Bitlis

(Bidlis)

   Bitlis was a prominent Kurdish emirate during the 16th and 17th centuries in what is now southeastern Turkey. It is the name of the province and its chief city. Although a scenic city long admired by visitors, it has very hot summers and rigorous winters. An ancient legend claims that the city was originally established by one of Alexander the Great's generals as an impregnable citadel.

   One of its mirs, Sharaf Khan Bitlisi, was the author of the famous Kurdish history, the Sharafnama. This history contains a great deal of data on the emirate's history. Evliya Chelebi, the famous Turkish traveler and author of the Seyahatname, also spent much time here in 1655. Many of the emirate's inhabitants were Armenians, and the city played an important part in Armenian history. Until the problems at the end of the 19th century, the Armenians lived in relative harmony with the neighboring Kurds, Turks, and Jacobites (Christians).