Hakkari was a prominent mountainous Kurdish emirate for more than 500 years until its last mir was deposed in the middle of the 19th century. For much of its history it was a frontier area between the Ottoman and Iranian empires. Since 1534, however, Hakkari nominally belonged to the Ottomans.
At its height, Hakkari covered the present Turkish provinces of Hakkari and Van and even stretched into what is now northern Iraq.
Hakkari's ruling family claimed descent from the Abbasid caliphs and at times coined its own money and had its names read in the Islamic ceremony of the khutba, acts signifying full independence. The mirs resided in the towns of Van and Colemerik (which is now called Hakkari).
Over the years, however, Hakkari had a checkered history. Until World War I, a large Nestorian Christian or Assyrian minority also lived in Hakkari. Half of these Christians were peasants subservient to the Kurds, but the other half were organized into tribes and were noted fighters. Presently, Hakkari is the most sparsely populated province of Turkey and very poor economically.
Historical Dictionary of the Kurds. Michael M. Gunter.