Hadhabani or Hadhbāni, Hadhbānī, Hadhbâniyya (also: Hadhbani) was a large medieval and most powerful Sunni Muslim Kurdish tribe. it made various Emirates and dynasties from the Caucasus, all the way to upper Mesopotamia.

Etymology

According to vladimir Minorsky, The name of the Tribe is derived from geographical term for the region of Irbil, which is preserved in the name of the Nestorian diocese, Adiabene (HaSayyap). the name is most likely a combination of hoz ("tribe") and bān ("leader"or" chief"), in Kurdish, which means "tribal leader".

Territory

According to Ibn Hawqal the region of Jazira was the summer pasture of Hadhabani Kurds and winter pasture of Shaybani Arab tribe, The presence of Hadhabani in the 10th century is attested from Dvîn in Armenia, passing through the banks of the Caspian to Al-Jazirah. The Hadhbani tribe was divided into several groups, the Mehranis, Rawandi, Zerzari and others, centered at Arbil, Oshnavieh and Urmia. Their dominion included the regions of Maragha and Urmia to the east, Arbil, Sinjar, and parts of Jazira to the south and west, and Barkari, Hakkari and Salmas to the north, as Erbil being one of their capital, ruling from 906 to 1131/1144.

History

In 906 AD, Muhammad ibn Bilal Al-hadhbani, laid waste to the Mosul countryside. the Hamdanid ruler, Abu'l-Hayja Abdallah ibn Hamdan, perused him but suffered a defeat. The Abbasid caliph of Baghdad sent reinforcement and Abu'l-Hayja continued his perusing Muhammad ibn Bilal along with 5,000 Hadhbani Kurdish families. A peace was made and the Muhammad ibn Bilal had to surrender all their territories in northern Mosul to Daseni and Humaydi Tribe. In 1041 AD, after the defeat of the invading Ghuz turks and subsequent massacre in Urmia by Rawadids and Hadhbani Kurds. They fled to Hakkari where they ravaged it. they were eventually defeated by the Kurds and 1500 Ghuz tribesmen were killed and the survivors were enslaved by the Kurds.

Hadhabani dynasty and branches

The Mihranis were a branch of the Hadhbani tribe, resided near Mosul and Erbil. They made the infamous Kurdish corps Mihraniyya of the Ayyubid Army. the Zarzari tribe, may have been a branch of Hadhabani tribe that inhabited ushnu and Rawanduz. while some Zarzaris resided in Sinjar. Shaddadids, Ayyubids and probably Rawadids were descendant of one of the Hadhabani branches.

Rulers