Mervânîler

Mervânîler (Benî Mervân/Mervânoğulları, Âl-ı Mervân) were a dynasty that ruled in Northern Mesopotamia between 983-1085; they are also referred to in sources as "el-Mervâniyye Mulûku Diyârbekir" (Mervânî Rulers of Diyarbekir). Sources providing information on their ethnic identity indicate the dynasty belonged to the Çehârbuxtî branch of the Humeydî tribe of the Kurds (Volume 1, p. 129).

Geography and Peoples

The region they dominated encompassed a vast geography known as Zevezân (Zozan) in the Middle Ages; its borders extended from Musul in the south to the Ahlât frontier, to the city of Selmâs in Azerbaijan in the east, and to Diyarbekir in the west. A significant part of this geography was mountainous, with few plains suitable for agriculture. The region harbored important Kurdish tribes such as Humeydî, Lârî, Hezbânî, Mihrânî, Hakkârî, Buxtî, Beşnevî, Çûpî, and Millî; in addition to the dominant Kurdish element, Arabs, Persians, and Deylemîs, as well as non-Muslim Syriacs and Armenians, also lived in the region (Volume 1, p. 129).

Origin of the Dynasty

The dynasty's origin lies with Bâz. When Bâz was killed in a battle, the administration passed to the children of his brother-in-law, Mervân b. Kek. Mervân was originally from a prominent family of Kurmâs Village, located between Siirt and Maden, and worked as a miller in this village; he had married Bâz's sister Fehm, and from this marriage, they had four sons and one daughter. When Bâz began to organize raids on nearby settlements, Mervân's sons joined their uncle's army and never left his side. After Bâz's assassination, his eldest nephew, Ebû Ali el-Hasan b. Mervân, who can be considered the true founder of the state, succeeded him. Ebû Ali was killed by a person named Ebû Tâhir Yûsuf b. Dimne on 4 Zilkade 387 (November 8, 997), while entering the city of Âmid through Bâbu'l-Mâ (Tigris Gate); many soldiers accompanying him were also massacred (Volume 1, p. 130).

Construction and Seljuk Vassalage

During the Nasruddevle period, many public service structures were built in the region for dynasty members, including houses, as well as gardens, water wheels, canals, a mosque, a clock tower, a caravanserai, a bathhouse, a bimaristan, and bridges; furthermore, many towers in the Âmid walls were rebuilt and repaired, a small mosque was established in the city, and repairs were carried out on the city walls of Cizre. While Nasruddevle had fully established his rule, he encountered a new situation with the Seljuks organizing raids to the west, into the Byzantine territories, the Mervânîs' western and northern neighbor. After some time, the Seljuks became the decisive political actor in the region; the Mervânîs also began to formulate all their policies dependent on them, adopting Seljuk vassalage (Volume 1, p. 131).

Collapse

In the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071 (Zi'l-Hicce 463 / August 1071), the Mervânî army sided with Alparslan, and Alparslan, along with the accompanying Mervânî army, emerged victorious. However, the Mervânîs did not gain much from this war; as Alparslan appointed his own governors to Ahlât and Malazgirt while returning to his country, these two important cities fell out of Mervânî administration. After Nizâmeddîn's death in 472/1079-1080, Nâsıruddevle Mansûr ascended the throne. While the region's prosperity reached its peak during Nizâmeddîn's reign, the region's fate changed with the dynasty's collapse under Nâsıruddevle Mansûr's rule by the Seljuks; İbnu'l-Ezrak records that the level of peace and prosperity gradually declined after this collapse (Volume 1, p. 132).

Historical Sources

The sources for Mervânî history are diverse. İbnu'l-Adîm's work on the history of Haleb, titled Buğyetü't-Taleb fî Târîhi Haleb, is important not only for containing rich information about the politicians and scholars of the period but also for correctly recording the name of the Çehârbuxtî tribe to which the Mervânîs belonged (Volume 1, p. 135). İbn Asâkir, during his travels, met many scholars from the dynasty's period in the old Mervânî cities of Bidlis, Duneyser, Erzen, and Mardin, and provided information about them in his work titled Târihu Medîneti Dımaşk (Volume 1, p. 136).