In July 1728, the Ottoman imperial state issued a laconic decree. It granted the ruler (hâkim) of Palu, İbrahim Beg, the title of mîr-i mîrân. Also known as the beylerbeyi, this was the highest military and administrative position in a locality, granting its bearer pasha status in the Ottoman administrative hierarchy. While the title of hâkim referred to the bearer’s position as the ruler of the autonomous hükümet, carrying the title of mîr-i mîrân meant that İbrahim Beg was part of the Ottoman provincial bureaucracy.

The title came with the requirement that İbrahim Beg dedicate his utmost power to the splendid service of the sultan and ‘work for the securing of law and order, protection of the people, and expelling the malevolent’. Beylerbeyis were the highest authority in their localities, and these requirements were made of all pashas. Other clauses, however, were more specific to İbrahim Beg and his locality: he was required to provide grain and transport animals for the Iranian campaigns and to deliver charcoal and workers to the nearby Keban and Ergani mines.

The Ottoman state did not expect İbrahim Beg to perform these services just because he had been given a new title. The Ottoman state had long relied on the begs’ military power and on their provisioning of armies for long military campaigns in the east. What was new, however, was the clause making the Palu begs responsible for providing charcoal to the mines in their area. The Keban and Ergani mines served a vital function for the Ottoman treasury, providing precious metals for the Ottoman Imperial Mint (Darbhâne-i Âmire), and the imperial armory (cebehane) and foundry (tophane). The expectations of the Palu begs changed, becoming more about provisioning and supplies than about their hitherto critical task of providing military power to the Ottoman campaigns.

In this chapter I analyse the relationship of the Palu nobility to the Ottoman imperial establishment throughout the eighteenth century prior to the Tanzimat reforms focusing on three realms – military, mining and land. In terms of their position with respect to the imperial state, the Kurdish nobility’s military roles and mine service were essential.