Although primarily a dynastic history, there is little doubt that the Sharafnama stands as the single most important work on the Kurdish nation and its history. It was completed by Prince Sharaf al-Din Biltisi in 1597. In the pages of the Sharafnama are present the Kurdish nation, already unified 400 years ago within a common culture, national ethos, a defined homeland and an integrated history stretching into antiquity. In the text of this unique history the empires of the Kurds parallel those of the Arabs, Persians and Turks, some, according to Bitlisi, reaching back over 4,000 years. As the Kurds continue their arduous journey to regain their proper position as the fourth largest ethnic group in the greater Middle East, it is clear why the Sharafnama has gained the status of a national document and the locus classicus of Kurdish authenticity.