Sharafkhan Bidlisi: The Kurdish Prince Who Wrote the First History of the Kurdish People
- Sherko Sabir
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
Who Was Sharafkhan Bidlisi?
Sharafkhan Bidlisi — formally Sharaf al-Din Khan Bitlisi, in Kurdish Şeref Xan — was a Kurdish prince and historian who lived from 1543 to approximately 1599-1603. He was the ruler of Bitlis, a member of the Diyadinid Kurdish dynasty, and the author of the Sharafnama — the first comprehensive history of the Kurdish people and their ruling dynasties, written in Persian in 1597.
The Sharafnama occupies a unique position in Kurdish cultural history: it is the earliest systematic attempt to narrate the history of all the major Kurdish dynasties and ruling houses, from the medieval period through the late sixteenth century. It documents the Kurdish principalities that existed within the Ottoman and Safavid empires, the genealogies and achievements of their rulers, and the political and military events that shaped Kurdish history. Without the Sharafnama, much of what is known about medieval and early modern Kurdish political history would be lost.
He was a member of the same family as the famous Hosam al-Din Ali Bitlisi — the father of the statesman Idris Bitlisi — and thus belonged to the literary and scholarly tradition of Kurdish Bitlis. His political career included service to both the Safavid court (as a military commander) and, later, the Ottoman Empire — a cross-imperial trajectory that gave him the broad perspective reflected in his historical writing.
Key Takeaways
• Sharafkhan Bidlisi (1543-1603) wrote the Sharafnama (1597) — the first comprehensive history of the Kurdish people, documenting Kurdish dynasties from the medieval period through his own era.
• He was the ruler of Bitlis and a member of the Diyadinid Kurdish dynasty, serving both Safavid and Ottoman masters during his political career.
• The Sharafnama is one of the most important primary sources for Kurdish history and has been used by historians, nationalists, and scholars for four centuries.
• He wrote in Persian — the literary language of the Islamic east — making his work accessible to the literate class across the Ottoman-Safavid world.
• He has been called the 'Father of Kurdish History' and the Sharafnama is considered the foundational text of Kurdish historiography.
Quick Facts
Table of Contents
Early Life and Origins
Sharafkhan Bidlisi was born in 1543 in Karharud in Qom — in western Iran — where his family had been exiled from Bitlis. His family, the Diyadinid dynasty, had ruled Bitlis, and their exile reflects the complex political fate of Kurdish ruling houses caught between competing empires.
Despite his exile birth, Sharafkhan eventually returned to Bitlis and assumed the rulership of the principality. He served for a period at the Safavid court as a military commander — the Wikipedia source notes his service as a Safavid military commander in Shirwan and Gilan — before transitioning to a more autonomous position.
His literary formation was in the Persian tradition — the classical Islamic literary language that was the medium of historical and scholarly writing across both the Ottoman and Safavid worlds. His decision to write the Sharafnama in Persian rather than in Kurdish was a practical choice that made the work accessible to the maximum audience of educated readers.
Historical Context
The late sixteenth century was a period of intense historical consciousness in the Kurdish world. The Ottoman-Kurdish settlement negotiated by Idris Bitlisi in 1514 had created a system of Kurdish emirates, and there was growing awareness among Kurdish ruling families of their shared heritage and distinct identity. The Sharafnama was a response to this consciousness — an attempt to document Kurdish history systematically before it was lost.
Sharafkhan was also writing at a time when Safavid-Ottoman conflict was reshaping the political landscape of Kurdistan. His cross-imperial career — serving both courts — gave him a uniquely comprehensive perspective on the Kurdish world that no single-empire observer could have achieved.
Major Achievements and Contributions
The Sharafnama — First History of the Kurdish People
The Sharafnama ('Book of Honour'), completed in 1597, is the foundational text of Kurdish historiography. It is a comprehensive history in Persian of the Kurdish ruling dynasties from the medieval period through Sharafkhan's own era — covering dozens of Kurdish principalities, their rulers, their genealogies, and the political events of their histories.
The work is divided into four sections, covering: the Kurdish dynasties that were independent kingdoms; those that were attached to other empires; the Kurdish principalities of the Ottoman period; and the Kurdish principalities of the Safavid period. This organisational schema reflects Sharafkhan's comprehensive ambition — to document the full range of Kurdish political history.
Without the Sharafnama, the histories of many medieval Kurdish dynasties — the Hasanwayh, the Fadlawayh, the Marwanids, the Ayyubids (from a Kurdish perspective), the Hazaraspids, and many more — would be far less accessible. It is the primary source through which subsequent generations of historians, nationalists, and scholars have accessed the tradition of Kurdish political power.
Documentation of Kurdish Political Heritage
Beyond the specific dynasties it covers, the Sharafnama's broader achievement is its articulation of Kurdish political identity as a coherent tradition. By documenting the ruling houses of the Kurdish world as a collective heritage — rather than as isolated local histories — Sharafkhan created the framework for understanding Kurdish history as a continuous narrative.
This has made the Sharafnama enormously significant for later Kurdish nationalist movements, which drew on it as evidence of an ancient and distinguished Kurdish political tradition. Scholars and politicians alike have cited it as the foundational document of Kurdish historical consciousness.
Timeline and Key Events
Debates, Controversies, and Historical Questions
The Sharafnama has been the subject of extensive academic debate about its interpretation as a historical source. Some scholars read it as a 'national' history that expresses Kurdish ethnic consciousness; others argue it is better understood as a 'dynastic' history reflecting the political frameworks of the era rather than modern nationalism. The consensus is that it reflects 'Kurdish ethno-politics' — an awareness of Kurdish distinctiveness within the Islamicworld — without projecting back onto it the anachronistic vocabulary of modern ethnic nationalism.
Sharafkhan's identity is fully Kurdish — he was the hereditary ruler of Bitlis and a member of a Kurdish dynasty — and is not seriously disputed in the scholarly literature.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
Sharafkhan Bidlisi is the 'Father of Kurdish History' — the man who wrote the first systematic history of the Kurdish people and their dynasties. The Sharafnama has been translated into multiple languages, studied by historians across several centuries, and used as a foundational source for understanding Kurdish political and cultural history from the medieval period through the early modern era.
His legacy goes beyond scholarship: the Sharafnama became a key reference for Kurdish political consciousness in the 20th century, when Kurdish nationalist movements drew on it as documentary evidence of an ancient and distinguished Kurdish political tradition. In writing the history of his people, Sharafkhan Bidlisi gave future generations of Kurds a sense of historical continuity and identity that has proved enduring.
Kurdish History Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Sharafkhan Bidlisi?
Sharafkhan Bidlisi (1543-1603) was a Kurdish prince, historian, and ruler of Bitlis who wrote the Sharafnama (1597) — the first comprehensive history of the Kurdish people and their dynasties. He is often called the 'Father of Kurdish History.'
What is the Sharafnama?
The Sharafnama ('Book of Honour') is a comprehensive Persian-language history of Kurdish ruling dynasties completed in 1597. It documents dozens of Kurdish principalities from the medieval period through the 16th century and is the foundational text of Kurdish historiography.
Was Sharafkhan Bidlisi Kurdish?
Yes. He was the hereditary ruler of Bitlis and a member of the Diyadinid Kurdish dynasty. His Kurdish identity is not disputed in the historical sources.
Why is the Sharafnama important?
It is the primary source for understanding Kurdish political history across the medieval and early modern periods. Without it, the histories of dozens of Kurdish dynasties would be far less accessible. It has also been important for Kurdish cultural and political consciousness for centuries.
How does Sharafkhan relate to Idris Bitlisi?
Sharafkhan Bidlisi was related to the family of Idris Bitlisi — both were from the Bitlisi family tradition. The Sharafnama documents the Kurdish emirate system that Idris Bitlisi helped negotiate, giving historical record to the political achievement of his predecessor.
References and Further Reading
Wikipedia contributors. 'Sharaf Khan Bidlisi.' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 2025.
Academia.edu. 'Sharaf al-Din Bidlisi, Encyclopaedia of Islam–Three.' Accessed 2025.
Academia.edu. 'Şeref Xan's Sharafnama: Kurdish Ethno-Politics in the Early Modern World.' Accessed 2025.
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