Ezidi Mirza
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Ezidi Mirza (or Ezidi Mirza Hesen, Mirza Pasha and Daseni Mirza Beg; 1600 – 1651) was a
Yezidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...
leader, who is mentioned in Yezidi sagas, poems and stories due to his heroic and military exploits. He was born 1600 AD in a respected family of the Sheikh caste from the Qatanî lineage of Şêx Simayîlê Enzelî in the town of
Bashiqa Bashiqa (; ; ) is a town situated at the heart of the Nineveh Plains, Nineveh plain, between Mosul and Shekhan District, Sheikhan, on the edges of Mount Alfaf, Mount Maqlub. The inhabitants of the town are predominantly Yazidis. The urban area of ...
as the youngest of three brothers. In 1649 AD, he was appointed as the governor of
Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
.


Early life

Together with his siblings, Ezidi Mirza was raised as an orphan by his relatives after a battle against
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
and
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
raiders in circa 1605 AD in which his family was killed. During his childhood, Mirza spent most of his time in the markets of Mosul together with his two brothers as orphans living in poverty. They would often steal food from the market to survive, but the merchants tolerated this. After an attempt to steal plants from a farm, the three brothers were caught and brought to the Ottoman guards and imprisoned. Once the guards realized that they are Yezidis, the three brothers were tortured. Each of the brothers, starting from the oldest, were then told to kill their brothers in order to be set free, after both of the older brothers refused, they moved on to Ezidi Mîrza, who was young and could not understand what was going on. They put a knife in his hand and he was forced to cut his own brothers' throats before being thrown into an alley by the guards. He wandered on the streets alone while covered in blood, until a trader recognized him, asked him what had happened and took him back to Bashiqa. The news of this tragedy quickly spread, which angered the community. Ezidi Mirza was sheltered by the religious clergy, who gave him training in religious knowledge and taught him to read and write. Once Mirza grew up, he got married and became a religious teacher himself. He also began to show interest in
military strategies Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek word ''strategos'', the term strategy, when first used during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as ...
and tactics from a young age. The constant raids by the Muslims on the Ezidis and his tragic childhood had convinced Mirza that military expertise was essential.


First military achievements and rise to power

Approximately 15 years after the Muslim raid on Bashiqa and
Bahzani Bahzani (, ), literally from the Syriac words meaning "house of treasure," is a town located in the Al-Hamdaniya District of the Ninawa Governorate in northern Iraq. Population The town of Bahzani, together with its twin village Bashiqa, have ...
, in which Mirza lost his family, the settlement was attacked again by raiders from Sunni
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
and
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
tribes. Despite being outnumbered, Ezidi Mîrza was still successful in gathering up fighters, organizing a counter-attack and cornering the raiders, resulting in a devastating defeat for the raiders. News of Mirza's victory spread like wildfire in the region and was celebrated by Yezidis. The 20 year old Mirza gained fame as a heroic figure in the community, became known for his bravery and horsemanship, and proved himself a capable leader. Ottoman sources report that Mirza later commanded around 3,000 trained Yezidi fighters. At the age of 25, Mirza was appointed as the head of Bashiqa-Bahzani community. He had intimate and cordial contacts with the Yezidi Mir, Zeynal Begê Çavbixalî. When the Ottoman-Safavid war broke out, the Yezidis ended up in the middle of two fronts. Ezidi Mirza, who had now become the commander in chief of all Yezidis, was aware that the Yezidis could only survive this war by siding with only one of the two sides. Since the invasion, the
Safavids The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
had launched attacks on his Yezidi brethren further east, in addition, the Ottomans were stationed in the immediate vicinity of the Yezidi centre near Mosul, therefore, Ezidi Mirza chose to fight on the Ottomans' side. According to the reports of
Mustafa Naima Mustafa Naima (; ''Muṣṭafā Na'īmā''; Aleppo, Ottoman Syria 1655 – 1716) was an Ottoman bureaucrat and historian who wrote the chronicle known as the ''Tārīḫ-i Na'īmā'' (''Naima's History''). He is often considered to be the f ...
, Ezidi Mirza was personally received and recognized by Sultan Murad IV as the commander-in-chief of the Yezidi fighters. In the report, Ezidi Mirza is heroized for his service during the Battle of Baghdad between the Safavids and Ottomans in 1638. The Mîr of the Yezidis at the time, Mîr Zeynal Begê Çavbixalî, was also involved in the battle together with six other eminent Yezidi chieftains, Temo Babikî, Pîrikê Xoşabî, Qerece Rexacî, Qere Babikî, Xizikî Dumilî, Şêx Dirî and Şêx Babikê Kuremîş, who joined Ezidi Mirza.


Siege of Baghdad

The Ottoman troops were able to besiege Baghdad in this battle. During the clashes, the Yezidi troops under Ezidi Mirza were not only successful in holding and defending their position, but also in advancing into the camp of a Safavid commander. The Yezidi units gained the upper advantage and killed the Safavid commander. After this, Ezidi Mirza and his troops advanced further, attacking the demoralized Safavid troops and killing their commander Saru Khan in his own tent. Ezidi Mirza's exploits did not go unnoticed by the Ottomans. The reputation and the strength of the Ezidi Mirza decreased further attacks and hostility from the neighbouring Muslims. The Sheikhan region in particular experienced a period of calm and security.


Conflict with Ottomans

After the previous exploits, Ottomans and Yezidis were able to agree on a peace treaty, which did not last long as the Ottomans launched an expedition against
Yezidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...
in Shingal in 1640 AD. A few years earlier, the Yezidis of Shingal had managed to defeat the Ottoman commander Nasuh Pasha and kill over 7,000 Ottoman soldiers according to the reports of the Ottoman traveller
Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
. The Yezidis controlled all trade routes in Shingal and the surrounding area, refused to submit and pay the taxes levied by the Ottomans. The Yezidis attacked caravans of Ottoman goods on the
Sinjar Sinjar (; , ) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi. History ...
road. This led to the governor of
Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
, Melek Ahmed Pasha, who was known for being hostile to Yezidis, to launch an attack on Shingal with an army of 70,000 troops. He demanded the Yezidis to return the plundered goods and to pay the taxes due. In response, Yezidi warriors retreated to the
Sinjar Mountains The Sinjar Mountains (, , ), are a mountain range that runs east to west, rising above the surrounding alluvial steppe plains in northwestern Iraq to an elevation of . The highest segment of these mountains, about long, lies in the Nineveh Gov ...
and offered resistance. Despite outnumbering the Yezidis, the Turks suffered heavy casualties before defeating the battle-hardened Ezidis in the harsh mountainous terrain.


Appointment as the Governor of Mosul and death

In 1649 AD, Ezidi Mirza was appointed as the governor of Mosul by the
Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...
Kara Murad Pasha. During his brief reign, Mosul saw an economical and agricultural boom, and the Yezidis enjoyed rare security, they were able to build up their wealth, work and trade in the city without much fear and the Yezidi shrines in Mosul were rebuilt under his rule. However, according to Yezidi sagas, there was also a personal motive behind Ezidi Mirza's strive for power, as after becoming the governor of Mosul, Mirza immediately began to take revenge for his two brothers. Mirza ordered the demolition of the farm of the farmer who had caught and handed him and his brothers over to the Ottoman guards. Thereafter he ordered the families of those Ottoman guards who had forced him to murder his brothers, to be captured and brought to his castle, where Mirza confronted them and personally had them slaughtered. Just a year later, when Kara Murad Pasha was deposed from his office, Ezidi Mirza, like the other governors, lost his position. Mirza decided to go to
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
to protest his removal. Melek Ahmad Pasha, who was responsible for the great invasion of Shingal in 1640, became the new Grand Vizier of the Ottomans. His hatred of the Yezidis had remained and he made sure that Ezidi Mirza was not to be given back his position. When Mirza was informed about the appointment of the new Grand Vizier, he began to plan a rebellion in secrecy. One day, on a trip back to Bashiqa with 60 guards, he died in an ambush by Ottoman soldiers. His death led to anger in the Yezidi regions and eventually to a major rebellion led by the new chief named Imadin Hakkari who raised an army of 6,000 warriors with the support of other Yezidi leaders including the Mîr Zeynal Begê Çavbixalî. Yezidis were able to overtake large swathes of territory, including the
Barwari Barwari (, ) is a region in the Hakkari mountains in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. The region is inhabited by Assyrians and Kurds, and was formerly also home to a number of Jews prior to their emigration to Israel in 1951. It is divided ...
region from the Ottoman and Sunni Kurdish alliance. Eventually, Ottomans were able to push Yezidis back after sending reinforcements to Diyarbekir, however, because of heavy casualties, Ottomans decided to hold peace talks with the Yezidi leaders. As part of the agreement, Ottomans would withdraw their troops from Hakkari region, therefore, Bahdinan would see a period of peace and harmony thereafter.


References

{{reflist 1600 births 1651 deaths 17th-century Kurdish people Yazidi history People from the Ottoman Empire