Emirate of Kilis

The rulers of Kilis are supposedly descendants of Caliph Abbas and it is claimed that they originate from around Hakkâri and Amadiya. The progenitor is claimed to be a Prince named Mentesh which the title Mend derives from.[3]

When the Ayyubid dynasty collapsed around 1260, the Mamluks appointed Mend Kasım as ruler of the emirate. The Mamluks ultimately changed their support to İzzeddin, but he with Mamluk support failed at removing Kasım from power. When Ottoman Sultan Selim I expanded his empire and conquered the area, he received support from Mend Kasım. However, while visiting Constantinople, Kasım was executed by the Sultan after the latter had received a report from Karaca Beg, the Governor of Aleppo, and İzzeddin on the possible disorder in the case of Kasım's return to Kilis. After years of servitude to the Sultan, Kasım's son, Canpolat succeeded in obtaining the right to govern Kilis in 1515[4] and governed until his death in 1572. His son Hüseyin was able to expand the emirate towards Aleppo but was executed by the local pasha after being accused of murder. The emirate was subsequently governed by Hüseyin's nephew Ali who went on a revenge campaign against his rivals for the death of his uncle. The Ottomans thus sent an army to remove Ali who had to flee to Constantinople where he was executed in 1610.[2]

Despite a paucity of information, the followers of Ali remained in the region and were a source of trouble between 1613 and the 1690s, notably the Okçu İzzeddinli tribe which was involved in banditry.[2]

The descendants of Canbolat are named 'Canbolatoğulları' and fled to Lebanon in 1630. The Druze Jumblatt family are descendants of this family.[5] The Jumblatt family is an important family in Lebanese history and is still involved in Lebanese politics.[6]