TheDonboli (Kurdish: دونبللی ,دنبلى,Donbolī) are aTurkic-speaking,Kurdish tribe who live aroundKhoy andSalmas in northwesternIran.[1] They are currently adherents ofShia Islam, but before that they were reportedly and some still areYazidis[2] for a long time.[3]
According toSharafkhan Bidlisi (died 1603/04), the Donboli was known as "Donbol-e Bokht" since the "most authentic" theory said that they originated inBohtan, an area in what is now southeastTurkey betweenSiirt andCizre. It appears that one Isa Beg, whose heirs were referred to as the "Isa Begi", was its first leader. A few years before to the formation of theAq Qoyunlu in 1378, the Isa Begi ruled the district of Sokmanabad (modern-dayZurabad). One of Isa Beg's descendants, Shaikh Ahmad Beg rose to prominence in the Aq Qoyunlu government and took control of both theHakkari territory southeast ofLake Van and the castle of Bay, which was held by the Donboli for a considerable amount of time. TheSafavidshah (king) of Iran,Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576) had Sokmanabad and Khoy merged into a single district and entrusted it to Shaikh Ahmad Beg's grandson Haji Beg as its governor, who was given the title ofhaji soltan. Haji Beg was also given the responsibility of guarding the realm's borders.[3]
It seems that certain families in southeast Anatolia stayed behind when the Donboli northwestern Iran. Sharafkhan Bidlisi andCarsten Niebuhr (died 1815) both made reference to this group, with the latter reporting that it was situated south ofDiyarbakr and that its number of tents was approximately 500. A community of Donboli Kurds—possibly not Turkicized—existed in the SafavidErivan province in the 18th century.[3]
Today, the Donboli no longer have their tribal identity and become sedentary.[3]
| Iraq | |
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| Iran | |
| Azerbaijan | |
| Turkey | |
| Syria | |
| Historical tribes | |
