Sheikhan principality

The Daseni Principality, also known as the Shaykhan 'Principality', was a semi-autonomous Yezidi Kurdish Emirate, centered around the Sheikhan region. Established by the Daseni tribe around 906 following a rebellion against Hamdanid authority, it existed until 1832, when it was conquered by the Soran Emirate under Muhammad Kor, a campaign that culminated in widespread massacres and the execution of the last Daseni ruler, Ali Beg.

Territory

The core territory of the Daseni Principality encompassed the northern and eastern foothills surrounding Mosul, along with key centers such as Sheikhan, the holy site of Lalish, Dohuk-e Dasinya, Kalak-e Dasinya , Simel, and the Sinjar region. For a period in the 16th century, beginning around 1534, the Daseni sphere of influence and governance was temporarily extended southeast to include Erbil and Kirkuk, when the Ottoman Sultan appointed the Daseni Mir, Hussein Beg, as governor over the former Soran Emirate domains.

History

Early history

The earliest known reference to Dasin appears in the works of the Arab historian al-Baladhuri, who mentioned it among the Kurdish regions brought under control in 18 AH / 639 CE during early Islamic conquests.
Medieval Muslim geographers such as Ibn Hawqal and Yaqut al-Hamawi also referred to Dasin. Ibn Hawqal located it near Mosul, by the banks of the Great Zab River, while Yaqut described it as “a large mountain north of Mosul, on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, inhabited by a numerous Kurdish people called the Dasini.”
In 906, the Dasini people launched a rebellion against the ruling Hamdanid dynasty, a Shia Muslim Arab power in the region. This event marked an assertion of their presence, and some historical narratives associate this period with the subsequent establishment of the Dasini's Sheikhan principality.
The 13th-century Arab geographer Yāqūt al-Hamawī mentioned the Dasini as residing in "Jabal Dasin," a mountainous area within their traditional homeland. Later, in the 14th century, the Arab historian Shihāb al-Dīn al-ʿUmarī recorded the presence of Dasini communities in Akre, a historically significant town in present-day Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Emirate of Dasin is believed to have formed around the end 13th century CE during the period when several Kurdish emirates emerged following the decline of Abbasid empire, amidst which the Yazidis living in the former domain of Dasin in the northwestern part of present-day Iraqi Kurdistan founded or revived their own political unit and named it Sheikhan, in reference to the most prominent figure in the Ezidi religion, Sheikh Adi, who settled in the Lalish valley, which later became the spiritual center of the Yazidi religion.
In 15th century, the Dasini faced attacks from the Bahdinan Emirate, a powerful neighboring Kurdish principality.

Mîr Husên Beg's reign

Mîr Husên Beg is the first Dasini prince recorded in Ottoman sources. He is first mentioned in 1534, during the campaign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent against Iran. That year, the Ottoman forces captured the city of Tabriz on 16 August, followed by the seizure of Baghdad in December. Prior to these advances, the Sultan appears to have dispatched troops to Mosul to secure the rear of his army.
In April–May 1534, Husên Beg Dasinî was appointed as the Ottoman emir of Mosul. His appointment to the sanjak was likely a result of his notable service to the state, although contemporary sources do not explicitly mention this. Hisên Beg was reportedly well-acquainted with governmental administration and the protocols for interacting with officials. According to the memoirs of Mamûn Beg, the emir of the Ardalan Emirate, his father, Bîke Beg, sought to establish relations with the Ottoman Empire but “was not familiar with the customs of slavery, nor with the customs of flattery and insult.” Consequently, he sent an envoy to Mîr Husên Beg Dasinî, who was regarded as knowledgeable and capable of providing guidance in such matters.
Mîr Husên Beg Dasini is primarily known from Sharafname by Sharafkhan Bitlisi, which provides the most detailed account of his life. Following the Ottoman conquest of Baghdad in 1534, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the assassination of Îzzeddîn Şêr, the ruler of Erbil and son of Şah Elî, and appointed Mîr Husên Beg as the emir of Erbil in the spring of 1535. His tenure in Mosul appears to have lasted only a few months. Contemporary Ottoman sources suggest that the removal of Îzzeddîn Şêr was motivated by his secret support for the Safavids, despite professed loyalty to the Ottoman state. Soon after, Mir Husên faced resistance from Mir Seyfeddin, son of Mîr Husên of Soran, who initially sought refuge with the Emir of Ardalan but later successfully reclaimed much of the former Soran territories. Despite Husên Beg’s efforts, conflicts between Mîr Seyfeddîn and the Ottomans continued for years. Ottoman records indicate that Husên Beg was replaced as Sanjakbeg of Erbil by Ferhad Beg before 1544.
After his service in Erbil, Mîr Husên Beg Dasinî continued to hold various Ottoman administrative positions. Contrary to claims in Sharafname that he was executed in Istanbul, Ottoman documents indicate that he later served as emir of Bitlis, with records mentioning him in 1556–1558, including a request for a timar for his son Ali. This period coincided with the post-Treaty of Amasya era, when relations between the Ottoman and Safavid states were largely peaceful.
Mîr Husên Beg is later recorded as governing the Sanjak of Homs, where he oversaw local administration, suppressed uprisings by Arab and Turkmen tribes, and enforced religious regulations, including closing taverns and coffee houses. On 14 March 1560, he was transferred to the Sanjak of Dera al-Rahba. Although some sources suggest he died in 1564, Ottoman records show that as late as November 1564, he was still active, mediating disputes among local rulers and assisting in military operations against nomadic Arab tribes. He appears to have died later that year, leaving behind several sons; Seîd Beg, Dawûd Beg, Elî Beg, Omer Beg, Yusif, and Ehmed Beg, some of whom held administrative positions in Ottoman sanjaks.

Vassals of the Bahdinan Emirate

Throughout the 18th century, the Daseni Emirate was subject to the Kurdish Bahdinan Muslim Emirate. Bahdinan functioned as a semi-autonomous entity guarding the eastern frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, particularly against Persia.
Yezidi Mîrs of Sheikhan were also involved in several rebellions against the Bahdinan Emirate, often targeting its capital, Amadiya. For instance, in 1770–1771, Bedagh Beg, the Mîr of Sheikhan at the time, joined a rebellion against Ismail Pasha, the Bahdinan Prince of Amadiya. Bedagh Beg was eventually captured and fined by Ismail Pasha. Sixteen years later, his son and successor, Jolo Beg, participated in another rebellion but was forced to retreat.
In 1789–1790, Jolo Beg still held the title of Mîr and engaged in battles against the Tayy Arabs, who were raiding Sheikhan. However, in the following year, Jolo Beg and his unnamed brother were executed by Ismail Pasha. Ismail Pasha then appointed Khanjar Beg, reportedly a descendant of a previous Mîr, in their place. Khanjar Beg's tenure was short-lived. Following disputes, the Mîrship was returned to Jolo Beg's lineage, with his son, Hasan Beg, replacing Khanjar Beg, presumably with Bahdinan approval.
A separate incident occurred in 1804 when the Mizuri tribe, a Sunni Kurdish group with a history of conflict with the Yezidis, attacked Amadiya. They imprisoned the Bahdinan prince, Qubad Pasha, and his brother, plundered the city, and occupied it. Order was restored when, at the request of Ahmed Pasha, Yezidis of the Dina tribe intervened, expelling the Mizuris from Amadiya.
Following these events, Ahmed Pasha of Akre sought to mediate inter-tribal feuds, particularly between the Yezidis and the Mizuris. Consequently, Mîr Ali Beg, the Yezidi Mîr of Sheikhan, sent word to the Mizuri chieftain, Ali Agha al-Balatayi, expressing a desire for peace and offering him the honor of acting as kirîv for the circumcision of his son.
This peace initiative was undermined by another Bahdinan prince, Said Pasha. He persuaded Mîr Ali Beg to treacherously kill the Mizuri chieftain, aiming to eliminate Ali Agha and install a Mizuri leader more favorable to Said Pasha's interests. Some accounts state that Said Pasha threatened Mîr Ali Beg's entire family to ensure his compliance. Unaware of the plot, Ali Agha al-Balatayi accepted Mîr Ali Beg's invitation. A few days later, he arrived with only a small escort at Baadre, the historical seat of the Yezidi Mîrs in Sheikhan. Whether his small escort signified disdain for the Yezidi leader or a demonstration of trust in his host remains a matter of speculation. Upon Ali Agha's arrival, Mîr Ali Beg had him and his son, Sinjan Agha, treacherously murdered.
This act of treachery was condemned by many Yezidi clergy and chieftains, as it violated Yezidi religious canons and tribal customs of hospitality and honor. The murders enraged the Mizuris, who gathered for a large-scale retaliatory raid against Baadre. However, the planned Mizuri raid was called off. This occurred when Said Pasha of Bahdinan announced his opposition to the raid, likely to prevent wider conflict or maintain a semblance of control, leading the Mizuris to fear intervention by Bahdinan forces.
In the aftermath, Mulla Yahya al-Mizuri, a cousin or nephew of the murdered Ali Agha and a respected Mizuri religious figure, sought justice from the Bahdinan princes Ahmed Pasha and Said Pasha. However, they refused to sanction punitive action against the Yezidis. Instead, they blamed Ali Agha for his naivety in trusting Mîr Ali Beg and entering his territory with an inadequate escort. Compounding the injustice, these Bahdinan princes then killed Mulla Yahya's own son.
Devastated and denied justice, Mulla Yahya turned for aid to Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz, also known as Muhammad Kor, the ambitious ruler of the Soran Emirate. By this period, Muhammad Kor had risen to become one of the most powerful and independent rulers in Kurdistan.
He asserted his autonomy by minting his own coins and had effectively declared independence from the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire, at this time, was heavily preoccupied with the rebellion of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Egypt. Seizing this opportunity, Muhammad Kor of Soran had expanded his own domains by annexing several neighboring Kurdish principalities and harbored ambitions to seize the Bahdinan Emirate and Yezidi lands as well. Muhammad Kor was known for his ruthlessness in consolidating power; for instance, around 1814-1815, he had executed his own uncles and their sons to eliminate rivals.
Aware of Muhammad Kor's power, ambition, and willingness to use force, Mulla Yahya successfully persuaded him to launch a punitive expedition against the Yezidis of Sheikhan. Historical accounts vary on how Mulla Yahya secured Muhammad Kor's support. Some suggest he appealed to the Ottoman Wali of Baghdad, who then urged Muhammad Kor to act against the Yezidis. Other accounts state Mulla Yahya, who was reportedly on friendly terms with the Soran ruler, directly petitioned him.

The Soran Conquest and the Fall of the Daseni Emirate

Muhammad Kor prepared an army estimated at 40,000 to 50,000 men for a campaign against the Yezidis. He divided his forces into two main groups, one led by his brother, Rasul, and the other by himself. These forces commenced their march in March 1832, crossing the Great Zab River. Their first major action was against the Yezidi village of Kallak-a Dasinyya, situated near Erbil. This village had marked the border between the Yezidi Daseni Emirate and the Soran Emirate up to this period in the early 19th century; its capture signified the beginning of the Soran territorial expansion into Daseni lands. Many inhabitants of Kallak-a Dasinyya were killed.
Following this initial success, the Soran forces proceeded to march through and capture other Yezidi villages. Upon arriving in the Sheikhan region, Muhammad Kor's forces seized the village of Khatara. They then marched onwards to the Christian town of Alqosh. Here, they were confronted by a joint defensive force composed of Yezidis and fighters from the Bahdinan Emirate. This joint force was led by Yusuf Abdo, a Bahdinan leader from Amadiya, and Baba Hurmuz, the head of the prominent Christian Rabban Hormizd Monastery in Alqosh, who took up arms to defend his community. These defending forces later strategically withdrew from Alqosh and relocated to Baadre, the town where the Yezidi princely family resided.
Ali Beg wished to negotiate a peaceful resolution. However, Muhammad Kor, heavily influenced by powerful clerics such as Mulla Yahya al-Mizuri and his won Mufti, Muhammad Khati, rejected any possibility of reconciliation. Mulla Yahya, from the rival Sunni Kurdish Mizuri tribe, harbored long-standing grievances and had issued religious edicts against the Yezidis, providing a religious pretext for the invasion that aligned with Muhammad Kor's expansionist goals.
Consequently, the Yezidis of the Sheikhan region were defeated and subjected to devastating massacres. The Soran forces employed brutal tactics, including the widespread slaughter of the elderly and the young, rape, and the enslavement of survivors. Yezidi property, including valuable gold and silver, was systematically plundered. Numerous towns and villages previously inhabited by Yezidis were demographically altered through forced conversions to Islam or the settlement of new Muslim populations after the original inhabitants were killed or expelled.
After subduing much of Sheikhan, Muhammad Kor dispatched a large contingent of his forces to the Shingal region, another significant Yezidi area. There, they encountered fierce resistance from the Yezidis, notably led by Ali Beg's wife. Despite suffering several initial defeats at the hands of the determined Yezidi defenders, Muhammad Kor's forces eventually succeeded in capturing the Shingal district.
The Yezidis who survived these widespread massacres sought refuge in distant or more defensible areas, including but not limited to Tur Abdin, Mount Judi, and the more remote, less-affected mountainous parts of the Shingal region itself, which likely remained difficult for the Soran forces to fully control.
Having gained control over most of the Yezidi territories, Muhammad Kor's forces enslaved and transported approximately 10,000 Yezidi captives, predominantly women and children, along with the captured Yezidi leader Ali Beg, to Rawanduz, the capital of the Soran Emirate. Upon their arrival in Rawanduz, the prisoners were pressured to convert to Islam. Many, including Ali Beg and his immediate entourage, refused. As a result of their defiance, Ali Beg and his loyal followers were taken to a nearby gorge and executed. This location, Gali Ali Beg, is named after him to this day in commemoration of his martyrdom.
Christian communities that lay in the path of Muhammad Kor's advancing army also fell victim to the campaign's brutality. The town of Alqosh was sacked after its defenders withdrew, and a large number of its Christian inhabitants were killed. The ancient Rabban Hormizd Monastery was plundered; its monks, along with its courageous Abbot, Gabriel Dambo, were put to death. A significant number of ancient manuscripts housed in the monastery were destroyed or lost during this devastation. The Monastery of Mar Mattai reportedly suffered a similar fate, facing plunder and destruction.
The conquest of 1832 resulted in the death of the Daseni Emir, Ali Beg, the dismantling of Yezidi autonomy in Sheikhan, and the incorporation of their lands into the expanding Soran Emirate, thus marking the fall of the Daseni Emirate.

Relations with Neighboring Peoples

Relations with Christians

In 1219, Sheikh Adi II reportedly seized the Christian monastery of Mar Yuhanan and Isho' Sabran, and it is claimed that all the monks within were massacred.
In 1222, the Mir of Daseni allegedly declared that "if the Christians would put the sign of the cross on their foreheads, they would raise it over their heads," a statement interpreted as a threat of subjugation. Later that year, the Daseni Emir sacked and destroyed the Christian village of Bashbitah, causing the surviving Christian population to flee to Bartella, a notable Assyrian Christian town in the Nineveh Plains.

Muslims under Daseni Rule

According to the 17th-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi, whose accounts are valuable but sometimes prone to exaggeration, strict religious taboos were enforced within Daseni territories. He reported that any Muslim who cursed Satan, Yazid, or a black dog risked instant execution. Çelebi also noted that the same severe penalty was imposed for striking a black dog, which some Yazidi traditions hold as sacred, or for stepping on an onion, a plant also subject to certain Yazidi reverences or taboos according to his writings.

List of Daseni rulers

Hasan-Begi Daseni ; he allied with the Ottoman Empire after the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514.
Hussein-Begi Daseni ; succeeding his father, Hasan-Begi, Hussein-Begi's reign was brief. In 1534, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent granted him control over the territory of the Soran Emirate, including Erbil and Kirkuk. This expansion is why his reign is sometimes considered a "golden age" for the emirate. However, his rule over Soran was reportedly tyrannical, leading to opposition, and he was later summoned to Istanbul and executed.
Ezidi Mirza, Beylerbey of Mosul
Mir Ali-Beg Daseni ; the last paramount ruler or chief of Dasenis. His involvement in the murder of a rival Mizuri chieftain, Ali Agha al-Balatayi, provoked conflict. He was ultimately defeated and captured by Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz, the Emir of Soran. Mir Ali Beg and his entourage were reportedly asked to convert to Islam and were executed in Rawanduz upon their refusal.