The Obscure Country of Qara Qoyunlu

NOTE: THIS POST IS TRUE. THIS COUNTRY IS NOT AN ALIEN COUNTRY. THIS POST IS NOT A HOAX.

Introduction

Qara Qoyunlu, or Kara Koyunlu, is the most esoteric of all the obscure countries. Also known as the “Black Sheep Turkomans,” this country in modern-day Iraq and Iran is virtually unheard of. Outside of the players of the video game “Europa Universalis IV,” I think no other people have heard of this country outside Iraq and Iran. But what even is this country?

Beginnings

The ruling Baharlu tribe was descended from the Yıwa tribe of the Oghuz Turks. The family held land north of Lake Van and Mosul in Upper Mesopotamia. The other tribes besides Baharlu that composed Qara Qoyunlu were the:

Baharlu
Saadlu
Karamanlu
Alpaut
Dukharlu
Jagirlu
Hajilu
Agacheri

Faruk Sümer, a local historian, said that Qara Qoyunlu was a branch of the Oghuz Empire. The Duharlu Turkmens (a branch of Qara Qoyunlu) first appeared in the Chronicle by Michael Panaretos. From his writings, we can say that the Duharlu Turkmens and many of the other tribes of Qara Qoyunlu fled the Mongol, Scythian, Hun, and Parthian invasions of Central Asia by hiding in the mountains of Armenia.

Rise

Qara Qoyunlu was originally a vassal of the Jalayirid Sultanate. However, they declared independence from the Jalayirids during the conquest of Tabriz by King Qara Yusuf. In 1400, the Mongols eventually returned to them, and the Timurid Empire attacked and defeated Qara Yusuf, who fled to Egypt. His enemy, the Jalayirid Sultan Ahmad Jalayir, also fled the Timurids and ended up in Egypt. not wanting to get destroyed by the Timurids, the Egyptian Sultan handed over most exiled rulers to Timur, the king of the Timurids. Qara Yusuf and Ahmad Jalayir became friends and decided to divide Qara Qoyunlu between them, Yusuf taking everything except Baghdad and Jalayir taking Baghdad. When Timur died in 1405, bringing down the Timurid Empire, the Egyptian Sultan released them both, and they divided Qara Qoyunlu as planned.

Here, Jalayir goes to rule Baghdad, and Yusuf conquers all of his former territories, including the Empire of the Timurids. He also conquers modern-day Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait. In 1410, Yusuf breaks his deal with Jalayir and conquers Baghdad.

Fall

However, when Yusuf died, the empire began to fall. The empire started to go through the remaining remnants of the Timurids. His sons tried to claim control back, but they failed. They had to retreat. They gave provinces one at a time before retreating to Armenia. They would be absorbed into a new empire, Aq Qoyunlu or the White Sheep Turkomans.