emirate · Anatolia and the Levant

Emirate of Bitlis

1182 CE – 1849 CE (approx.) · capital Bitlis

A Kurdish emirate that ruled Bitlis for centuries and produced Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, author of the Sharafnama, the first history of the Kurds.

Origins

Bitlis, at a gorge south-west of Lake Van, came under the Rojiki, a Kurdish tribal confederation, whose emirs claimed descent from ancient Kurdish lords. Their rule is traditionally dated from the late 12th century, though early details rest on the family's own later history.

Rule and society

The emirs ruled from Bitlis castle over a mountain district controlling the road from Iran to the Tigris. After 1514 they accepted Ottoman suzerainty with hereditary autonomy, alternating between Ottoman and Safavid sides. Emir Sharaf Khan Bidlisi completed the Sharafnama in Persian in 1597, a history of Kurdish dynasties. Evliya Celebi described the rich court of Abdal Khan in 1655, shortly before an Ottoman army attacked him.

Decline and legacy

In the 19th-century Ottoman centralisation the hereditary emirs were removed, and Bitlis was placed under appointed governors by 1849.

Connections (2)

  • Emirate of Bitlis was a vassal of Aq Qoyunlu1470 CE – 1503 CE
  • Emirate of Bitlis was a vassal of Ottoman Empire1515 CE – 1849 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻