Bedir (Badr) Khan Beg

Bedir (Badr) Khan Beg
(c. 1800-1868)
   Bedir Khan became the mir of the emirate of Botan (capital Cizre) in what is today southeastern Turkey around 1820. He has been described as brave, charming, pious, ambitious, and reckless and is still considered by many Kurds today to be one of the first advocates of Kurdish nationalism.
   Under his guidance, Botan grew to encompass much of what is today southeastern Turkey and even the Bahdinan part of northern Iraq. His strict rule made the emirate a noted place of security. The weakness of the Ottoman Empire at that time helped lead Bedir Khan to strike for what some would argue was to be an independent Kurdistan. After he committed bloody massacres of the local Chris-tians—who were being abetted by the European powers, however-Great Britain and France forced the Ottomans to move against Bedir Khan. In 1847, Bedir Khan was defeated, and Botan ceased to exist as a semi-independent emirate. Bedir Khan was exiled to Crete where, however, he defeated a rebellion of the Cretan Greeks in 1856. For this service he was allowed to move to Damascus, where he died in 1868. He reportedly had anywhere from 40 to 90 sons, but a current knowledgeable descendant explained that only 22 are actually known. The Bedir Khan family continued to play an important role in Ottoman and Kurdish affairs.

Historical Dictionary of the Kurds. .

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bedir (Badr) Khan Family —    Bedir Khan Beg had many sons who played a role in nascent Kurdish politics. Uthman and Husayn carried out a brief rebellion in Botan in 1879. Midhat published a bilingual Kurdish Turkish journal called Kurdistan in Cairo beginning in 1898.… …   Historical Dictionary of the Kurds

  • Bedirxan Beg — auch Bedir Khan oder Badr Khan (* 1802 in Cizre; † 1868 in Damaskus) war ein kurdischer Fürst der Dynastie von Botan im heutigen Şırnak aus dem Geschlecht der Azizan/Azizi. Die Familie beanspruchte eine Abstammung vom muslimischen General Chalid… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Assyrians —    This is a rather recent term used by a still partially Aramaic speaking, Christian minority who have historically lived among the Kurds, with whom they have often but not always had subservient relations. Assyrians claim descent from the… …   Historical Dictionary of the Kurds

  • Cizre —    Cizre, or Jazire bin Omar, is a frontier town in southeastern Turkey close to both the Syrian and Iraqi borders. Although ancient settlements existed on the site, it is said to have been founded and named after al Hasan bin Omar, who died in… …   Historical Dictionary of the Kurds

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”