Şeref Han Net Worth

Background and career

Sharaf al-Din Khan b. Shams al-Din b. Sharaf Beg Bedlisi (Kurdish: شەرەفخانی بەدلیسی, Şerefxanê Bedlîsî; Persian: شرف‌الدین خان بن شمس‌الدین بن شرف بیگ بدلیسی; 25 February 1543 – c. 1603–04) was the Kurdish Emir of Bitlis. He was also a historian, writer and poet. He wrote exclusively in Persian. Born in the Qara Rud village, in central Iran, between Arak and Qom, at a young age he was sent to the Safavids' court and obtained his education there.

He is the author of the Sharafnama, one of the most important works on medieval Kurdish history, written in 1597. He created a good picture of Kurdish life and Kurdish dynasties in the 16th century in his works. Outside Iran and Kurdish-speaking countries, Sharaf Khan Bidlisi has influenced Kurdish literature and societies through the translation of his works by other scholars. According to the Sharafname, the lineage of the Bitlis rulers traces back to Behvat, the son of Jamsab, one of the Persian Khosrows. After Jamsab's death, his sons Nersi and Surhab assumed administrative duties, while Behvat settled in Bitlis-Ahlat and lived a life detached from conquest politics. This lineage shows that the rulers of Bitlis had kinship ties with the Rustamdar and Shirvan dynasties, and also reveals that Sharaf Khan descended from these rulers.

He was also a gifted artist and a well-educated man, excelling as much in mathematics and military strategy as he did in history.