Battle of Dimdim
The historic battle between the Kurds and the Safavid Empire took place in 1609 and 1610 . Since the Kurdish Emirates in Eastern Kurdistan did not want to place themselves under the care of the Safavid central rule, the Safavid Empire decided to subjugate them militarily.
The battle took place over a fortress called Dimdim . In 1609 the ruined fortress was rebuilt by Emîr Xan Lepzêrîn , ruler of Beradost . He tried to maintain the independence of his principality in the face of the attacks of the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Empire. The establishment of Dimdim was seen as a movement towards independence in order to defy the Safavids. Many Kurds, including the rulers of Mukriyan ( Mahabad ), gathered around the emir. After a long and bloody battle led by the Safavid Grand Vizier Hatem Beg , Dimdim was captured. All defense lawyers were executed.
Although Persian historians portray the Battle of Dimdim as the result of Kurdish betrayal or Kurdish rebellion, the battle is seen in oral traditions ( Beytî dimdim ), literary works and Kurdish historiography as a struggle of the Kurds against foreign rule . Feqiyê Teyran wrote the first record of the battle during the 17th century. Ereb Şemo wrote a novel called Dimdim in the 20th century.
Effects
After the defeat, the Kurds were deported to Khorasan and the Turkish Afshars settled in their place. After Emirhan Lepzerin's defeat by Grand Vizier Hatem Beg, Shah Abbas ordered a massacre of the people of Beradost and Mahabad.
Web link
- Amir Hassanpour: Dimdim . In: Ehsan Yarshater (Ed.): Encyclopædia Iranica , accessed on May 20, 2013 (English, including references)