Bitlis uprising (1914)

Bitlis uprising
	Bitlis Bitlis uprising (1914) (Turkey)
Date	Early March – 4 April 1914
Location	Bitlis, Ottoman Empire
Result	Ottoman victory Uprising suppressed;
Belligerents
Kurdish rebels; Supported by:; Russian Empire	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Mullah Selim; Sayyid Ali; Sheikh Şahabeddin; Abd al-Salam Barzani	Unknown
Strength
"Thousands"	Garrison at Bitlis:; Unknown, but less than the Kurds; Reinforcements:; Unknown

Last updated July 22, 2025

The Bitlis uprising was a Kurdish uprising in the Ottoman Empire in early 1914.^[2] It was supported by the Russian Empire.^[2] It was fought concurrently with an unrelated Kurdish uprising in Barzan in the Mosul Vilayet, which was also supported by Russia.^[2] Later Kurdish nationalist historiography portrayed the uprising as part of a Kurdish nationalist struggle, but its actual causes laid in opposition to conscription and taxation.^[2] The uprising began in early March, with a skirmish between Kurdish fighters and Ottoman gendarmes, where the latter was forced to retreat.^[2] The Kurds subsequently laid siege to the city of Bitlis, and captured the city on 2 April.^[2] Ottoman forces were then dispatched from Muş and Van and suppressed the uprising.^[2] After the defeat of the uprising on 4 April, one of the rebel leaders, Mulla Selim, successfully sought asylum in Russia.^[2]

References

1 2 3 Demirtaş, Mehmet (2018). "1914 Tarihli Bitlis İsyanının Osmanlı Arşiv Belgelerindeki Yansımaları-Cezalar, Mükâfatlar". dergipark.org.tr. p. 433. The leaders of the insurrection were Mullah Selim, Sayyid Ali and Sheikh Şahabeddin who were the religious scholars of Hizan Province.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Henning, Barbara (2018-04-03). Narratives of the History of the Ottoman-Kurdish Bedirhani Family in Imperial and Post-Imperial Contexts: Continuities and Changes. University of Bamberg Press. pp. 322–327. ISBN 9783863095512.

External links

Demirtaş, Mehmet (2018). "1914 Tarihli Bitlis İsyanının Osmanlı Arşiv Belgelerindeki Yansımaları-Cezalar, Mükâfatlar". dergipark.org.tr.

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[:1-1] 1 2 3 Demirtaş, Mehmet (2018). "1914 Tarihli Bitlis İsyanının Osmanlı Arşiv Belgelerindeki Yansımaları-Cezalar, Mükâfatlar". dergipark.org.tr. p. 433. The leaders of the insurrection were Mullah Selim, Sayyid Ali and Sheikh Şahabeddin who were the religious scholars of Hizan Province.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Henning, Barbara (2018-04-03). Narratives of the History of the Ottoman-Kurdish Bedirhani Family in Imperial and Post-Imperial Contexts: Continuities and Changes. University of Bamberg Press. pp. 322–327. ISBN 9783863095512.

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