Mardastan

Mardastan is a historical region, mentioned in ancient and late antique sources as part of the geography of Armenia, located around Van Gölü. Its name is reflected in sources in connection with the Mardi tribe living in the region.

Tacitus and the Mardi

In Cornelius Tacitus' work Annales, the people of the region are mentioned while describing the war waged by Roma against the Parthalara in MS 59. When the Roman general Corbulo captured some regions in Armenia, primarily Artaxata, and planned to occupy Tigranokert as well, he used violence against local elements that stood in his way; the local people evacuated their villages to escape the Roma army, taking refuge in high mountain areas and caves, where they were trapped and set on fire. The Mardi, whom Tacitus described as engaging in "banditry," suffered a similar fate; according to the work's narrative, the Mardi tribe controlled some areas in Armenia (Cilt 1, s. 48).

Two Mardastan Regions

Until Geç Antik Çağ, there were two distinct Mardastan regions in the Armenia area. The first of these is the geography of Mardastan localized from the northeast of Van Gölü towards Azerbaycan and present-day İran territories. The second is the region referred to as "original Mardastan" in the area extending from the west of Gürpınar Ovası (Hayot Jor), which is currently a district of Van, to Başkale. The Mardastan mentioned by the Armenian historian Ełishe is the Mardastan located to the east of Van Gölü; Ełishe also mentions the Mardoyali region, located in northeastern Armenia, in the same context (Cilt 1, s. 78).

Geographical Framework

The geographical framework of the region is evaluated together with the surrounding Armenian administrative units. The Korçeyk region was located to the east of Mokk/Miks (Bahçesaray) and was a vast geography encompassing Korduk and the upper, middle, and lower Kordrik regions. This geography was a slightly larger-scale area extending north and east of the region referred to as Kardukhia and Corduene in classical sources; however, this name is the Armenian version of Gordyene or Korduene mentioned in Latin/Greek sources. Mardastan is also mentioned within this framework, along with the region extending from the east of Van Gölü towards Gürpınar Ovası (Hayot Jor) (Cilt 1, s. 80).