emirate · Anatolia and the Levant

Dilmaçoğulları

1085 CE – 1192 CE (approx.) · capital Bitlis

A minor Turkish dynasty that ruled Bitlis and Erzen in south-eastern Anatolia in the 12th century.

Origins

Known mainly from brief mentions in Arabic chronicles, the dynasty descended from a Turkish commander named Dilmac who received Bitlis and Erzen, south-west of Lake Van, after the Seljuk conquest of the region in the late 11th century.

Rule and society

Its best-documented ruler is Toghan Arslan, nicknamed the Hunchback, who held Bitlis and Erzen in the early 12th century, allied with the Artuqid Ilghazi against the Georgians and the Crusaders, and fought his neighbours over Mayyafariqin. The beylik controlled the pass between Lake Van and the Tigris basin and acted as a vassal of stronger neighbours.

Decline and legacy

The dynasty faded under the pressure of the Shah-Armens of Ahlat and later the Ayyubids; its lands were absorbed around the end of the 12th century.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (2)

  • Dilmaçoğulları was a vassal of Shah-Armens1100 CE – 1192 CE
  • Dilmaçoğulları was conquered by Shah-Armens1192 CE

More states of Anatolia and the Levant →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dilmaçoğulları. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dilmacogullari
MLA
“Dilmaçoğulları.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dilmacogullari. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Dilmaçoğulları.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dilmacogullari.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dilmaçoğulları’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dilmacogullari (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻