TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

egion. 2016 Thenceforth, ‘unorthodox’ beliefs and practices have always found deed-
roots in the Ottoman Province of Rum. Therefore, especially in Amasya, Tokat, Çorum,
Sivas, and in the vicinity of these cities, the sedentary bases of the qizilbash movement
traced back to the early sixteenth century, or perhaps to the late fifteenth century.
Nonetheless, this does not seriously damage the thesis of the present study. Still
it is highly plausible to argue that during its active phase until the defeat of Çaldıran, the
locomotives of the movement were tribal devotees. The sincere sedentary qizilbashes,
excluding those who pretended to be qizilbash within the framework of the balances in
the Ottoman domestic politics, could be deemed only auxiliary supporters when they are
compared to the role of nomadic tribes. Following the defeat of Çaldıran, however, the
tribal characteristics of the qizilbash identity in the Ottoman Empire continuously faded
away.
It should be noted that the gradual fading of politico-military content of the
qizilbash identity was a process intimately connected to the change in the social basis of
the community; that is, the dissolution of the tribal organization and nomadic mode of
life. Contrary to the exclusive tribal nature of qizilbash oymaqs gathered around Junayd,
Haydar, and finally young Ismail, the copies of the Imperial Council (Divan) decisions,
namely Mühimme Defterleri, the Register of Important Affairs, from the second half of
the sixteenth century barely mention tribal affiliations of the qizilbashes subjected to
persecution. Rather, the recorded occasions are mostly pertaining to the villagers or
townspeople.
2016 The Babaī Revolt and the Qizilbash Movement have similarities in many aspects. For a brief
discussion of these similarities, see chapter VI in the present study.
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