Kurdish emirates

The Kurdish chiefdoms or principalities were several semi-independent entities which existed during the 16th to 19th centuries during the state of continuous warfare between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran. The Kurdish principalities were almost always divided and entered into rivalries against each other. The demarcation of borders between the Safavid Shah Safi and the Ottoman caliph Sultan Murad IV in 1639 effectively divided Kurdistan between the two empires.

The eyalet of Diyarbakir was the center of the major and minor Kurdish chiefdoms. However, other Kurdish emirates existed outside of Diyarbakir.

Policy during the Ottoman-Persian Wars
The Ottomans gave the Kurds self-rule during the Ottoman-Persian wars, to ensure that the Kurds remain on the Ottoman side. After the Treaty of Erzurum in 1823 the Persian threat was reduced & the Ottomans brought the Kurdish chiefdoms under direct control.

Major emirates

 * Ardalan
 * Bahdinan
 * Baban
 * Bitlis
 * Bohtan
 * Bradost
 * Donboli
 * Hakkari
 * Emirate of Hasankeyf
 * Kilis
 * Mokryan
 * Pazooka
 * Soran

Minor emirates

 * Çemişgezek
 * Suveydi
 * Zirqan (Zeyrek)