Emirate of Hasankeyf

Hasankeyf Emirate^[1] (1232–1524,^[2][4] Kurdish: Mîrektiya Melîkan) was a Kurdish emirate centered around Hasankeyf and ruled by descendants of the Ayyubid dynasty until its dissolution in 1524.^[1][2] They considered their emirate as the last remnant of the Ayyubid state.^[5] The rulers were called ‘amlak’ (kings) and continued to lead the emirate from 1232 to 1524 despite invasions and different sovereigns.^[6][1]

The period from the 13th century to the 16th century witnessed the construction of various architectural structures, mostly pertaining to Islamic architecture.^[8] Topographer Izz al-Din ibn Shaddad noted, arguably before 1259, that the emirate had three madrasas, four hammams, mausolea, bazaars, caravanserais, mosques and citadels. Around the citadel, there was a town square and fields for wheat, barley and grain growth. However, the living standard took a turn for the worse with the Timurid invasion with most of the local inhabitants fleeing towards the rock caves for safety. Even the Tigris bridge was unusable in this period. Only after a peace agreement was signed between Al-Nasir Muhammad and Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan in the first part of the 14th century did the emirate prosper again and construction resumed.^[7]

The emirate had established several charities which supported educational matters and scholars from the fields of music, poetry and literacy settled in the emirate. Several emirs also collected scholarly works and established libraries for research.^[2]