Sheikh Ubeydullah's movement

Abstract

In 1880, a group of Ottoman tribes attacked land held by Persia. As a result, the whole area to the west of Lake Urumiye was affected. The extent of the attacks reached even the city of Tabriz. The leading figure in this movement was an Ottoman Naqshebandi Sheikh named Ubeydullah. His movement is considered to be the first Kurdish uprising that had national aspirations. The stance of the Ottoman Empire towards this movement had various considerations that shall be evaluated in the context of the depressed time, an era in which pressures toward the empire’s dissolution were keenly felt. The aim of the present study is to understand the nature of the sheikh’s movement and how it was shaped by international conditions, especially the Ottoman involvement in it.