CHALDIRAN, BATTLE OF

(1514)

At this important battle northeast of Lake Van, theOttomansinflicted a crushing defeat upon the SafavidPersians. The resulting boundary established between the two was formalized by theTreaty of Zuhabin 1639 and has persisted into modern times. As a result, most Kurds lived within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire, while the remainder lived within Persia. After the battle, pastoral nomadic Kurds increasingly began to join and even replace the indigenousArmenianagriculturist population on the plateau situated there.