Sharafiyya Complex in Bidlis: Rethinking of Local History in Islamic Architecture

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This article aims to discuss the architectural and decorative characteristics of the Sharafiyya Complex in Bidlis in its historical and geographical context. The complex was commissioned by Emîr Sharaf ibn Emîr Shams al-Dîn al-Roşkî, a member of the Kurdish Bidlis dynasty, in 935/1528-29. Emîr Sharaf Beg ruled Bidlis from 909/1504 to 940/1533. His son Shams al-Dîn Beg completed the complex by constructing a mausoleum for his father in 940/1533 after his death. The monumental complex was built during his alliance with the Ottomans when he governed his territory without the interference of the Ottoman Empire. The complex is formed of a mosque, a mausoleum, a zawiya, a fountain, a madrasa with a covered market, a qaysâriyya (bazaar) and a bath-house. Emîr Sharaf Beg endowed villages, arable lands, several shops, markets, a hammam and a flourishing mill to fund the complex. The article will first provide a brief historical background to the Bidlis dynasty during the reign of Emîr Sharaf Beg (909/1504-940/1533). Then it will describe and analyze the monuments forming the complex, and examine main features of the architecture of Sharafiyya Complex.