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Ezidi Mirza (or Ezidi Mirza Hesen, Mirza Pasha and Dasini Mirza Beg; 1600 – 1651) was a Yazidis leader, who is mentioned in Yezidi sagas, poems and stories due to his heroic and military exploits. He was born 1600 AD in a respected family of the Sheikh caste from the Qatanî lineage of Şêx Simayîlê Enzelî in the town of Bashiqa as the youngest of three brothers. In 1649 AD, he was appointed as the governor of Mosul.
He wandered on the streets alone while covered in blood, until a trader recognized him, asked him what had happened and took him back to Bashiqa. The news of this tragedy quickly spread, which angered the community. Ezidi Mirza was sheltered by the religious clergy, who gave him training in religious knowledge and taught him to read and write.
Once Mirza grew up, he got married and became a religious teacher himself. He also began to show interest in military strategies and tactics from a young age. The constant raids by the Muslims on the Ezidis and his tragic childhood had convinced Mirza that military expertise was essential.
At the age of 25, Mirza was appointed as the head of Bashiqa-Bahzani community. He had intimate and cordial contacts with the Yezidi Mir, Zeynal Begê Çavbixalî. When the Ottoman-Safavid war broke out, the Yezidis ended up in the middle of two fronts. Ezidi Mirza, who had now become the commander in chief of all Yezidis, was aware that the Yezidis could only survive this war by siding with only one of the two sides. Since the invasion, the Safavid Iran had launched attacks on his Yezidi brethren further east, in addition, the Ottomans were stationed in the immediate vicinity of the Yezidi centre near Mosul, therefore, Ezidi Mirza chose to fight on the Ottomans' side. According to the reports of Mustafa Naima, Ezidi Mirza was personally received and recognized by Murad IV as the commander-in-chief of the Yezidi fighters. In the report, Ezidi Mirza is heroized for his service during the Battle of Baghdad between the Safavids and Ottomans in 1638. The Mîr of the Yezidis at the time, Mîr Zeynal Begê Çavbixalî, was also involved in the battle together with six other eminent Yezidi chieftains, Temo Babikî, Pîrikê Xoşabî, Qerece Rexacî, Qere Babikî, Xizikî Dumilî, Şêx Dirî and Şêx Babikê Kuremîş, who joined Ezidi Mirza.
This led to the governor of Mosul, Melek Ahmed Pasha, who was known for being hostile to Yezidis, to launch an attack on Shingal with an army of 70,000 troops. He demanded the Yezidis to return the plundered goods and to pay the taxes due. In response, Yezidi warriors retreated to the Sinjar Mountains and offered resistance. Despite outnumbering the Yezidis, the Turkish people suffered heavy casualties before defeating the battle-hardened Ezidis in the harsh mountainous terrain.
Just a year later, when Kara Murad Pasha was deposed from his office, Ezidi Mirza, like the other governors, lost his position. Mirza decided to go to Istanbul to protest his removal. Melek Ahmad Pasha, who was responsible for the great invasion of Shingal in 1640, became the new Grand Vizier of the Ottomans. His hatred of the Yezidis had remained and he made sure that Ezidi Mirza was not to be given back his position. When Mirza was informed about the appointment of the new Grand Vizier, he began to plan a rebellion in secrecy. One day, on a trip back to Bashiqa with 60 guards, he died in an ambush by Ottoman soldiers.
His death led to anger in the Yezidi regions and eventually to a major rebellion led by the new chief named Imadin Hakkari who raised an army of 6,000 warriors with the support of other Yezidi leaders including the Mîr Zeynal Begê Çavbixalî. Yezidis were able to overtake large swathes of territory, including the Barwari region from the Ottoman and Sunni Kurdish alliance. Eventually, Ottomans were able to push Yezidis back after sending reinforcements to Diyarbekir, however, because of heavy casualties, Ottomans decided to hold peace talks with the Yezidi leaders. As part of the agreement, Ottomans would withdraw their troops from Hakkari region, therefore, Bahdinan would see a period of peace and harmony thereafter.
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