Şeref Han

Şeref Han (Şeref Han Bitlisî) is a 16th-century Kurdish bey and historian, the author of Şerefnâme, which is one of the fundamental sources of Kurdish history and was the Ruler of Bitlis. He is mentioned in sources both as a historian who wrote the history of Kurdish tribes and dynasties, and as a political-military figure who took part in the Ottoman-Iranian struggles of his era.

Historiography and Şerefnâme

As a historian, Şeref Han's main work is Şerefnâme, which begins with an introduction discussing the genealogies of Kurdish tribes. In the first volume of the work, in addition to the history of Kurdish tribes and dynasties founded by Kurds, Şeref Han's own autobiography is also included; while the second volume covers the history of Ottoman sultans and their contemporary rulers of Iran and Turan from 689/1290 to 1005/1597 (Cilt 1, s. 146).

His Accounts Regarding Annâzî History

Şeref Han is also mentioned in sources for his accounts concerning early Kurdish dynasties. He is counted among the historians who recorded the name of the Annâzî dynasty, which ruled in the Cibal region west of Iran, as "Benû Ayyâr" along with authors such as İbnü'l-Cevzî and Hamdullah Müstevfî; this naming is among the accounts that make its attribution to the word "eyar," a Kurdish word also seen in the nisba of some Kurdish figures, probable (Cilt 1, s. 141). When listing the fundamental sources related to Annâzî history, Şerefhân's Şerefnâme is also mentioned alongside the works of İbn Miskeveyh, Hilâl b. Muhassin es-Sâbî, İbnü'l-Esîr, İbnü'l-Cevzî, and Hamdullah el-Müstevfî; according to İbnü'l-Esîr and Şerefhan, the Annâzî period lasted 130 years (Cilt 1, s. 147).

In Ottoman Sources

In Ottoman sources, Şeref Han is featured with his political and military activities. While it is stated that Bitlis has been the center of Kurdish princes since ancient times, it is recorded that Bitlis was given to Şeref Han, the grandson of Şeref Bey, as a result of his support for the Ottomans (Cilt 4, s. 34). In the illustrated Nusretnâme, which describes the Kafkasya Seferi (Caucasus Campaign) of 1578-1580 under the command of Lala Mustafa Paşa, the issue of Bitlis Ruler Şeref Han's obedience to the Ottomans and his arrival in Van is discussed; it is described in detail that the four women in his retinue were Şeref Han's wife and sisters, that they wore white turbans and long, full-length dresses, and that the child in a basket beside them also wore a white turban (Cilt 4, s. 36).

Şeref Han's changing allegiance is also reflected in Ottoman archival records. In a decree sent to the Van Beylerbeyi, it is seen that land from Havvas-ı Hümayun was granted to Şeref Han's men, who were previously on the side of the Safeviler and were the rulers of Nahçıvan, in exchange for their scarce lands; and also that places generating a significant amount of income were given to Şeref Han himself (Cilt 3, s. 23).