The Dulkadirids were the last of the Anatolian emirates to yield to the Ottomans, managing to remain independent until 1521, and were not fully incorporated into the empire until 1530.

Dulkadir Eyalet was likely established shortly after the grand vizier Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha extinguished the Kalenderoghlu revolt the same year and took administrative precautions to maintain order in the realm.

Historian Celalzade [tr] attests to the beylerbey of Dulkadir in Tabakātü'l-memâlik in 1538.

[4] In the early 16th century, a significant portion of the province's population was composed of nomadic Turkmens of the Dulkadir tribe.

[4] The population of the eyalet increased in 1570–1580, when it housed 113,028 households (approximately 550,000 people), 70,368, 38,497, and 4163 of whom were settled Muslims, nomads, and Christians, respectively.