'Kurdistan and the Kurds' [‎22v] (44/122)

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have spent the greater part of the last three years in prison at Kharput.
Their respective sons, Sardhan, Yusuf, and Mohammed Salih at present
act for them, under the supervision of ‘Ali Batti, who exercises authority
over Arabs, Kurds, Yezidi, and Christians alike. The leading sub-tribes
are the Habasbani, who live in the vicinity of ‘Ain Kaf, under ‘izz-ud-Din
Agha, the Dakshuri under Yusuf Agha and ‘Ali Agha, the Chomeri" under
Khalil Agha and the ‘Umairyan under Suleiman at Chale. The only
figures that are so far available about these tribes are an estimate, that
the Habasbani own 30 villages, that they number 1,000 houses and can put
1,500 men into the field, and that the ‘Umeiryan reach almost the same
numbers.
The Kochakiyah, or, as they are sometime^ called, the Kochekan Kurds,
inhabit the hills on the north of Nisibin, in the direction of Daline.
These Kurds have a fixed abode and ai'e chiefly engaged in agriculture ;
they occupy roughly 30 villages, and can raise a troop of 400 soldiers, most
of whom are dismounted. Their chief is Mahmud Agha ibn Ahmed Mahi;
he lives in a village called Bawerni, near the German Railway Construc
tion Buildings, outside Nisibin. He protected many Armenians during the
massacres, and his contempt for the Turkish authorities was shown by his
disregard of the orders of ‘Ali Ihsan Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , when summoned by him to
Nisibin. It is reported that he is strongly in favour of the British and
that he is anxious to fall upon the Turks at Nisibin. He is on good terms
with ‘Ali Batti Agha, the chief of the tribe of the Haverki.
The Shitiyah Kurds inhabit about 30 villages in the region between
Qishairan, Dugir, Azuaur and Namali; this is a fertile district in the plain
and is watered by several streams. The tribesmen, like their northern
neighbours, the Kochakiyah, are cultivators, only leaving their villages
during three months in the spring to wander in t he direction of Tell Hadi,
near Demi Kapu. Their families are about 300 in number and their total
forces only amount to 700 unarmed men. These tribes obey no paramount
chief, but each village or group of villages elects its own headman. The’
best known aghawdt, if they can be so called, are El-‘Abbas-ud-Dugir,
Ibrahim-ul-Khalil, ‘Abdi Agha Suar, and Hasan-uI-Khalil.
The ‘Alian, Miran, and Kichan Kurds fall into a small group together
in the hills on the west bank of the Tigris, between Jezirat-ibn-‘Omar and
Tell Rumailan. They are all herdsmen by profession and dwellers in
tents, who, in the summer trek right up to the mountains round Lake Van.
The aghd of the ‘Alian tribe is Bahrain Agha ibn ‘Omar ‘Alian; the
number of their tents is 200 and their fighting force consists of 200 men.
The Mi ran § -are under the chieftaincy ‘Abd-ul Kerim Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , the son of Naif
* Their exact locality is unknown.
§ Sir Mark Sykes says that the Miran number 1,000 families; they have an evil
reputation for every kind of villany ; they are, however, very friendly to Christians
and Europeans but treat Moslems shamefully. They have a chronic feud with
the Goyan.