Palu

Palu, in the Ottoman administrative system, was a Kurdish principality and administrative unit with "hükümet" status, hereditarily ruled by Kurdish beys. The principality, located in the Diyarbekir region, is mentioned in Ottoman archival records as part of Eyalet-i Kürdistan and later became a kaza (district) attached to the Ergani Madeni sanjak.

Timar and Hükümet Records

Palu is documented in Ottoman archives as one of the administrative structures operating under the yurtluk-ocaklık and hükümet system, ruled by Kurdish beys; important records regarding the functioning of this system are found in the timar ruznamçe defters (Volume 3, p. 28). One of the records demonstrating the hereditary structure of the principality is the assignment of a zeamet to the son of Palu bey Cemşid Bey in 946/1539; it is seen that the timar ruznamçe defters contain detailed information about the type and quantity of lands given to the relatives of Kurdish beys, and in this context, the transfer of the zeamet assigned to Cemşid Bey's son is recorded in detail (Volume 3, p. 27).

The place of the Palu hükümet within the Ottoman administrative system has been discussed in Murat Alanoğlu's study titled "Osmanlı İdâri Sistemi İçerisinde Palu Hükûmeti," and the importance of timar ruznamçe records for yurtluk-ocaklık and hükümet sanjaks has been emphasized (Volume 3, p. 28). Data concerning the Palu hükümet can be found in different classifications of Ottoman archives (Volume 3, p. 29; Volume 3, p. 50).

Administrative and Military Obligations

Palu is counted among the administrative units of Eyalet-i Kürdistan in Ottoman archival documents; in this context, units such as Cizre, İmadiye, Sason, Palu, Genç, and Eğil have been recorded together (Volume 3, p. 51). As an example of the principality's military obligations, a decree sent to the sanjakbeys of Hazzo, Eğil, and Palu requested that tribal chiefs, along with their retinues, be dispatched from Trablus İskelesi to Kıbrıs and then to Girit to participate in the Girit campaign (Volume 3, p. 15). Decrees concerning Palu are also recorded in the ahkâm defters belonging to Diyarbekir (Volume 3, p. 31).

Decrees sent to the Palu Hâkim (Judge) serve as examples of correspondence between the central administration and the region in the 18th century (Volume 3, p. 32). According to a record in the Maraş Ahkâm Defterleri, individuals named Seyyid Halil, Seyyid Mustafa, and Seyyid Ebubekir applied to the court, claiming that their father Seyyid Ömer was the administrator of the waqf built by their ancestors, but that Süleyman and İbrahim, sons of the Palu bey, had unlawfully seized the waqf; upon the complaint, the court ruled that the waqf should be returned to its former owners, the Palu bey should be warned, and the issue should be resolved as soon as possible (Volume 3, p. 32; Volume 3, p. 33).

Waqfs

Palu is also a center where waqf institutions were located. Some waqfs were established by Cemşid Bey, one of the important Kurdish administrators of the period; Cemşid Bey endowed a farm known as Hızır Çiftliği to Derviş Mehmed Efendi from the ulema in 1547, and the land of Şeyh Piran in 962/1555 (Volume 3, p. 53).

Late Ottoman Period

In the Late Ottoman period, Palu was included in the administrative division as a kaza within the Ergani Madeni sanjak, which was part of the Diyarbekir vilayet (Volume 4, p. 119). Administrative records state that Palu kaza had 316 villages and 8 nahiyes (sub-districts) (Volume 4, p. 127); settlements such as Yalancı, Evlağı, Mirvan, Halilan, Hun, and Erdo were recorded as the Palu nahiye center with a total of 321 villages (Volume 4, p. 159).

During the years of the First World War, Palu became part of the war front; there are documents indicating that during the Harb-i Umumî, Ottoman troops, along with volunteer militia forces, fought against the Russian army on the front extending from Muş and Bitlis line to Erzurum and Palu (Volume 3, p. 129). Records concerning the Christian population in Bitlis, Muş, Harput, Palu, and their vicinities during the same period are also found in the archives (Volume 3, p. 70). Furthermore, the publication named Füyuzat-ı Kürdiye, planned to be published by Palutzade Mehmed Halil Efendi in Harput and covering scientific, literary, agricultural, and commercial topics, is mentioned among the records concerning the region's press life (Volume 3, p. 76).