[2] According to Sharafkhan Bidlisi (died 1603/04), the Donboli was known as "Donbol-e Bokht" since the "most authentic" theory said that they originated in Bohtan, an area in what is now southeast Turkey between Siirt and Cizre.
A few years before to the formation of the Aq Qoyunlu in 1378, the Isa Begi ruled the district of Sokmanabad (modern-day Zurabad).
One of Isa Beg's descendants, Shaikh Ahmad Beg rose to prominence in the Aq Qoyunlu government and took control of both the Hakkari territory southeast of Lake Van and the castle of Bay, which was held by the Donboli for a considerable amount of time.
The Safavid shah (king) of Iran, Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576) had Sokmanabad and Khoy merged into a single district and entrusted it to Shaikh Ahmad Beg's grandson Haji Beg as its governor, who was given the title of haji soltan.
Sharafkhan Bidlisi and Carsten Niebuhr (died 1815) both made reference to this group, with the latter reporting that it was situated south of Diyarbakr and that its number of tents was approximately 500.