the road to pervari - guneydogumirasi.org · famous work is the marifetname (book of gnosis), a...

242 A G U I D E T O S O U T H E A S T E R N A N A T O L I A

The road to Pervari

siirting 11/16/07 5:01 AM Page 242

243S I I R T

Siirt

siirting 11/16/07 5:01 AM 43


SiirtThe province of Siirt is located in the northeast of SoutheasternAnatolia. The many civilizations that ruled the lands to the northand south of the city of Siirt had a profound impact on the socialand cultural fabric of the region. The entire province is locatedin the Tigris river basin, and serves as an important catchmentarea for the river. Although the etymology of the name is notprecisely known, the Syrian name for the city is ‘Se’erd’. Siirtwent through many incarnations, as Sort, Söört, Sairt and Siirdbefore being known as ‘Şiird’ by the Ottomans. Siirt wasdeclared an administrative province of Turkey in 1926, withBatman and Şırnak as districts under its jurisdiction; in 1990,these two became provinces in their own right. Farming andlivestock breeding are the two main sources of income in theprovince.

LifestyleDue to its geographic andcommercial isolation, Siirt hadlittle contact with its neighborsduring the early years of theTurkish Republic. As a result, itstraditions and culture remainedrelatively static for many years.However, progress came with thediscovery of oil in 1940 and thearrival of the railway atKurtalan in 1944. With thedevelopment of roads andhighways, traditional life in Siirtsoon began to change.The Botan and

other rivers �The entire province of Siirt islocated in the Tigris river basin -the fourth largest catchment areain Turkey after the river basinsof the Euphrates, Kızılırmak andSakarya rivers. Indeed, Siirt’slargest river, the Botan, is amajor tributary of the Tigris.One of the deepest andnarrowest valleys in the country,the Botan river valley opens ontothe Bitlis river valley and theTigris valley. Siirt’s other majorrivers are the Bitlis, Kezer andZorava. Boasting over 350 km ofrivers and beautiful countryside,Siirt is the ideal location forenjoyingoutdoorand watersports,includingrafting andcanoeingon theBotan.

GeographySiirt abounds in plateaus andhigh mountains. The city isbacked by steep, highmountains to the north, whichform part of the SoutheasternTaurus range. Large plateaussuch as the Cemirakı, Ceman,Herekol and Bacavan areused as pasturage.

The Botan River

Downtown Siirt


245S I I R T A T A G L A N C E

Provincial Population: 263,676 based on the 2000 census

Center City Population: 98,281Altitude: 895 meters above sea level

Area: 6186 square kilometersDistricts and Villages: 6 districts, 279 villages

Neighboring Provinces: Van and Hakkari to theeast, Bitlis to the north, Batman to the west,

Mardin and fi›rnak to the south

ID CARD

Religiousleaders andmausoleumsSiirt has produced manyspiritual leaders who influencedthe religious and intellectual lifeof the region, and left behindimportant literary works. Theirtombs and mausoleums arepopular sites of pilgrimage andfaith tourism.

NatureWith its forests, open pasturesand grasslands, Siirt boasts avast range of plants and

vegetation. A wide variety ofmedicinal and aromatic plantsare found in Siirt, includingliquorice, capers, thyme androsehips.

Siirt is renowned for its mohair blankets

Siirt produces a large, plumpvariety of pistachio

Rolling a cigarette, Siirt-style


247S I I R T A T A G L A N C E

The village ofBeğendik inPervari



A detail of theGrand Mosque


249T H E H I S T O R Y O F S I I R T

Located at the crossroads ofMesopotamia and Anatolia, Siirt hasfelt the impact of many greatcivilizations. Little researchhas been conducted into theprehistoric settlement of theprovince, with only oneactive archeologicalexcavation at Türbe Höyük,which reveals traces of a5000-year-old culture.Stone tools found aroundEruh suggest that theregion was settled evenbefore this. Siirt is knownto have been established bythe Hurrians, the first rulersof the region, who heldsway from 3000-1260 BC.Later, the area wasconquered by the Mitanni,Assyrians, Urartu, Sythians, Meds andPersians. The region was later taken by

the Macedonians, followed by theSeleucids and the Romans. With thedivision of the Roman Empire, Siirtand its environs came under Byzantine

rule, and suffered frequentattacks by the Sassanids.The city came underMuslim rule during thecaliphate of Umar, and wasunder the jurisdiction ofDiyarbakır and Hasankeyf.The city was ruled by awide range of ‘kavim’(tribal nations) and ‘beylik’(principalities) during theTurkish-Islamic era. Whenthe entire region cameunder Ottoman rule, Siirtfirst came under thejurisdiction of the provinceof Diyarbakır, and then ofBitlis in 1884. In 1926, Siirt

and its environs became anadministrative province of Turkey.

The History of Siirt



Siirt is an important site ofpilgrimage and faith tourism.The city’s Grand Mosqueis one of the oldest inTurkey, and the twenty orso tombs andmausoleums of Islamictheologians who heraldedfrom the city attract many

visitors. The most important ofthese are the mausoleum of

Uwais al-Qarni in the townof Ziyaret in the district ofBaykan, and themausoleum of İsmail

Fakirullah and İbrahimHakkı in the cemetery in

Aydınlar.

A Center of Islamic Learning

Veysel Karani(Uwais al-Qarni)Born around 555-560, Uwais al-Qarni (also Oveys Gharani),founder of the Oveyssi school ofSufism, was raised without anyknowledge of the threemonotheistic religions.Nevertheless, he independentlydeveloped a belief in a single

god. According to tradition, it issaid that Muhammed left hiscloak to Uwais. Uwais al-Qarnidied in the Battle of Siffin in 657while fighting on the side ofImam Ali, and his body is said tohave been carried to Yemen,Damascus and Siirt-Baykan bythe three tribes that fought in thebattle. In one of his hadith,Muhammed said that those whowere unable to visit him should

go to Uwais al-Qarni; as aresult, al-Qarni’s mausoleum isan important site of pilgrimage.His domed mausoleum wasdemolished and rebuilt in 1967.The life of Uwais al-Qarni iscelebrated at the mausoleumevery year on May 16-17.

The mosque and mausoleum of Uwais al-Qarni


251T H E H I S T O R Y O F S I I R T

‹brahim Hakk›Erzurumiİbrahim Hakkı Erzurumi was bornin 1703 in Hasankale, a district ofErzurum. Like his father MullahOsman, he came to Tillo andbecame a student of theology andthe natural sciences under İsmailFakirullah, and joined the Oveyssischool of Sufism. As a master ofboth mysticism and science,İbrahim Hakkı Erzurumi was knownas ‘Zülcenaheyn’, meaning two-winged, and was internationallyrenowned for his interpretation ofearly Islamic sources (hadith),Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), Islamicmysticism, literature, psychology,sociology, medicine and astronomy. İbrahim Hakkı Erzurumi came toIstanbul during the reign of SultanMahmud I and worked for a time inthe court library. He died in 1780 atthe age of 77, and was buriedaccording to his wishes in themausoleum of İsmail Fakirullah,which Erzurumi himself had built.İbrahim Hakkı Erzurumi’s mostfamous work is the Marifetname(Book of Gnosis), a compendium ofknowledge that covers everythingfrom geography to astronomy,anatomy, physiology andphilosophy. In 1753, he developed amechanism called the ‘Devr-iDaim’ or ‘Ruzname’ that serves as aperpetual calendar. His worksentitled the ‘Saatname’ and‘İhtiyarat’ül Kamer’ includeinformation about the planets andcalendars, while the ‘Rub’ulMueyyeb’ covers orienteering andthe calculation of longitude andlatitude.

‹smail Fakirullahİsmail Fakirullah was born in1655. He began his education at

a young age, continuing until hebecame both a master of thesciences and a spiritual leaderwithin the Oveyssi school. Whenhe died in 1734, he was buriedin the cemetery at Tillo in amausoleum built for him by hisstudent İbrahim Hakkı Erzurumi.The mausoleum consists of tworooms, a hall and a tower,covered by three domes – onelarge and two small. On March21, the vernal equinox, the firstrays of sunrise reflect off a toweroutside the city and through a40x50cm window of themausoleum, illuminating thehead of İsmail Fakirullah’ssarcophagus. Sadly, thisingenious design was upsetirrevocably during the 1964restoration of the mausoleum.

SheikhfierafettinAn army major,Sheikh Şerafettingathered togethermany volunteers toresist the Russianoccupation of Bitlisand Siirt in WorldWar I. After the war,he helped diffusearguments betweenthe local clans andsubdued variousseparatistmovements. Hismausoleum islocated in the towncenter.

The mausoleum of İbrahim Hakkı Erzurumi and İsmail Fakirullah



MuseumsThe Museum of ‹smailFakirullah and ‹brahimHakk›

Mosques (Camii)Grand (Ulu or Siirt)MosqueÇarfl› (Asakir) MosqueCumhuriyet (H›drulAhdar) MosqueSheikh Memduh(Memdun) Mosque

Mausoleums (Türbe)The Mausoleum of Sheikh‹brahim El-Mücahit The Mausoleum of SheikhMuhammed El-Hazin

The Mausoleum of SheikhMusa The Mausoleum of SheikhHattab The Mausoleum ofAbdurrahman Bin Avf The MMausoleum ofSultan Memduh

Churches (Kilise)The Church of Deyri Dara Deyr Mir YakupMonastery

Forts (Kale)Derzin FortKormas FortSavtan Fort (Pervari)

Inns (Han)Çemiflevki Inn Gerre InnOymak›l›ç InnPalamutlu Inn

BridgesKurtalan BridgeOymak›l›ç BridgeNasrettin BridgeÇarpiran (Dörtulular)Bridge

Other SightsSiirt Clock TowerCas HousesTürbe Höyük

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27


253S I G H S E E I N G I N S I I R T



The Museumof ‹smailFakirullah and‹brahim Hakk› Ayd›nlar This small museum run by thedescendants of İbrahim HakkıErzurumi features mechanismsand books that belonged the18th-century scientist, includingcosmographic tools, maps,wooden spheres representing thesolar system, valuablemanuscripts and a number of hispersonal possessions.

Grand (Ulu orSiirt) MosqueKarakolThe Grand Mosque was built in1129 by the Seljuk sultanMahmud II. Additions weremade in 1260 by the governor ofCizre, El Mücahit İshak. Themosque is an important example

of Anatolian architecture. Itstapering minaret - the symbol ofSiirt - is set on a rectangular basecovered with Arabic Kufic script,geometric patterns and wovenand star motifs. The minaret hasonly one balcony, and isembellished with simpleturquoise ceramic tiles that arerare examples dating from thefirst half of the 12th-century. Themosque’s minbar, an exquisiteexample of Seljuk woodworking,is currently on display at theEthnographical Museum inAnkara.

Çarfl› (Asakir)Mosque UlusA rectangular mosqueconstructed from ashlar masonry,the Çarşı (Asakir) Mosque wasbuilt in 1265 by the Artukid ruleral-Malik al-Salih Nasir al-Din.The tomb of Eş-Şeyh Hasan-ıAskeri is located inside the

mosque. In 1966, a building withtwo domes was added to themosque, altering its layout anddestroying much of the originalornamentation in the process.The round minaret is set on arectangular, ashlar masonry baseand has one balcony.

Cumhuriyet(H›drul Ahdar)MosqueSiirt city centerNo one knows when or by whomthe mosque was built, but it isthought that one of Jesus’sdisciples is buried here, and themosque has long been a site ofpilgrimage. The mosque wasrestored in 1926 and its namechanged from Hıdrul Ahdar toCumhuriyet Camii (Mosque of

4

3

2

1

The Museum ofİsmail Fakirullahand İbrahim Hakkı

The Grand Mosque

The Grand Mosque

Theminaretof theGrandMosque



the Republic). Originally, themosque was square and had asingle dome, but an extensionwith two domes was added in theeast, turning it into a rectangularstructure. The Suk’ul Aynfountain next to the mosquedates from Seljuk times.

SheikhMemduh(Memdun)MosqueFakirullah, Ayd›nlarThis ashlar masonry, squaremosque was built in 1893 next tothe mausoleum of SultanMemduh. In front of the mosqueis a domed, six-pillared narthexwith five sections. Its roundarches are decorated with linesof stones in two different colors.

TheMausoleum ofSheikh ‹brahimEl-Mücahit Mücahit, Ayd›nlar Sheikh İbrahim El-Mücahit wasborn, lived and died in Tillo, atown now known as Aydınlar,and is buried in this mausoleum.He achieved the status ofsainthood and is also known tohave written a divan, orcollection of poems. İbrahimHakkı Erzurumi enumerated hismiracles in his works.

TheMausoleum ofSheikhMuhammed El-Hazin The village of Dereyamaç, 8 kmfrom Ayd›nlarSheikh Muhammed El Hazinstudied with Sheikh Osman inIraq and gave sermons at theGrand Mosque upon his return toSiirt. He died in 1891 and wasburied in this square, domedmausoleum built from ashlarmasonry. The site has recentlybeen restored and landscaped.

TheMausoleum ofSheikh Musa Do¤anSheikh Musa is thought to havetutored Sheikh İlyas, SheikhNaccar and Sheikh Türki. Hissquare, ashlar masonrymausoleum is capped by a dome.Later, a 19th-century stylemosque was added.

TheMausoleum ofSheikh Hattab Cerrah MosqueHaving studied with Ömer Alimof Siirt and Mufti Hüseyin,Sheikh Hattab became the imamof Cerrah Mosque and arenowned teacher of textualexegesis (tafsir) and theinterpretation of early Islamicsources (hadith).

The Mausoleum ofAbdurrahman Bin Avf Near the village of Yukar›Balc›lar, 8 km from PervariThis mausoleum is thought tobelong to Abdurrahman Bin Avf,a man said to have fought in allof Muhammed’s battles and tohave died at the age of 75.

TheMausoleum ofSultan Memduh On a high hill west of Ayd›nlarThis square, ashlar masonrymausoleum was built in 1830 bySheikh Memduh for SheikhAbdurrahman. Upon his deathSheikh Memduh was also buriedhere. The main entrance isdecorated with friezes ofinscriptions and a variety ofmotifs. The adjoining mosquewas built in 1893.

The Church of Deyri Dara West of fiirvan According to the locals, thislargely ruined church coveringsome 500 square meters was animportant religious center thathosted clergymen from theneighboring churches.

Deyr Mir Yakup MonasteryNear Kilise, 3 km north of SiirtThis ruined monastery consistedof a church, library, cloisters,guest quarters and a dining hall.Most of the monastery was builtfrom split stone.

Derzin FortNear the village of Adakale inthe Baykan districtThe watchtowers of this rubblemasonry Byzantine fort remainstanding to this day. During theŞahkulu Rebellion under theOttomans, the leader, Şahkulu, issaid to have taken refuge here; asa result, the fort is also known asthe Şakuli Bey fort.

Kormas FortThe village of ‹ncekaya in thefiirvan districtThis castle-like Byzantine fortwas later taken by the Seljuksbefore being used as shelter bythe Ottomans.

Savtan Fort (Pervari)The village of Tafll› in thePervari district No one knows exactly when orby whom the fort was built.Unlike the other forts, its well-preserved fortifying walls aremade from large stones. Near thefort, a wall carved out of largerocks stands in the narrow Botanriver valley; 85 meters long and10-15 meters high, the wall islocated between the districts ofAydınlar, Pervari and Şirvan, andis known as the Bünyan Wall.While its exact age is not known,the wall is thought to date fromthe Byzantine era.

16

15

14

13

13

12

10

9

7

7

6

5



Çemiflevki Inn In the hamlet of E¤lence, 2 kmoff the Siirt-Eruh roadNo one knows when or by whomthe inn was originally built. Theinn has two doors, with ashlarmasonry walls and a rubblemasonry interior. The inn wasdeclared a protected building in1990.

Gerre InnTowards the village ofOrmanard›, 40 km from SiirtThe entrance to this well-preserved, rectangular inn is inthe west. The façade is madefrom ashlar masonry, and thedoor is punctuated by a low,pointed arch.

Oymak›l›çVillage InnNear the village of Oymak›l›ç inthe Eruh districtThought to have been built bythe Armenians, thiscomparatively well-preservedashlar masonry inn laterfunctioned briefly as a mosque.

PalamutluVillage InnThe village of Palamutlu in thePervari districtThis partially ruined, mixedashlar and rubble masonry innlocated below the fort is thoughtto have been built by theArmenians.

Kurtalan BridgeKurtalanThe precise date of theconstruction of this functioningbridge is not known, as theinscription on the bridge has notsurvived. Made from ashlarmasonry with five sections andfeaturing round arches,stylistically the bridge seems todate from the Ottoman era.

Oymak›l›çVillage BridgeThe village of Oymak›l›ç in theEruh districtThe bridge is said to have been

built by the Armenians some600-700 years ago, and has beenperiodically restored by thelocals who have built a road overthe bridge out of pieces of woodand iron pipes.

NasrettinBridgeSpanning the Baflur River, onthe Siirt-Eruh roadSince no inscription on thebridge has survived, its precisedate of construction is notknown. The mixed ashlar andrubble masonry bridge has foursections, and stylistically seemsto date from the Seljuk period.The bridge has been somewhatover zealously restored.

Çarpiran(Dörtulular)BridgeSpanning the Bitlis River, 3kmeast of BaykanThe mixed ashlar and rubblemasonry bridge is thought todate from the 16-17th century.

Siirt ClockTowerOpposite the Vilayet Kona¤›(provincial hall)The ashlar masonry clocktower was built from 1974-5, has a stone base and isseparated into four sectionsby moldings. Each of thefour sides features a clockface, and the tower iscapped by a dome. Theoriginal tower was built in1905 by Alaaddin Pasha,but later collapsed; itsclock, however, waspreserved and used in thenew tower.

Türbe HöyükTumulusNorthwest of the hamlet ofÇiçekyurdu near the village ofYokuflba¤lar›Set on a natural hill, this tumulusslopes from west to east towardsa low dike. The tumulus wasdiscovered in 1988, andexcavations began in 2002.Settled throughout the 5th and4th millennium BC, the area waslater abandoned before beingused as burial ground in theMiddle Ages. A three-meterthick, pre-Roman wall madefrom rough stones has beenuncovered, as have pieces ofaround 6000-year-old Halafpottery. Findings in thesoutheastern corner of thetumulus reveal that it played animportant role in the obsidiantrade in the 5th and 4th millenniaBC.

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18

17



Cas HousesThe older neighborhoods ofthe city feature two or three-story tapering houses withsmall windows and flatroofs. The houses are coatedwith a plaster known as‘cas’ made from groundgypsum found near the city.The plaster sets quickly,facilitating the constructionof domes. The doors andwindows are decorated withstone carvings. Whileideally suited to the Siirtclimate and made usinglocal materials, traditional‘cas’ houses are neverthelessharder to build, moreexpensive and less hardythan their concretecounterparts, and are indanger of disappearing.

27



Handcrafts

Siirt kilimsOnly wool kilims are woven inSiirt. Long-lasting natural dyesare used, and the kilims retaintheir bright colors for manyyears. Kilims are produced withthe support of local foundationsand public education courses,and in peoples’ homes. Thefamous Jirkan kilim is onlyproduced in Siirt, and comes ina variety of sizes. The patternsused in the kilimsoften have symbolicmeanings.ArmoniFeatures dovetail,cleat, dragon, hookand comb motifssymbolizing powerand strength.Canbezer(Jirkanan)Decorated withscorpions,

trammels and earrings, thismotif represents the struggle toresist your enemies.Tree of LifeFeaturingbird, dragonand tree of lifemotifs, thispatternrepresents theseven layers ofthe heavens inShamanism.

� fialflepik Only found in Siirt and Şırnak,‘şalşipik’ or ‘şalşepik’ is afabric used in men’s clothing.Traditional dress for menconsists of a long-sleeved shirtworn under a waistcoat, a shortjacket with full sleeves andwide-legged trousers. Thesleeves of the shirt are tiedaround the wrists with tassels.Şalşepik fabric is woven fromthread spun from angora wool.The wool is gathered in a balland then spun using a spindle.The fabric is first boiled inwater and then dried and aired.Şalşepik is dyed with naturaldyes, can be washed in hot orcold water, and has theadvantage of keeping you coolin the summer and warm in thewinter.

Siirt blanketsSiirt blankets are mainly wovenfrom mohair. The wool is spuninto yarn, which is then wovenon traditional looms. During theweaving, the blanket is combedand tufted. The mohair is notdyed, and the blankets thereforecome only in black, white, beigeand camel. It takes a whole dayto weave a single-size blanket.Today, overcoats, scarves,saddlebags, bags and bedspreadsare also made from blanketmohair.

Traditional dressTraditional dress is rarely wornnowadays as the traditional wayof life has changed dramatically.Nevertheless, it can still be seenoccasionally in a number ofvillages in the districts of Eruhand Pervari.


261S I I R T C U L T U R E A N D C U I S I N E

BüryanChops of meat are hung onhooks to cook slowly inspecially prepared undergroundovens. When cooked, the dish isserved in weighed portions.

Köfte (Meatballs)Meatballs are known locally as‘kitel’ or ‘kiftel’. The localfavorite, Siirt meatballs, aremade with fine cracked wheatwhile ‘kiftel leben’ (meatballswith yoghurt) and ‘kiftel fum’(meatballs with garlic) are alsopopular.

BumbarThis regional specialty isprepared during the local CigorBayram festivities, and is madefrom intestines stuffed with rice,black pepper, parsley and finelychopped meat. The stuffedintestine is sewn shut andboiled.

DessertsSiirt cuisine features manydelicious desserts including‘Varak keek’, ‘aside’, ‘rayoşumeketip’ and ‘imçerket’.

Pervari HoneyPaler than the other honeysproduced in the region, Pervarihoney is pure and has noadditives. It is said to be goodfor the lungs, heart, digestivesystem and circulation.

Siirt PistachiosLow fat and easy to digest, Siirtpistachios are larger andplumper than those produced inAntep.

Siirt cuisineThe most popular ingredients in Siirt cuisine are wheatproducts and meat. Local specialties include ‘perde pılavı’ and‘büryan’.

Perde Pilav›Perde pilavı (veiled rice) isSiirt’s most famous localspecialty. The dish hascultural and socialsignifications: if a mother-in-law prepares it for her newbride, it is her way of tellingthe girl to keep her newfamily’s secrets, just as thepastry conceals the riceinside. The rice kernelsrepresent fertility andabundance; women who wanta girl prepare the dish withalmonds, and with pigeonmeat if they want a boy, whilepartridge meat representshappiness and peace. Today,game birds are usually

replaced by chicken. ‘Perdepilavı’ is cooked in a copperpan shaped like a fez. First,the dough is prepared bykneading together eggs, milk,butter and chicken broth. Thedough is then greased anddraped over the pan. A layerof rice is spread inside thepastry followed by a layer ofchopped chicken, which istopped with currants, nuts,almonds and spices. Thepastry is then folded over therice. When the dish iscooked, it is flipped over ontoa tray and served shaped likea dome.

ZivzikPomegranateThe slightly acidic, pleasantlytart ‘zivzik’ pomegranate hassoft, large seeds with smallpips. Each fruit weighsbetween 200 and 800 grams.

B›tt›m SoapThis soap is made from‘bıttım’, a turpentine tree thatgrows in and around Siirt. Thesoap is said to preventdandruff and hair loss.

Büryan


the road to pervari - guneydogumirasi.org · famous work is the marifetname (book of gnosis), a...

Documents