Greek sources (Volume 1, p. 80).