Bedirhan Bey

Commander of Cizre (Born 1802, Cizre – Death 1868, Damascus). According to the sources his father Abdullah Bey belongs to a family whose roots go back to the famous commander Selâhaddin Eyyubî and Halid bin Velid and his family’s roots go back in their 7^th generation to Şeref I, Khan of Bitlis and the author of the famous history book titled Şerefname. He is known as a quite intelligent, honest and brave leader.

When Abdullah Bey died first Seyfeddin Bey, the son of his brother became the commander. However since he could not conduct state affairs in a successful way, Bedirhan Bey’s elder brother Salih Bey was appointed Commander upon the insist of tribes. Salih Bey devoted his time rather to Sufism and worshipping, therefore he left the administrative duty to his younger brother Bedirhan by his own will.

Bedirhan Bey was loved by people thanks to his high level morality and diligence. Cizre, Botan and Hacıbehram regions were already under his rule, and Mu­sul, Erzurum and Van also came to his rule additionally. His influence and reputation surpassed his region and reached Iran. The Shah of Iran sent him gifts from time to time to gain his friendship.

In the last periods of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, Sadra­zam Çerkes Mehmet Reşit Pasha tried to soothe him with some promises because of some of his actions which could be regarded as rebel. He joined the Nizip War in 1839 with his own army and helped the Ottoman Empire.

He subjugated Nasturi tribes living in Hakkari region in 1845. Consulates of Western countries in Musul deemed this action as an Islam-Crusader problem, claimed that numerous Nasturis were killed by Bedirhan Bey and complained him to the Sublime Port. According to the Imperial Edict which had recently been declared at that time the security of the Christian subjects was under the guarantee of the state and this guarantee was submitted to the European states.

After continuous complaints of English and French Ambassadors to the Sublime Port, Sadrazam Reşit Pasha decided to arrest Bedirhan Bey and bring to Istanbul but could not do this immediately. As Bedirhan Bey did not regard Kemal Pasha trustable who was sent to persuade him he refused to go with him to Istanbul. Upon this the Ottoman army was mobilized. Müşir Osman Pasha, Sabri, Ömer and Mustafa Pasha besieged the castle called Orak or Oruh where Bedirhan Bey was present. He was sent the letter written by Sadrazam Mustafa Reşit Pasha which guaranteed him the safety of him, his assets and his family in case he came to Istanbul. Bedirhan Bey surrendered upon this, was brought to Istanbul in 1848 and hauled through Reşit Pasha before Sultan Abdülmecid.

Bedirhan Bey answered the Sultan who asked the reason of his rebel by reciting a famous quadrant of Ömer Hayyam:

 "If you answer an evil act of mine with another evil act, what difference will there be between us?” 

The Sultan liked this intelligent answer. Sultan Abdülmecit who found Bedirhan Bey’s manly and honest condition trustable ordered that he should be granted gifts and two hundred gold coins for the assets he left in his homeland.

Bedirhan Bey who was sent to exile with his family to Kan city of Crete in this way stayed here for ten years in the first part of his life. During the last times of Abdül­mecid he was forgiven and allowed to return to Istanbul. He was given gifts, rank of Governor and Pasha thanks to his works in Crete for the state.

Bedirhan Bey stayed eight more years in Crete to where he returned. During the period of Sultan Abdülâziz he returned back to Istanbul. The mansion which is nowadays used as Darüşşafaka (T.N. Ottoman secondary school for orphans) was given to him and he lived here for about seven years. Two years before his death he settled to Damascus and passed away there in 1868 and inhumed in Salihiye.

Historians find it remarkable that Bedirhan Bey gave confidence to not only Muslims but also Christians and protected the Christian subjects of Kandiye during an incident and that the Prefecture asked for his advises and mediation during the revolution in order to solve the problems between Muslims and Christians. According to some sources Bedirhan Bey had 96 children from his 34 wives and at the time when he passed away twenty-one daughters and twenty-one sons were alive.