Bidlisi Sharaf al-Din (Sharaf-Khan)
Bidlisi Sharaf al-Din (Sharaf-Khan) ibn Shams al-Din (born February 25, 1543, in Karahrud, near Qom—date of death unknown, buried in Tbilisi) was a Persian-speaking Kurdish historian from the Ruzak (Rojkî) tribe. He grew up in Iran at the court of Shah Tahmasp I.
In 1578, he joined the service of the Ottoman Empire, for which Sultan Murad III granted him the governorship of Bidlisi and the title of Khan. From 1578 to 1588, heading the Kurdish troops, he participated in Ottoman military campaigns in the South Caucasus, specifically in Georgia. He is the author of a two-volume historical work, "The Book of Honor" ("Sharafname"), which tells the history of Kurdish nomadic tribes and dynasties. It also includes events from the history of the Ottoman Empire, Iran, and other neighboring countries from 1290 to 1596.
The Sharafname contains an abundance of information about Georgia, with the earliest mentions dating back to the 10th century. Accounts from the second half of the 16th century in Georgia are of particular importance. The work describes the campaign of the Qizilbash commander Div-Sultan Rumlus in Georgia, the military campaigns of Shah Tahmasp I, including his capture of the fortress of Tbilisi, the raid and plunder of the monastery at Vardzia, and the capturing of 30,000 Georgians in 1554.
The work also provides interesting details about the Tsikhistavi (governor) of Tbilisi, Gulbat, and his sons, who later became loyal to the Shah. Furthermore, there is information about Georgians who served at the Persian royal court, the Shah's Georgian wives, and their children. Additionally, it extensively covers the events related to Mustafa Lala Pasha's campaigns during the renewal of the Iran-Ottoman war, the battle of King Simon I of Kartli and Atabeg Manuchar of Samtskhe against the invaders in an effort to free and save their country.
Literature: ტ ა ბ ა ტ ა ძ ე კ., შერეფ-ხან ბითლისის ცნობები საქართველოს შესახებ, «კავკასიურ-ახლოაღმოსავულრი კრებული», 1962, [ტ.] 2.
K. Tabatadze
