Sincar

Sincar (Kurdish Şengal) is a historical settlement area in northern Mesopotamia, located in today's Iraq-Syria border region, and referred to in sources as both a mountain and a city. Sincar, which is among the important stops of the Cezîre geography, has been discussed in various sources within the geography of Kurdish history from antiquity to the Ottoman period.

Ancient and Islamic Period Sources

In ancient sources, the region is mentioned along with the communities living around it. Some Syriac sources mention groups living around Şengal/Sincar Dağı who possess unique beliefs described as "strange" (Vol. 1, p. 19). Such records are evaluated for providing information about the general characteristics of the inhabitants of the same geography in the ancient period.

In Islamic period geographical literature, Sincar is classified as part of the Cezîre region. While İbn Havkal divides Cezîre into three parts: Diyar-ı Bekr, Diyar-ı Rabia, and Diyar-ı Mudar, he lists Nusaybin, Cizre, Beled, Rasulayn, and Sincar among the prominent cities of Diyar-ı Rabia, whose center is Musul (Vol. 2, p. 62). The historian and geographer İbn Şeddad, when speaking of Sincar, writes that its people are Kürt, brave, and generous; he also records that he met with Şeyh Abdullah el-Kürdî, a righteous, devout, and ascetic person among the leading sheikhs of the area (Vol. 2, p. 64). İbn Battûta also uses the term Kürt especially when referring to the inhabitants of Sincar (Vol. 2, p. 38). Sincar is mentioned as one of the first cities that come to mind among the settlements inhabited by Kürt people, along with cities such as Amed, Cizre, Hasankeyf, Erbil, Bitlis, and Nusaybin (Vol. 2, p. 115).

Sincar Mountain

Sincar Dağı is also discussed as a separate topic in geographical sources. Kazvinî, when speaking of Sincar Dağı, includes a story recounted by others: that six months and eight days after the flood, Nuh's ark struck Sincar Dağı, and that Nuh, realizing the water had begun to recede, rejoiced and prayed for this mountain to be blessed (Vol. 2, p. 83).

Ayyubid and Ottoman Periods

During the Ayyubid period, Sincar was subject to the political arrangements of the time. According to İbn Şeddad's account, Selahaddin Eyyûbî ceded Sincar along with Habur to the Zengîs in exchange for Halep being given to him (Vol. 2, p. 103).

During the Ottoman period, Sincar regularly appears in administrative records. In the tahrir defters belonging to the Diyarbekir Eyaleti, Sincar is mentioned as a nahiye and a sancak; in the Vilayet-i Diyar-i Bekr Defteri (937/1530), Sincar was also recorded along with Amid, Mardin, Musul, and other sancaks (Vol. 3, p. 20). In late period administrative arrangements, Sincar is also counted among the administrative units affiliated with the Diyarbekir vilayet (Vol. 3, p. 50). In Ottoman geographical descriptions, Sincar Dağı is indicated as the southern border when defining the boundaries of the Diyarbekir Vilayeti (Vol. 4, p. 86).