BEDIR (BADR) KHAN BEG

(c. 1800-1868)

Bedir Khan became themirof theemirateofBotan(capitalCizre) in what is today southeasternTurkeyaround 1820. He has been described as brave, charming, pious, ambitious, and reckless and is still considered by many Kurds today to be one of the first advocates of Kurdishnationalism.

Under his guidance, Botan grew to encompass much of what is today southeastern Turkey and even theBahdinanpart of northernIraq.His strict rule made the emirate a noted place of security. The weakness of theOttoman Empireat that time helped lead Bedir Khan to strike for what some would argue was to be an independent Kurdistan. After he committed bloody massacres of the localChris-tians—who were being abetted by the European powers, however-Great BritainandFranceforced the Ottomans to move against Bedir Khan. In 1847, Bedir Khan was defeated, and Botan ceased to exist as a semi-independent emirate. Bedir Khan was exiled to Crete where, however, he defeated a rebellion of the Cretan Greeks in 1856. For this service he was allowed to move to Damascus, where he died in 1868. He reportedly had anywhere from 40 to 90 sons, but a current knowledgeable descendant explained that only 22 are actually known. TheBedir Khan familycontinued to play an important role in Ottoman and Kurdish affairs.