Emirate of Kilis

Emirate of Kilis (Kurdish: Mîrektiya Kilîsê‎) was a Kurdish emirate which ruled the Kilis and Aleppo regions up until the disintegration of the Ayyubid dynasty in 1264. The leader of Kilis had the title Mend and the main religion was Yazidism.[1][2]

History

Origin

The rulers of Kilis are supposedly descendants of Caliph Abbas and it is claimed that they originate from around Hakkâri and Amadiya. The progenitor is claimed to be a Prince named Mentesh which the title Mend derives from.[3]

Rule

When the Ayyubid dynasty collapsed around 1260, the Mamluks appointed Mend Kasım as ruler of the emirate. The Mamluks ultimately changed their support to İzzeddin, but he with Mamluk support failed at removing Kasım from power. When Ottoman Sultan Selim I expanded his empire and conquered the area, he received support from Mend Kasım. However, while visiting Constantinople, Kasım was executed by the Sultan after the latter had received a report from Karaca Beg, the Governor of Aleppo, and İzzeddin on the possible disorder in the case of Kasım's return to Kilis. After years of servitude to the Sultan, Kasım's son, Canpolat succeeded in obtaining the right to govern Kilis in 1515[4] and governed until his death in 1572. His son Hüseyin was able to expand the emirate towards Aleppo but was executed by the local pasha after being accused of murder. The emirate was subsequently governed by Hüseyin's nephew Ali who went on a revenge campaign against his rivals for the death of his uncle. The Ottomans thus sent an army to remove Ali who had to flee to Constantinople where he was executed in 1610.[2]

Despite a paucity of information, the followers of Ali remained in the region and were a source of trouble between 1613 and the 1690s, notably the Okçu İzzeddinli tribe which was involved in banditry.[2]

The Canbolatoğulları

The descendants of Canbolat are named 'Canbolatoğulları' and fled to Lebanon in 1630. The Druze Jumblatt family are descendants of this family.[5] The Jumblatt family is an important family in Lebanese history and is still involved in Lebanese politics.[6]

References

Sharafkhan Bidlisi (2016). Şerefname : Kürt tarihi (in Turkish). Translated by Sunkur, İbrahim. Van: Sîtav. p. 248. ISBN 9786056652011. OCLC 984148348.
Soyudoğan, Muhsin (September 2015). "Tribal Bandistry in Ottoman Ayntab (1690-1730)". Bilkent University: 39–42. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
Heinrich Alfred Barb (1857). Geschichtliche Skizze der in der Chronik von Scheref behandelten dreiunddreissig verschiedenen Kundischen Fürstengeschlechter (in German). Vienna: H. & St. Druckerei. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
T.A., Sinclair (1990). Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey. IV. Pindar Press. p. 114. ISBN 9781904597797.
İlgürel, Mücteba. "Canbolatoğullari". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
Bidwell, Robin (1998). Dictionary of Modern Arab History: An A to Z of Over 2,000 Entries from 1798. Routledge. p. 219. ISBN 9780710305053.