The Mahmudi, also known as Pinyanişi,[1] is a Kurdish tribe in the Lake Van region.
According to Evliya Çelebi (1611–1682) they had 60,000 warriors.
[1] The Yezidi Mahmudi tribe were loyal to the Safavids until their leader, Hasan Beg, converted from Yezidism to Islam[2] and switched sides to the Ottomans following the Ottoman attack on Azerbaijan (Modern day Iranian Azerbaijan) in 1554 during the Safavid Campaign (1554–55).
[3] Their chief, Sarı Süleyman Bey,[4] strengthened the Hoşap Castle[5] in the Lake Van region, in 1643.
[6] They bordered the Safavids, and were often raided by them.