The Kurdish Emirate of Brādōst, 1510-1609

Abstract

The Brādōst Kurdish emirate, ruling over Rawāndiz and adjoining areas including parts of Urmīya, is one of the numerous Kurdish ruling families of Kurdistan, which succumbed to the conquering Ottoman and Safavid arms in the 16th-century. While Ardalān, Ḥakkārī, Chamīšgazak, and many other Kurdish emirates were yielded to the several recent studies, Brādōst remained a neglected Kurdish emirate. By analyzing written documents produced during the 16th-century — from both Ottoman and Safavid sources — a better understanding can be had of what political interactions were possible at this emirate in Ottoman-Safavid frontier history. This paper critically contributes to scholarly discussions of 16th-century political history of Brādōst and Ottoman-Safavid borderlands.