Zaho

Zaho was a district of the Musul Vilayet during the Ottoman period. In the Ottoman administrative division, it was recorded as a district mentioned alongside units such as Akre, Zibar, Duhok, Sincar, and İmadiye around the Musul Sancağı (Cilt 4, s. 119).

Administrative Structure and Archive Records

In Ottoman archive classifications, Zaho appears as an administrative unit from early periods. In the Kamil Kepeci Classification, when listing the sanjaks and units affiliated with the Diyarbekir vilayet, Zaho is mentioned among the administrative units along with places such as Hasankeyf, Hizan, Çapakçur, and Resulayn (Cilt 3, s. 50). In the administrative division based on Salname data, Zaho appears as a district within the Musul Sancağı with 109 villages and one sub-district (Cilt 4, s. 127).

Natural Resources and Trade

The district of Zaho was also a subject in the Salnames regarding its natural resources. It was stated that various mines, especially coal mines, were located in the mountainous part of the district; however, most of these mines could not be utilized. It was noted that a small oil mine, administered by the state, was located approximately two hours away from Zaho town (Cilt 4, s. 281). From a commercial perspective, Zaho was on one of the important routes of the Musul Vilayet; the Zaho road formed the trade route extending to Siirt and Bitlis (Cilt 4, s. 296).

After World War I

After World War I, Zaho became a strategic point. It was reflected in the coded telegrams of the period that Musul Deputy Governor Nuri Bey left Musul at the end of 1918 and moved to Zaho to come to Cizre (Cilt 3, s. 132). During this period, statements that the Kurdish tribes of Zaho, Duhok, and İmadiye in Musul had shown extraordinary loyalty to the center for a long time, could be incited to revolt against the British if desired, and that British police and soldiers in Zaho and İmadiye could be eliminated, were conveyed by Van Governor Haydar Bey to the Dâhiliye Nezareti (Cilt 3, s. 122).

In the same turbulent period, following the killing of a British political officer, the İmadiye and Zaho tribes allied and attacked the British beyond Zaho, killing one hundred people, and seizing two cannons and a considerable amount of money and ammunition, as reported in coded telegrams dated 1919 (Cilt 3, s. 133).