Zawzan also known as Zuzan al-Akrad was a historical mountainous area, it refers to a region cited in medieval Islamic sources that stretched from northeast of

Jazira Jazira, al-Jazira, Jazeera, al-Jazeera, etc. are all transcriptions of Arabic language, Arabic meaning "the island" or "the peninsula". The term may refer to: Business *Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait Locations * Al-Jazir ...

, all the way to north west of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

.James, B. “Le « territoire tribal des Kurdes » et l’Aire Iraqienne (Xe-XIIIe Siècles): Esquisse des Recompositions Spatiales.” Revue des Mondes Musulmans et de la Méditerranée 117-118 (2007).101-126.

Name and usage

The name Zozān or Zuzan ( ) is derived from

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 ...

(, ; ), while al-Akrad ( ) is the Arabic word for "Kurds". It literally means "Zozan of the Kurds". The region is also mentioned as Bilad Zuzan, Nahiyat al-Zuzan and Zuzan al-Akrad.

Territory and location

As historical evidence, various historians and contemporary witnesses are used to locate Zuzan: * according to

Yaqut al-Hamawi Yāqūt Shihāb al-Dīn ibn-ʿAbdullāh al-Rūmī al-Ḥamawī (1179–1229) () was a Muslim scholar of Byzantine ancestry active during the late Abbasid period (12th–13th centuries). He is known for his , an influential work on geography con ...

: "Zuzan region is located in the center of the Armenian mountains between

Akhlat Ahlat (; ) is a town in Turkey's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. It is the seat of Ahlat District.Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, Diyar-Bakr and

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 ...

." * According to Ibn al-Athir: "Zuzan is a vast region located on the eastern border of the

Tigris river The Tigris ( ; see below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, before merging ...

in the region of Jazirat Ibn ‘Umar. It starts at a distance covered in two days from Mosul, extend to the boundaries of Khilat and ends in Azerbaijan until the district of

Salmas Salmas () is a city in the Central District of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is northwest of Lake Urmia, near Turkey. Etymology The original name of Salmas was ...

Population

The Zuzan region was inhabited mainly by Christian

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

in the early 10th century. While

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

where located in the south and eastern Zuzan, in a region called Diyar al-Akrād "home of the Kurds". From 10th century onwards, more Kurdish Muslim tribes migrated to Zuzan and to the west. Changing the demographic and political makeup of the region. various independent Kurdish tribes and tribal confederations became the overall rulers of Zuzan. While the Christian Armenians were subjects of the Kurds.

Armenians

The Armenians who were

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

, made up the majority of Zawzan or Zuzan region, up until 13th century. according to 10th century historian

ibn Hawqal Muḥammad Abū’l-Qāsim Ibn Ḥawqal (), also known as Abū al-Qāsim b. ʻAlī Ibn Ḥawqal al-Naṣībī, born in Nisibis, Al-Jazira (caliphal province), Upper Mesopotamia; was a 10th-century Arab Muslim writer, geographer, and chronic ...

, the master of most of Zuzan region was al-Dayrānī, probably Derenik-Ashot, the Armenian king of

Vaspurakan Vaspurakan (, Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Vasbouragan'') was the eighth province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered on Lake Van. Located in what is now southeaster ...

between

Lake Van Lake Van (; ; ) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey in the provinces of Van Province, Van and Bitlis Province, Bitlis, in the Armenian highlands. It is a Salt lake, saline Soda lake, soda lake, receiv ...

and

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...

Kurds

The Kurdish presence in Zuzan region is documented since 10th-century. However, from late 10th century onwards more Kurdish Muslim tribes migrated into Zawzan, changing the political and demographic makeup of the region and becoming the masters of the Zuzan. Various Kurdish tribes ruled over Zuzan, holding various castles and fortresses. The Kurdish tribes that ruled and inhabited Zuzan were Al-Bukhiyya, al-Bashnawiyya, al-Hakkariyya, al-Humaydiyya, Al-Daseniyya, and al-Qaymariyya.

Notes

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References

History of Kurdistan Historical regions of Iran Historical regions of Anatolia