View source for Yazidism

{{Short description|Religion of a Kurdish-speaking community}}
{{About|the religion|the people|Yazidis}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
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{{Infobox religion
| name               = Yazidism<br>{{nobold|{{langx|ku|ئێزدیتی|Êzdiyetî|label=none}}}}
| caption_background = 
| image              = Lalish.jpg
| imagewidth         = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = The tomb of Sheikh Adi at [[Lalish]], the holiest Yazidi temple
| abbreviation       = 
| type               = [[Ethnic religion]]
| main_classification = [[Iranian religions]]{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}}{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|1995|}}
| scripture          = ''[[Yazidi Book of Revelation]]''<br />''[[Yazidi Black Book]]''
| theology           = [[Monotheism|Monotheistic]]
| leader_title       = Mir
| leader_name        = [[Hazim Tahsin Said|Hazim Tahsin]] or Naif Dawud<ref>{{Cite web |author=Nasir Elî |date=2019 |title=Yezidis divided on spiritual leader's successor elect rival Mir |website=Rudaw |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/050820191 }}</ref>
| leader_title1      = Baba Sheikh
| leader_name1       = [[Sheikh Ali Ilyas]]
| headquarters       = Lalish, [[Nineveh Plains]], [[Iraq]]
| language           = [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] ([[Kurmanji]])
| founded_date       = 12th century
| founded_place      = [[Kurdistan]]
| absorbed           = [[Adawiyya]]
| members            = Referred to as [[Yazidis]]:
{{Circa|200,000–1,000,000}} (''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' est.<ref name=GG/>)<br />{{Circa|200,000–300,000}} (''[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]'', 2004 est.{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}})
| other_names        = Sharfadin
}}
{{Kurds}}
{{Yazidism}}
'''Yazidism''',{{Efn|[[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]: ئێزدیتی, {{small|romanized:}} ''Êzdîtî'' or ''Êzdiyetî''}} also known as '''Sharfadin''',{{Efn|[[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]: شەرەفەدین, {{small|romanized:}} ''Şerfedîn''<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014">{{harvp|Asatrian|Arakelova|2014|loc=Part I: The One God - Malak-Tāwūs: The Leader of the Triad - pp. 1-28}}.</ref>{{sfnp|Rodziewicz|2018|p=272}}<ref>{{cite news |title=مه‌زارگه‌هێ شه‌رفه‌دین هێشتا ژ ئالیێ هێزێن پێشمه‌رگه‌ی ڤه ‌دهێته‌ پاراستن  |work=Lalish Media Network |url=https://www.lalishduhok.com/ckb/%D8%A6%DB%8E%D8%B2%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AA%DB%8C/post/%D9%85%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%DA%AF%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D9%87%DB%8E-%D8%B4%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B1%D9%81%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%87%DB%8E%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%A7-%DA%98-%D8%A6%D8%A7%D9%84/ |access-date=29 December 2019 |language=ku |archive-date=26 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226033147/https://www.lalishduhok.com/ckb/%D8%A6%DB%8E%D8%B2%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AA%DB%8C/post/%D9%85%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%DA%AF%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D9%87%DB%8E-%D8%B4%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B1%D9%81%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%87%DB%8E%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%A7-%DA%98-%D8%A6%D8%A7%D9%84/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Omarkhali_2017/>}} is a [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] syncretic [[ethnic religion]]<ref>
* {{Cite book |last=Taneja |first=Preti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P2otAQAAIAAJ&q=yazidis+4000+years |title=Assimilation, Exodus, Eradication: Iraq's Minority Communities Since 2003 |date=2007 |publisher=Minority Rights Group International |isbn=978-1-904584-60-5 |pages=13 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Chapman |first1=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9aQ9AQAAIAAJ&q=yazidis+4000+years |title=Uncertain Refuge, Dangerous Return: Iraq's Uprooted Minorities |last2=Taneja |first2=Preti |date=2009 |publisher=Minority Rights Group International |isbn=978-1-904584-90-2 |pages=8 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Muscati |first1=Samer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tXw_AQAAIAAJ&q=yazidis+4000+years |title=On Vulnerable Ground: Violence Against Minority Communities in Nineveh Province's Disputed Territories |last2=Watch (Organization) |first2=Human Rights |date=2009 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |isbn=978-1-56432-552-5 |pages=18 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sorenson |first=David |date=2018 |title=An Introduction to the Modern Middle East, Student Economy Edition: History, Religion, Political Economy, Politics |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-96271-4 |p=82 |language=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOlgDwAAQBAJ&dq=yazidis+4000+years&pg=PA82}}</ref> its origin from [[Adawiyya]] Sufi order, which blended Sufi Sunni Islam, a local Kurdish veneration of [[Yazid I|Yazid ibn Mu'awiya]] and [[Umayyad dynasty]], and local Kurdish peasant belief of [[Ancient Iranian religion|pre-Zoroastrian Iranic faith]].{{sfnp|Açikyildiz|2014|p=39}}<ref>
* {{harvp|Turgut|2013|pp=13-5, 19}}.
* {{harvp|Kaczorowski|2014|pp=113-6}}.
* {{harvp|Foltz|2017|}}.
* {{harvp|Omarkhali|2009b|}}.
* {{harvp|Allison|2004|}}.
* {{harvp|Kreyenbroek|1995|}}.
</ref> Its followers, called [[Yazidis]], are a [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]-speaking community.{{efn|"The Yazidis’ cultural practices are observably Kurdish, and almost all speak Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish), with the exception of the villages of Baʿšiqa and Baḥzānēin northern Iraq, where Arabic is spoken. Kurmanji is the language of almost all the orally transmitted religious traditions of the Yazidis."}}

Yazidism includes elements of ancient Iranian religions, as well as elements of [[Judaism]], [[Church of the East]], and [[Islam]].<ref name=GG>{{cite encyclopedia |date=2025 |title=Yazīdī, religious sect |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yazidi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126163831/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yazidi |archive-date=26 January 2025 |access-date=20 November 2025 }}</ref> Yazidism is based on belief in one God who created the world and entrusted it into the care of seven [[Holy]] Beings, known as [[Angel]]s.<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014" /><ref name=Açikyildiz_2014>{{harvp|Açikyildiz|2014|}}.</ref><ref name="Allison 2017">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Allison |author-first=Christine |date=25 January 2017 |title=The Yazidis |url=https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-254 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion |location=[[Oxford]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.254 |isbn=9780199340378 |doi-access= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311065225/https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-254 |archive-date=11 March 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=15 May 2021|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Preeminent among these Angels is [[Tawûsî Melek]] ({{Literal translation|Peacock Angel}}, also spelled as ''Melek Taûs''), who is the leader of the Angels and who has authority over the world.<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014" /><ref name="Allison 2017" />{{sfnp|Maisel|2017|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EFgIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 p. 44]}} The religion of the Yazidis is a highly [[Syncretism|syncretistic]] one: [[Sufism|Sufi]] influence and imagery can be seen in their religious vocabulary, especially in the terminology of their esoteric literature, but much of the mythology is non-Islamic, and their cosmogonies apparently have many points in common with those of ancient Iranian religions.{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}}

== Etymology ==
The name of Yazidi is a [[Endonym and exonym|exonym]].<ref name="Allison 2017" /> The Yazidi people and religion are named after [[Sultan Ezid]]. Most modern historians hold that the name Ezid derives from the name of [[Yazid I]] ({{Circa|646–689}}), the second [[Caliphate|Caliph]] of [[Umayyad Caliphate]].<ref name=":2">{{EI2|last=Kreyenbroek|first=Philip G.|title=Yazīdī|volume=11|pages=313–316}}</ref> The [[Adawiyya]] existed in the Kurdish mountains before the 12th century, when [[Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir]] (1072–1078),<ref name=":2" /> a Sufi of Umayyad descent,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Langer |first=Robert |date=2010 |title=Yezidism between Scholarly Literature and Actual Practice: From 'Heterodox' Islam and 'Syncretism' to the Formation of a Transnational Yezidi 'Orthodoxy' |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |volume=37 |pages=393–403 |doi=10.1080/13530194.2010.524441 |jstor=23077034 |s2cid=145061694 |number=3}}</ref><ref name=GG /> settled there and attracted a following among the adherents of the movement. The name Yazidi seems to have been applied to the group because of his Umayyad origins.<ref name=":2" />

In Yazidi religious lore, there is no trace of any link between [[Sultan Ezid]] and the second Umayyad caliph.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Asatrian |first1=Garnik |last2=Arakelova |first2=Victoria |date=2016 |title=On the Shi'a Constituent in the Yezidi Religious Lore |journal=Iran and the Caucasus |volume=20 |issue=3–4 |pages=385–395 |doi=10.1163/1573384X-20160308 |jstor=44631094}}</ref> Some scholars have derived the name Yazidi from word ''[[yazata]]'', the name for a divine being in [[Iranian languages#Old Iranian|Old Iranian]].<ref name=GG />{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}}

==History==
{{Main|Yazidis#History}}

Yazidism emerged from [[Adawiyya]] Sufi order, founded by Sheikh [[Adi ibn Musafir]],{{sfnp|Açikyildiz|2014|p=39}} an [[Arabs|Arab]] Sufi mystic sheikh of [[Umayyad dynasty|Umayyad]] lineage. Adi ibn Musafir established his [[Zawiya (institution)|zāwiyya]] (Sufi convent) at [[Lalish]]. At the time, Lalish was inhabited by a peasant [[Kurds|Kurdish]] community whose beliefs included elements of [[Ancient Iranian religion|ancient Iranian religions]], which, although similar, was not only distinct from [[Zoroastrianism]] but actually of pre-Zoroastrian origin, and local veneration of [[Yazid I|Yazid ibn Mu’āwiya]]. Over time, the ascetic practices and teachings of Sheikh ‘Adī and his followers interacted with local beliefs, creating a syncretic religious system. After his death in 1162, his tomb became a pilgrimage site for both Muslims and non-Muslims, and Lalish became the central religious site for his followers. Over the following three centuries, this blend of Sufi Islamic and pre-Islamic Kurdish beliefs gradually developed into Yazidism as a distinct religion by the 15th century.{{sfnp|Açikyildiz|2014|p=39}}

==Principal beliefs==
[[File:Views around the Yezidi shrine of Mame Reshan after its destruction by the Islamic State, in the Shingal mountains overlooking Shingal 06.jpg|thumb|upright|250px|Yazidi shrine of [[Mam Rashan Shrine|Mame Reshan]], partially destroyed by [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]], in the [[Sinjar Mountains]].]]

Yazidis believe in one God, to whom they refer as ''{{Lang|ku|Xwedê}}'', {{Lang|ku|Xwedawend}}, ''{{Lang|ku|Êzdan}}'', and ''{{Lang|ku|Pedsha}}'' ('King'), and, less commonly, ''{{Lang|ku|Ellah}}'' and ''{{Lang|ku|Heq}}''.{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|1995|}}<ref name=Omarkhali_2017/>{{r|Açikyildiz_2014}}<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Omarkhali |first=Khanna |date=December 2009 |title=Names of God and Forms of Address to God in Yezidism. With the Religious Hymn of the Lord |journal=Manuscripta Orientalia - International Journal for Oriental Manuscript Research |volume=15 |number=2 |p=13 |language=en |url=https://www.academia.edu/7918282 |url-access=registration }}</ref> According to some Yazidi hymns (known as ''Qewls''), God has 1,001 names, or 3,003 names according to other Qewls.{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|2005|}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=45N4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA76|title=Deutsche Yeziden: Geschichte, Gegenwart, Prognosen|last=Kartal|first=Celalettin|date=2016-06-22|publisher=Tectum Wissenschaftsverlag|isbn=9783828864887|language=de}}</ref> In Yazidism, fire, water, air, and the earth are sacred elements that are not to be polluted. During prayer Yazidis face towards the Sun, for which they were often called "sun worshippers". The Yazidi [[Creation myth|myth of creation]] begins with the description of the emptiness and the absence of order in the [[Universe]]. Prior to the [[Cosmogony|World's creation]], God created a {{Lang|ku|dur}} (white pearl) in spiritual form from his own pure Light and alone dwelt in it.{{sfnp|Rodziewicz|2016|}} First there was an esoteric world, and after that an exoteric world was created. Before the creation of this world God created seven Divine Beings (often called "Angels" in [[Yazidi literature]]) to whom he assigned all the world's affairs; the leader of the Seven Angels was appointed [[Melek Taus|Tawûsî Melek]] ("Peacock Angel").<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref name="Allison 2017"/><ref name=Asatrian_Arakelova_2003>{{harvp|Asatrian|Arakelova|2003|}}.</ref> The end of Creation is closely connected with the creation of mankind and the transition from mythological to historical time.<ref name=Omarkhali_2017/>{{sfnp|Maisel|2017|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EFgIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 p. 44]}}{{r|Açikyildiz_2014}}

===Tawûsî Melek===
{{Main|Tawûsî Melek}}

[[File:Pavaangyal.jpg|thumb|upright|240px|Melek Taûs, the Peacock Angel. This emblem features Tawûsê Melek in the center, the [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] ''[[Dingir|diĝir]]'' on the left, and the domes above [[Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir|Sheikh 'Adī]]'s tomb on the right.]]
[[File:Yesidisches Gräberfeld Stadtfriedhof Hannover Lahe Pfau im Schaukasten auf dem Grab von Yezidi Suleiman Daoud.jpg|thumb|upright|240px|Tawûsî Melek depicted as a peacock inside the [[display case]] on the [[grave]] of a Yazidi believer, cemetery of the Yazidi community in [[Hanover]].]]

The Yazidis believe in a divine Triad.<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref name="Allison 2017"/>{{r|Asatrian_Arakelova_2003}} The original, hidden God of the Yazidis is considered to be [[Deus otiosus|remote and inactive]] in relation to his creation, except to contain and bind it together within his essence.<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/> His first [[Emanationism|emanation]] is [[Tawûsî Melek|Melek Taûs]] ({{Lang|ku|Tawûsî Melek}}), the Peacock Angel, who functions as the ruler of the world.<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref name="Allison 2017"/>{{r|Asatrian_Arakelova_2003}} The second [[Hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|hypostasis]] of the divine Triad is the [[Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir|Sheikh 'Adī]]. The third is [[Sultan Ezid]]. These are the three hypostases of the one God. The identity of these three is sometimes blurred, with Sheikh 'Adī considered to be a manifestation of Tawûsî Melek and vice versa; the same also applies to Sultan Ezid.<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/> Yazidis are called ''{{Lang|ku|Miletê Tawûsî Melek}}'' ("the nation of Tawûsî Melek").{{sfnp|Asatrian|Arakelova|2014|}}

[[Muslims]] and [[Christians]] have erroneously associated and identified the Peacock Angel with their own conception of the unredeemed evil spirit [[Satan]],<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref name="Allison 2017"/>{{r|Asatrian_Arakelova_2003}}{{sfnp|van Bruinessen|1992|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=JZ6JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 p. 29]}}{{r|Açikyildiz_2014}} a misconception which has incited centuries of [[Persecution of Yazidis by Muslims|violent religious persecution of the Yazidis]] as "devil-worshippers".<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref name="Allison 2017"/>{{r|Asatrian_Arakelova_2003}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Li  |first1=Shirley |date=8 August 2014 |title=A Very Brief History of the Yazidi and What They're Up Against in Iraq |url=http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/08/a-very-brief-history-of-the-yazidi-and-what-theyre-up-against/375806/ |work=The Wire |archive-date=12 August 2014 |access-date=2 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812230849/http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/08/a-very-brief-history-of-the-yazidi-and-what-theyre-up-against/375806/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Guardian-WhoAreTheYazidis-2014>{{cite news|last1=Jalabi|first1=Raya|title=Who are the Yazidis  and why is Isis hunting them?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/who-yazidi-isis-iraq-religion-ethnicity-mountains|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=11 August 2014}}</ref> Persecution of Yazidis has continued in their home communities within the borders of modern [[Iraq]].<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref name="Allison 2017"/><ref name=Telegraph-YazidiDiaspora-2007>{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Sean|title=The Devil worshippers of Iraq|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1560714/The-Devil-worshippers-of-Iraq.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1560714/The-Devil-worshippers-of-Iraq.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=19 August 2007|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Yazidis, however, believe Tawûsî Melek is not a source of evil or wickedness.<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/><ref name="Allison 2017"/>{{r|Asatrian_Arakelova_2003}} They consider him to be the leader of the [[archangel]]s, not a [[fallen angel]].<ref name="Asatrian-Arakelova 2014"/>{{r|Asatrian_Arakelova_2003}}{{sfnp|van Bruinessen|1992|p=37}}{{r|Açikyildiz_2014}}

{{Blockquote|The Yazidis of Kurdistan have been called many things, most notoriously 'devil-worshippers', a term used both by unsympathetic neighbours and fascinated Westerners. This sensational epithet is not only deeply offensive to the Yazidis themselves, but quite simply wrong.<ref name="leidenuniv1998">{{cite journal |last1=Allison |first1=C. |year=1998 |title=The Evolution of Yezidi Religion - From Spoken Word to Written Scripture |journal=ISIM Newsletter |volume=1 |issue=1 |p=14 |publisher=[[Leiden University]] |url=https://hdl.handle.net/1887/16757 }}</ref> Non-Yazidis have associated Melek Taûs with Shaitan (Islamic/Arab name) or Satan, but Yazidis find that offensive and do not actually mention that name.<ref name="leidenuniv1998" />}}

===Holy figures===
{{Main|List of Yazidi holy figures}}
Yezidis believe in Seven Angels, considered the [[Emanationism|emanations]] of God, who, In Yazidi [[Creation myth|creation stories]], were created by God from his own light (''{{Lang|ku|nûr}}'') before the creation of this world. God assigned all of the world's affairs to these seven Angels and Tawûsê Melek was appointed as the leader. The angels are also referred to as ''Heft Sirr'' ("the Seven Mysteries"). In this context, they have, so to speak, a part of God in themselves. Another word that is used for this is ''{{Lang|ku|sur}}'' or ''{{Lang|ku|sirr}}'' (literally: 'mystery'), which denotes a divine essence from which the angels were created.{{sfnp|Spät|2009|p=71}} This pure divine essence called ''Sur'' or ''Sirr'' has its own personality and will and is also called ''{{Lang|ku|Sura Xudê}}'' ('the Sur of God').{{sfnp|Rodziewicz|2018|}} This term refers to the essence of the Divine itself, that is, God. The Angels share this essence from their creator who is God.{{sfnp|Spät|2009|p=71}} In religious literature, these Angels are sometimes referred to as [[Gabriel|Cibrayîl]], [[Azrail|Ezrayîl]], [[Michael (archangel)|Mîkayîl]], Şifqayîl, [[Darda'il|Derdayîl]], [[Israfil|Ezafîl]], and [[Azazil#Heterogen Traditions|Ezazîl]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Авдоев| first=Теймураз |script-title=ru:Историко-теософский аспект езидизма |language=ru |trans-title=Historical and Theosophical Aspect of Yezidism |year=2011 |isbn=978-5-905016-967 |url=https://www.academia.edu/32357769 |page=314| publisher=Э.РА }}</ref> The leader of these Angels is known as [[Melek Taus|Tawûsê Melek]], and the others are better known by the names of their earthly incarnations/representations: [[Fakhr ad-Din ibn Adi|Fexreddin]], [[Sheikh Shems]], [[Nasirdin (Yazidi saint)|Nasirdin]], [[Sejadin]], [[Sheikh Obekr]], and [[Al-Hasan ibn Adi|Shex Hesen]] (Şêxsin).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Murad|first=Jasim Elias|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WdTxtgAACAAJ|title=The Sacred Poems of the Yazidis: An Anthropological Approach|date=1993|publisher=University of California, Los Angeles|language=en}}</ref>{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|1995|}}{{r|Açikyildiz_2014}}

The [[List of Yazidi holy figures|Yazidi pantheon]] contains a total of 365 holy figures venerated by Yazidis,{{sfnp|Spät|2016|pp=155-75}} designated by various special terms including ''Xudan'', ''Xas'', ''Mêr'' and ''Babçak.'' According to Yazidi beliefs, God is almighty and absolute, and the ''Xudans'' are a part of His power, moreover, in relation to nature, Yazidis believe in Xudans for most of natural elements and phenomena and they are regarded as divine powers that have control over these phenomena. In Yazidi mythology, the Xudans appeared after the creation of the world for the [[Classical elements|four elements of nature]] and their manifestations.''<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Aysif |first=Rezan Shivan |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.17875/gup2021-1855 |title=The Role of Nature in Yezidism |date=2021 |publisher=Göttingen University Press |isbn=978-3-86395-514-4 |location=Göttingen |pages=94, 107|doi=10.17875/gup2021-1855 |s2cid=246596953 }}</ref>''

===Sheikh 'Adī===
{{Main|Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir}}

[[File:Dergehê perestgeha Lalishê 1 2012.JPG|thumb|upright=0.8|Entrance to the Yazidi Temple in [[Lalish]]]]

One of the important figures of Yazidism is [[Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir|Sheikh 'Adī ibn Musafir]]. Sheikh 'Adī ibn Musafir settled in the valley of [[Lalish|Laliş]] (some {{convert|36|mi|km|order=flip}} northeast of [[Mosul, Iraq|Mosul]]) in the Yazidi mountains in the early 12th century and founded the 'Adawiyya [[Tariqa|Sufi order]]. He died in 1162, and his tomb at Laliş is a focal point of Yazidi pilgrimage and the principal [[List of Yazidi holy places|Yazidi holy site]].{{sfnp|Spät|2009|pp=44, 87}} Yazidism has many influences: [[Sufi]] influence and imagery (especially taken from Mansur al-Hallaj)<ref>{{Citation |last=Rodziewicz |first=Artur |title=The Mystery of Essence and the Essence of Mystery: Yezidi and Yaresan Cosmogonies in the Light of the Kitab al-Tawasin |date=2022 |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-16-6444-1_6 |work=Yari Religion in Iran |pages=103–187 |editor-last=Hosseini |editor-first=S. Behnaz |place=Singapore |publisher=Springer Singapore |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-16-6444-1_6 |isbn=978-981-16-6443-4 |s2cid=247034058 |access-date=2022-03-08|url-access=subscription }}</ref> can be seen in the religious vocabulary, especially in the terminology of the Yazidis' esoteric literature, but most of the theology, rituals, traditions, and festivals remains non-Islamic. Its [[cosmogony]] for instance has many points in common with those of [[ancient Iranian religion]]s.{{sfnp|Turgut|2013|pp=26-7}}{{sfnp|Kaczorowski|2014|pp=113-8}}{{sfnp|Foltz|2017|}}{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2009b|}}{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|1995|}}

===Rebirth and concept of time===
Yazidis believe in the [[Reincarnation|rebirth]] of the soul. Like the [[Yarsanism|Ahl-e Haqq]], the Yazidis use the metaphor of a change of garment to describe the process, which plays an exceptional role in Yazidi religiosity and is called the "change of [one's] shirt" (''{{Lang|ku|kirasgorîn}}''). There is also a belief that some of the events from the time of creation repeat themselves in [[Wheel of time|cycles of history.]] In Yazidism, different concepts of time coexist:<ref name=Omarkhali_2017>{{harvp|Omarkhali|2017|}}.</ref>

* An esoteric time sphere (Kurdish: ''{{Lang|ku|enzel}}''), This term denotes a state of being before the creation of the world. According to Yazidi cosmogony, there is God and a pearl in this stage. 
* ''{{Lang|ku|Bedîl}}'' or ''{{Lang|ku|dewr}}'' (a cyclic course of time): it means literally 'change, changing' or 'turning, revolution' and in the Yazidi context denotes a new period of time in the history of the world. Therefore, it may also mean 'renewing' or 'renewed' and designates the start of a renewed period of time.
* A linear course, which runs from the start of the creation by God to the collective [[Eschatology|eschatological]] end point.
* Three ''{{Lang|ku|tofan}}'' ('storm, flood') i.e. [[Disaster|catastrophes]]. It is believed that there are three big events during history named ''tofan'' that play a purificatory role, changing the quality of life in a positive manner. Each catastrophe, which ultimately brings renewal to the world, takes place through a [[Classical element|basic element]]: the first through water (''{{Lang|ku|tofanê avê}}''), the second through fire (''{{Lang|ku|tofanê agirî}}'') and the last is connected with wind (air) (''{{Lang|ku|tofanê ba}}''). It is believed that the first ''{{Lang|ku|tofan}}'' has already occurred in the past and that the next ''tofan'' will occur through fire. According to this perception, the three sacred elements, namely water, fire and air, purify the fourth one, the earth. These events however are not be considered as eschatological events. They occur during the life of people. Although the purificatory events cause many deaths, ultimately life continues.{{sfnp|Allison|Joisten-Pruschke|Wendtland|2009|}}
<blockquote>In Yazidism, the older original concept of [[metempsychosis]] and the cyclic perception of the course of time is harmonised and coexists with the younger idea of a collective [[eschatology]].<ref name=Omarkhali_2017/></blockquote>

===Cosmogony and beginning of life===
The Yazidi [[Creation myth|cosmogony]] is recorded in several sacred texts and traditions. It can therefore only be inferred and understood through an overall view of the sacred texts and traditions. The cosmogony can be divided into three stages:

# ''Enzel'' – the state before the pearl burst (''{{Lang|ku|dur}}'').
# Developments immediately after the burst – cosmogony II
# The creation of the earth and man – anthropogony<ref>{{Cite web |last=Franz |first=Erhard |date=2004 |title=Yeziden - Eine alte Religionsgemeinschaft zwischen Tradition und Moderne |publisher=Deutsches Orient-Institut |lang=de |url=http://www.yeziden-colloquium.de/inhalt/gesellschaft/intergration/DOI_Yeziden.pdf }}</ref><ref name=Omarkhali_Rezania_2009>{{harvp|Allison|Joisten-Pruschke|Wendtland|2009|loc=Omarkhali, K. & Rezania, K. "Some reflections on the concepts of time in Yezidism", [https://www.academia.edu/7915697 Introduction].}}</ref>

The term ''Enzel'' is one of the frequently mentioned terms in the religious vocabulary and it comes up numerous times in the religious hymns, known as ''Qewls''. For instance, in Qewlê Tawisî Melek:<blockquote>"{{Lang|ku|Ya Rebî ji Enzel de her tuyî qedîmî}}" (English: Oh, Creator of the '''Enzel''', you are infinite)<ref name="Авдоев">{{Cite book |last=Авдоев |first=Теймураз |title=NEWŞE DÎNÊ ÊZÎDIYAN ЕЗИДСКОЕ СВЯЩЕНОСЛОВИЕ THE YEZIDI HOLY HYMNES |trans-title=The Yezidi Holy Hymnes |year=2020 |url=https://www.academia.edu/42054492|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212633/https://www.academia.edu/42054492|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 20, 2021|language=en}}</ref></blockquote>And Dûa Razanê:<blockquote>{{Lang|ku|Ezdayî me, ji direke enzelî me}}

(English: I am ''a'' follower of God, I come ''from an "'''enzelî'''" pearl)''<ref name="Авдоев"/></blockquote>Thus, the term ''Enzel'' can also be referred to as a "pure, spiritual, immaterial and infinite world", "the Beyond" or "the sphere beyond the profane world". The ''Enzel'' stage describes a spaceless and timeless state and therefore illustrates a supernatural state. In this stage, initially there is only a God, who creates a pearl out of his own light, in which his shining throne (''{{Lang|ku|textê nûrî}})'' is located.<blockquote>'''''Qewlê Bê Elif''':''

{{Lang|ku|Padşê min bi xo efirandî dura beyzaye}} – My King created the white pearl from himself

'''''Textê nûrî''' sedef –'' The shining throne in the pearl<ref name="Авдоев"/></blockquote>

The Yazidi [[Yazidi literature#Qewl|qewl]]s mention the universe as having originated from a white pearl that existed in pre-eternity. At the beginning of the time prior to the creation, God emerged from the cosmic pearl, which rested on the horns of a bull that stood on the back of a fish. After God and the pearl separated, the universe burst out of the pearl and became visible as waves rippled across from pearl to form the primeval [[Cosmic Ocean]].{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|2005|}} As the pearl burst open, the beginning of the material universe was set in motion. ''{{Lang|ku|Mihbet}}'' (meaning 'love') came into being and was laid as the original foundation, colours began to form, and red, yellow and white began to shine from the burst pearl.

The Yazidi religion has its own perception of the colours, which is seen in the mythology and shown through clothing taboos, in religious ceremonies, customs and rituals. Colours are perceived as the symbolizations of nature and the beginning of life, thus the emphasis of colours can be found in the creation myth. The colors white, red, green and yellow in particular are frequently emphasised. White is considered the color of purity and peace and is the main colour of the religious clothing of the Yazidis.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Hayrî Demir |date=2014 |title=Schöpfungsmythos |trans-title=Creation myth |website=Êzîpedia |url=http://www.ezipedia.de/schopfungsmythos/ |access-date=2021-06-07 |language=de }}</ref>{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|1995|}}{{r|Omarkhali_Rezania_2009}}

Yazidi [[Creation myth|accounts of the creation]] differ significantly from those of the Abrahamic religions ([[Judaism]], [[Christianity]], and [[Islam]]), since they are derived from the [[Ancient Mesopotamian religion|Ancient Mesopotamian]] and [[Indo-Iranians|Indo-Iranian]] traditions; therefore, Yazidi cosmogony is closer to those of [[Ancient Iranian religion]]s, [[Yarsanism]], and [[Zoroastrianism]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Foltz |first=Richard |date=2013 |title=Religions of Iran: From Prehistory to the Present |publisher=Oneworld Publications |edition=Kindle |isbn=9781780743097 |p=221 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2009b|}}

==Yazidi sacred texts==
{{further|Yazidi literature}}
The religious literature of Yazidis is composed mostly of poetry which is orally transmitted in mainly [[Kurmanji]] and includes numerous genres, such as ''{{Lang|ku|Qewl}}'' (religious hymn), ''{{Lang|ku|Beyt}}'' (poem), ''Du‛a'' (prayer), ''{{Lang|ku|Dirozge}}'' (another kind of prayer), ''{{Lang|ku|Şehdetiya Dîn}}'' (the Declaration of the Faith), ''{{Lang|ku|Terqîn}}'' (prayer for after a sacrifice), ''{{Lang|ku|Pişt perde}}'' (literally 'under the veil', another genre), ''{{Lang|ku|Qesîde}}'' ([[Qasida]]), ''{{Lang|ku|Sema}}‛'' (literally 'listening'), ''{{Lang|ku|Lavĳ, Xerîbo, Xizêmok, Payîzok,}}'' and ''{{Lang|ku|Robarîn}}''.{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|p=149}} The poetic literature is composed in an advanced and archaic language where more complex terms are used, which may be difficult to understand for those who are not trained in religious knowledge.{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|pp=157-8}} Therefore, they are accompanied by some [[Prose|prosaic]] genres of the Yazidi literature that often interpret the contents of the poems and provide explanations of their contexts in the spoken language comprehensible among the common population. The prosaic genres include ''{{Lang|ku|Çîrok}}'' and ''{{Lang|ku|Çîvanok}}'' (legends and myths), and ''{{Lang|ku|Dastan}}'' and ''{{Lang|ku|Menal Pîr}}''s (interpretations of religious hymns).{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|p=149}}{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}} Yazidis also possess some written texts, such as the sacred manuscripts called ''{{Lang|ku|mişûr}}''s and individual collections of religious texts called ''{{Lang|ku|cilvê}}'' and ''{{Lang|ku|Keşkûl}}'', although they are rarer and often safekept among Yazidis.{{sfnp|Rodziewicz|2018|loc=[https://books.google.ca/books?id=fPZ0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA271 p. 271]}} Yazidis are also said to have two holy books, [[Yazidi Book of Revelation|Book of Revelation]] and [[Yazidi Black Book|Black Book]] whose authenticities are debated among scholars.{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}}

=== Holy books ===
{{Wikisource|Mishefa Reş}}{{Wikisource|Kitêba Cilwe}}The Yazidi [[holy book]]s are claimed to be the Book of Revelation and Black Book. Scholars generally agree that the manuscripts of both books published in 1911 and 1913 were forgeries written by non-Yazidis in response to Western travellers' and scholars' interest in the Yazidi religion; however, the material in them is consistent with authentic Yazidi traditions.{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}} True texts of those names may have existed, but remain obscure. The real core texts of the religion that exist today are the hymns known as ''qawls''; they have also been orally transmitted during most of their history, but are now being collected with the assent of the community, effectively transforming Yazidism into a scriptural religion.{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|p=164}}{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}} The sacred texts had already been translated into English by the early 20th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Isya |first=Joseph  |date=1919 |title="Devil worship"; the sacred books and traditions of the Yezidiz |location=[[Boston]] |publisher=Richard G. Badger |p=6 |url=http://bnk.institutkurde.org/images/pdf/VMKLSEJ8R4.pdf}}</ref>

=== ''Qewl'' and ''Beyt'' ===
A very important genre of oral literature of the Yazidi community consists of religious [[hymn]]s, called ''{{Lang|ku|Qewl}}''s, which literally means 'word, speech' (from Arabic {{Transliteration|ar|qawl}}).{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|p=162}} The performers of these hymns, called the ''[[Yazidi social organization#Qewal|Qewal]]'', constitute a distinct class within the Yazidi society. They are a veritable source of ancient Yazidi lore and are traditionally recruited from the non-religious members of other [[Kurdish tribes]], principally the Dumilî and Hekarî.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheung |first=Johnny |date=28 October 2016 |title=Yezidi cosmogony until Adam |website=Hypotheses |url=https://yes.hypotheses.org/tag/qewl |access-date=2021-06-02 }}</ref><ref name="Allison 2017" /><ref name=Omarkhali_2017/> The ''qewls'' are full of cryptic allusions and usually need to be accompanied by ''čirōks'' ('stories') that explain their context.{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|p=158}}{{sfnp|Allison|2004|}}

=== Mishur ===
''Mishurs'' are a type of sacred [[manuscript]]s that were written down in the 13th century and handed down to each lineage (''{{Lang|ku|ocax}}'') of the Pirs; each of the manuscripts contain descriptions of the founder of the Pir lineage that they were distributed to, along with a list of [[Kurdish tribes]] and other priestly lineages that were affiliated with the founder.{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|p=192}} The ''mishurs'' are safekept among the families of Pirs in particular places that are designated for their safekeeping; these places are referred to as {{Lang|ku|stêr}} in [[Kurmanji]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pirbari |first1=Dimitri |last2=Mossaki |first2=Nodar |last3=Yezdin |first3=Mirza Sileman |date=March 2020 |title=A Yezidi Manuscript:—Mišūr of P'īr Sīnī Bahrī/P'īr Sīnī Dārānī, Its Study and Critical Analysis |journal=Iranian Studies |volume=53 |issue=1–2 |pp=223–257 |doi=10.1080/00210862.2019.1669118 |s2cid=214483496 |issn=0021-0862 }}</ref> According to the Yazidi tradition, there are a total of 40 ''mishurs'' which were distributed to the 40 lineages of Pirs.<ref name=Omarkhali_2017/>

== Festivals ==
[[File:Pilgrims and festival at Lalish on the day of the Yezidi New Year in 2017 06 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Pilgrims celebrating the [[Yazidi New Year]] festival at [[Lalish]], [[Iraqi Kurdistan]]]]

=== Yazidi New Year ===
{{main|Yazidi New Year}}

The Yazidi New Year (''{{Lang|ku|Sersal}}'') is called ''{{Lang|ku|Çarşema sor}}'' ("Red Wednesday"){{sfnp|Rodziewicz|2016|}} or ''{{Lang|ku|Çarşema Serê Nîsanê}}'' ("Wednesday at the beginning of April").<ref>{{Cite book|last=Авдоев|first=Теймураз|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t78gDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA75|title=Историко-теософский аспект езидизма|date=2017-09-05|publisher=Litres|isbn=9785040433988|language=ru}}</ref> It falls in spring, on the first Wednesday<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rodziewicz |first=Artur |date=March 2020 |title=The Yezidi Wednesday and the Music of the Spheres |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/iranian-studies/article/abs/yezidi-wednesday-and-the-music-of-the-spheres/EFA16C6D6A2585CF3F1F3A318B32E60B |journal=Iranian Studies |language=en |volume=53 |issue=1–2 |pages=259–293 |doi=10.1080/00210862.2019.1654287 |s2cid=211672629 |issn=0021-0862|url-access=subscription }}</ref> of the April and Nîsan months in the [[Julian calendar|Julian]] and [[Seleucid era|Seleucid calendars]], i.e. the first Wednesday on or after 14 April according to the [[Gregorian calendar]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/9781108623711/type/book|title=The Cambridge History of the Kurds|date=2021-04-22|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-62371-1|editor-last=Bozarslan|editor-first=Hamit|edition=1|doi=10.1017/9781108623711|s2cid=243594800|editor-last2=Gunes|editor-first2=Cengiz|editor-last3=Yadirgi|editor-first3=Veli}}</ref>

=== Feast of Êzî ===
{{main|Feast of Ezid}}

[[File:A_Yazidi_ceremony_called_Tawwaf_in_the_town_of_Baashiqa_in_Iraq.jpg|thumb|Yazidis celebrating a Yazidi ceremony called [[Tiwaf|Tawwaf]] in the town of [[Bashiqa]] in Iraq.]]
One of the most important Yazidi festivals is ''{{Lang|ku|Îda Êzî}}'' ("[[Feast of Ezid|Feast of Êzî]]"), which is celebrated in commemoration of the divine figure [[Sultan Ezid]]. Which every year takes place on the first Friday on or after 14 December. Before this festival, the Yazidis fast for three days, where nothing is eaten from sunrise to sunset. The ''{{Lang|ku|Îda Êzî}}'' festival is celebrated in honor of God and the three days of fasting before are also associated with the ever shorter days before the [[winter solstice]], when the Sun is less and less visible. With the ''{{Lang|ku|Îda Êzî}}'' festival, the fasting time is ended. The festival is often celebrated with music, food, drinks and dance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Urban |first=Elke |date=2019 |title=Transkulturelle Pflege am Lebensende: Umgang mit Sterbenden und Verstorbenen unterschiedlicher Religionen und Kulturen |publisher=[[Kohlhammer Verlag]] |isbn=9783170359383 |language=de  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ni2lDwAAQBAJ }}</ref>

=== Tawûsgeran ===
{{main|Tawûsgeran}}

Another important festival is the ''[[Tawûsgeran]]'', where Qewals and other religious dignitaries visit Yazidi villages, bringing the ''{{Lang|ku|sinjaq}}'', sacred images of a peacock symbolizing Tawûsê Melek. These are venerated, fees are collected from the pious, sermons are preached and holy water and ''berat'' (small stones from Lalish) distributed.{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|2009|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E4FpDDbrvqkC&pg=PA22 p. 22]}}{{sfnp|Maisel|2017|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EFgIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA50 p. 50-1]}}

=== Feast of the Assembly ===
{{main|Feast of the Assembly}}

The greatest festival of the year is the ''{{Lang|ku|Cêjna Cemaiya}}'' ('[[Feast of the Assembly]]'), which includes an annual [[pilgrimage]] to the tomb of Sheikh 'Adī' (''Şêx Adî'') in Lalish, northern [[Iraq]]. The festival is celebrated from 6 October to 13 October,{{sfnp|Guest|2010|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0h0U-f8FbDEC&pg=PA39 p. 39]}} in honor of the Sheikh Adi. It is an important time for cohesion.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Yousefi|first1=Hamid Reza|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wxApBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA165|title=Ethik im Weltkontext: Geschichten - Erscheinungsformen - Neuere Konzepte|last2=Seubert|first2=Harald|date=2014-07-22|publisher=Springer-Verlag|isbn=9783658048976|language=de}}</ref>

If possible, Yazidis make at least one [[pilgrimage]] to Lalish during their lifetime, and those living in the region try to attend at least once a year for the ''Feast of the Assembly'' in autumn.{{r|Açikyildiz_2014|}}

=== Tiwaf ===
{{main|Tiwaf}}

[[Tiwaf]]s are yearly feasts of shrines and their holy beings which constitute an important part of Yazidi religious and communal life. Every village that contains a shrine holds annual tiwafs in the name of the holy being to which the shrine is dedicated.{{sfnp|Spät|2016|pp=155-75}}{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|1995|p=75}}

==Religious practices==
===Prayers===
[[Prayer]]s occupy a special status in Yazidi literature. They contain important symbols and religious knowledge connected with the Holy Men, God, and daily situations. The prayers are mostly private and as a rule they are not performed in public. Yazidis pray towards the sun,{{sfnp|Maisel|2017|p=55}} usually privately, or the prayers are recited by one person during a gathering. The prayers are classified according to their own content. There are:

* Prayers dedicated to [[God]] and holy beings
* Prayers of Yazidi [[caste]]s
* Prayers for specific occasions
* [[Rite of passage]] prayers
* Prayers against health problems and illnesses
* Daily prayers
* Prayers connected with the nature, i.e. the Moon, stars, Sun, etc.{{sfnp|Omarkhali|2011|p=174}}

===Customs===
[[File:Baptîzma êzidiyan.jpg|thumb|[[Baptism#Yazidi baptism|Baptism]] of a Yazidi child in Lalish]]
Children are [[Baptism|baptised]] at birth and [[circumcision]] is not required, but is practised by some due to regional customs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parry |first=OOswald Hutton |date=1896 |title=Six months in a Syrian monastery; being the record of a visit to the head quarters of the Syrian church in Mesopotamia, with some account of the Yazidis or devil worshippers of Mosul and El Jilwah, their sacred book |location=London |publisher=Horace Cox |p=363 |url=https://archive.org/stream/sixmonthsinasyr00parrgoog/sixmonthsinasyr00parrgoog_djvu.txt }}</ref> The Yazidi baptism is called ''{{Lang|ku|mor kirin}}'' (literally: 'to seal'). Traditionally, Yazidi children are baptised at birth with water from the ''{{Lang|ku|Kaniya Sipî}}'' ('White Spring') at Lalish. It involves pouring holy water from the spring on the child's head three times.<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Philip G. Kreyenbroek]] |date=20 July 2005 |title=Yazidis ii. Initiation in Yazidism |website=Encyclopedia Iranica (online) |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/yazidis-ii-initiation-in-yazidism |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref>{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|2009|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E4FpDDbrvqkC&pg=PA31 p. 31]}}

===Purity and taboos===
[[File:YezidiTemple.JPG|thumb|The Chel Mera Temple, or "40 Men Temple", on the highest peak of the [[Sinjar Mountains]] in northern Iraq. The temple is so old that no one remembers how it came to have that name, but it is believed to derive from the burial of forty men on the mountaintop site.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lair |first1=Patrick |date=19 January 2008 |title=Conversation with a Yazidi Kurd |publisher=Kurd Net |url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2008/1/kurdsiniraq6.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123063620/http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2008/1/kurdsiniraq6.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 January 2008 |access-date=24 June 2015 }}</ref>]]

Many Yazidis consider [[pork]] to be prohibited. However, many [[Yazidis in Germany|Yazidis living in Germany]] began to view [[Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork|this taboo]] as a foreign belief from Judaism or Islam and not part of Yazidism, and therefore abandoned this rule.<ref>Halil Savucu: ''Yeziden in Deutschland: Eine Religionsgemeinschaft zwischen Tradition'', Integration und Assimilation Tectum Wissenschaftsverlag, Marburg 2016, {{ISBN|978-3-828-86547-1}}, Section 16 (German)</ref> Furthermore, in a BBC interview in April 2010, [[Khurto Hajji Ismail|Baba Sheikh]], the spiritual leader of all Yazidis, stated that ordinary Yazidis may eat what they want, but the religious clergy refrain from certain vegetables (including cabbage) because "they cause gases".<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8598970.stm "Richness of Iraq's minority religions revealed"], BBC. Retrieved 3 July 2015.</ref>

Some Yazidis in [[Armenia]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] who converted to [[Christianity]], still identify as Yazidis even after converting,<ref>{{cite web |title=Population (urban, rural) by Ethnicity, Sex and Religious Belief |website=Republic of Armenia - Population Census 2011 |url=https://www.armstat.am/file/doc/99486278.pdf |access-date=22 May 2019 }}</ref> but are not accepted by the other Yazidis as Yazidis.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Shengelia |first1=Elene |last2=Aghayeva |first2=Rana |date=6 September 2018 |title=Georgia's Yazidis: Religion as Identity |series=Religious Beliefs |website=CHAI KHANA |url=https://chaikhana.media/en/stories/714/georgias-yazidis-religion-as-identity |access-date=20 November 2025 }}</ref>

==Religious organisation==
{{Main|Yazidi social organization}}

The Yazidis are strictly [[Endogamy|endogamous]];{{r|Açikyildiz_2014|}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Gidda |first=Mirren |date=8 August 2014 |title=Everything You Need to Know About the Yazidis |url=https://time.com/3091932/yazidi-iraq-isis-obama/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] (online) |access-date=2016-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111044334/https://time.com/3091932/yazidi-iraq-isis-obama/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2023-11-11 }}</ref> members of the three Yazidi [[caste]]s, the [[murid]]s, [[sheikh]]s, and [[Islam Pir|pirs]], marry only within their group.{{r|Açikyildiz_2014}}

There are several religious duties that are performed by several dignitaries, such as the Mir Hejj (Prince of the Pilgrimage), Sheikh el-Wazir (who oversees the sanctuary of Sheikh Shems at Lalish), Pire Esbiya (treasurer of the sanctuary of Sheikh Shems at Lalish), Mijewir (local shrine custodian), Baba Chawush (guardian of the sanctuary of Sheikh Adi), and others.{{sfnp|Kreyenbroek|2005|}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Kurdistan|Religion|History
}}
*[[List of Yazidi holy places]]
*[[List of Yazidi saints]]
*[[List of Yazidi settlements]]
*[[Persecution of Yazidis]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Açikyildiz |first=Birgül |date=2014 |title=The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion |location=London |publisher=I.B. Tauris & Co. |isbn=9780857720610 |oclc=888467694 |url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=ql4BAwAAQBAJ }}
* {{cite book |last=Allison |first=Christine |date=2001 |title=The Yezidi oral tradition in Iraqi Kurdistan |location=[[Richmond, London]] |publisher=Curzon |isbn=0-7007-1397-2 |oclc=45337769 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Allison |first=Christine |date=20 July 2004 |title=YAZIDIS i. GENERAL |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]], online edition |location=[[New York City]] |publisher=[[Columbia University]] |doi=10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_1252 |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/yazidis-i-general-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117105537/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/yazidis-i-general-1 |archive-date=17 November 2016 |access-date=20 September 2016 }}
* {{Cite book |editor-last1=Allison |editor-first1=Christine |editor-last2=Joisten-Pruschke |editor-first2=Anke |editor-last3=Wendtland |editor-first3=Antje |others=Collaborator: Kianoosh Rezania |date=2009 |title=From Daena to Din : religion, Kultur und Sprache in der iranischen Welt |location=Wiesbaden |publisher=Harrassowitz |isbn=978-3-447-05917-6 |oclc=1120653126 |language=de, en |url=https://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/isbn_978-3-447-05917-6.ahtml }}
* {{cite journal |author1-last=Asatrian |author1-first=Garnik S. |author1-link=Garnik Asatrian |author2-last=Arakelova |author2-first=Victoria |date=January 2003 |title=Malak-Tāwūs: The Peacock Angel of the Yezidis |editor-last=Asatrian |editor-first=Garnik S. |journal=[[Iran and the Caucasus]] |volume=7 |issue=1–2 |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] in collaboration with the Caucasian Centre for Iranian Studies ([[Yerevan]]) |pages=1–36 |doi=10.1163/157338403X00015 |eissn=1573-384X |issn=1609-8498 |jstor=4030968 |lccn=2001227055 |oclc=233145721}}
* {{cite book |last1=Asatrian |first1=Garnik S. |author1-link=Garnik Asatrian |last2=Arakelova |first2=Victoria |date=2014 |title=The Religion of the Peacock Angel: The Yezidis and Their Spirit World |series=Gnostica |location=[[Abingdon, Oxfordshire|Abingdon]] |publisher=[[Routledge]] |doi=10.4324/9781315728896 |isbn=978-1-84465-761-2 |oclc=931029996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y1RsBAAAQBAJ }}
* {{cite book |last1=van Bruinessen |first1=Martin |date=1992 |chapter=Chapter 2: Kurdish society, ethnicity, nationalism and refugee problems |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JZ6JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 |editor1-last=Kreyenbroek |editor1-first=Philip G. |editor2-last=Sperl |editor2-first=Stefan |title=The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview |location=London |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-07265-6 |oclc=919303390 |pp=26–52 |url=https://archive.org/details/kurds00pkre/mode/1up }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Foltz |first=Richard |date=2017-06-01 |title=The "Original" Kurdish Religion? Kurdish Nationalism and the False Conflation of the Yezidi and Zoroastrian Traditions |journal=Journal of Persianate Studies |volume=10 |issue=1 |pp=87–106 |doi=10.1163/18747167-12341309 |issn=1874-7094 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/18747167-12341309 |url-access=subscription }}
* {{Cite book |last=Guest |first=John S. |date=2010 |orig-date=1987 |title=Survival Among The Kurds. A History of the Yezidis |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780710304568 |language=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0h0U-f8FbDEC }}
* {{Cite book |editor-last=Hosseini |editor-first=S. Behnaz |date=2022 |title=Yari Religion in Iran |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-16-6444-1 |location=Singapore |pages=103–187 |language=en |chapter=The Mystery of Essence and the Essence of Mystery: Yezidi and Yaresan Cosmogonies in the Light of the Kitab al-Tawasin |doi=10.1007/978-981-16-6444-1_6 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-16-6444-1_6}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Kaczorowski |first=Karol |year=2014 |title=Yezidism and Proto-Indo-Iranian Religion |journal=Fritillaria Kurdica. Bulletin of Kurdish Studies |issue=3–4 |language=en |url=https://www.academia.edu/6928559 |url-access=registration |via=[[Academia.edu]] |access-date=1 December 2025 }}
* {{cite book |last=Kreyenbroek |first=Philip |author-link=Philip G. Kreyenbroek |year=1995 |title=Yezidism: its Background, Observances, and Textual Tradition |location=[[Lewiston, New York|Lewiston, NY]] |publisher=[[Edwin Mellen Press]] |isbn=9780773490048 |oclc=31377794 }}
* {{cite book |last=Kreyenbroek |first=Philip |author-link=Philip G. Kreyenbroek |year=2005 |title=God and Sheikh Adi are perfect: sacred poems and religious narratives from the Yezidi tradition |publisher=Harrassowitz |location=Wiesbaden |isbn=978-3-447-05300-6 |oclc=63127403  }}
* {{Cite book |last=Kreyenbroek |first=Philip G. |date=2009 |title=Yezidism in Europe: Different Generations Speak about Their Religion |publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=9783447060608 |language=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E4FpDDbrvqkC }}
* {{Cite book |last=Maisel |first=Sebastian |date=2017 |title=Yezidis in Syria: Identity Building among a Double Minority |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=9780739177747 |language=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EFgIDgAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Omarkhali |first=Khanna |author-link=Khanna Omarkhali |date=2009b |title=The status and role of the Yezidi legends and myths: to the question of comparative analysis of Yezidism, Yārisān (Ahl-e Haqq) and Zoroastrianism: a common substratum? |journal=Folia Orientalia |volume=45–46 |pp=197–219 |oclc=999248462 |via=Academia.edu |url=https://www.academia.edu/7918305/ |url-access=registration |access-date=1 December 2025 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Omarkhali |first=Khanna |author-link=Khanna Omarkhali |date=2011 |title=Yezidi Religious Oral Poetic Literature: Status, Formal Characteristics, and Genre Analysis - With some examples of Yezidi religious texts. |journal=Scrinium |volume=7-8 |issue=2 |pp=144-195 |doi=10.1163/18177565-90000247 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite book |last=Omarkhali |first=Khanna |author-link=Khanna Omarkhali |date=2017 |title=The Yezidi religious textual tradition, from oral to written: categories, transmission, scripturalisation, and canonisation of the Yezidi oral religious texts |location=Wiesbaden |publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-10856-0 |oclc=994778968}}
* {{cite journal |author-last=Rodziewicz |author-first=Artur |date=December 2016 |title=And the Pearl Became an Egg: The Yezidi Red Wednesday and Its Cosmogonic Background |editor-last=Asatrian |editor-first=Garnik S. |editor-link=Garnik Asatrian |journal=[[Iran and the Caucasus]] |volume=20 |issue=3–4 |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] in collaboration with the Caucasian Centre for Iranian Studies ([[Yerevan]]) |pages=347–367 |doi=10.1163/1573384X-20160306 |eissn=1573-384X |issn=1609-8498 |jstor=44631092 |lccn=2001227055 |oclc=233145721}}
* {{cite book |last1=Rodziewicz |first1=Artur |date=2018 |chapter=The Nation of the Sur: The Yezidi Identity Between Modern and Ancient Myth |editor1-last=Bocheńska |editor1-first=Joanna |title=Rediscovering Kurdistan's Cultures and Identities: the Call of the Cricket |series=Palgrave Studies in Cultural Heritage and Conflict series |location=[[Cham, Switzerland|Cham]] |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=9783319930879 |chapter-url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=fPZ0DwAAQBAJ&pg=259 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-93088-6 }}
* {{cite journal |author-last=Sfameni Gasparro |author-first=Giulia |date=December 1974 |title=I Miti Cosmogonici degli Yezidi |editor1-last=Feldt |editor1-first=Laura |editor2-last=Valk |editor2-first=Ülo |journal=[[Numen (journal)|Numen]] |volume=21 |issue=3 |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |language=it |pages=197–227 |doi=10.1163/156852774X00113 |eissn=1568-5276 |issn=0029-5973 |jstor=3269773 |lccn=58046229 |oclc=50557232|doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal |author-last=Sfameni Gasparro |author-first=Giulia |date=April 1975 |title=I Miti Cosmogonici degli Yezidi |editor1-last=Feldt |editor1-first=Laura |editor2-last=Valk |editor2-first=Ülo |journal=[[Numen (journal)|Numen]] |volume=22 |issue=1 |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |language=it |pages=24–41 |doi=10.1163/156852775X00112 |eissn=1568-5276 |issn=0029-5973 |jstor=3269532 |lccn=58046229 |oclc=50557232}}
* {{cite thesis |last=Spät |first=Eszter |date=2009 |title=Late Antique Motifs in Yezidi Oral Tradition |location=[[Budapest]] |publisher=Central European University, Department of Medieval Studies |type=Doctor of Philosophy  |url=http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2009/mphspe02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301191521/http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2009/mphspe02.pdf |archive-date=2020-03-01 |url-status=dead |access-date=2019-09-16 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Spät |first=Eszter |date=October 2016 |title=Hola Hola Tawusi Melek, Hola Hola Şehidêt Şingalê: Persecution and the Development of Yezidi Ritual Life |journal=Kurdish Studies Archives |volume=4 |issue=2 |publisher=Brill |pages=155–175  |issn=2051-4891 |doi=10.1163/9789004506138_005 |doi-access=free }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Turgut |first=Lokman |date=2013 |title=Ancient rites and old religions in Kurdistan |journal=Studia Kurdica |volume=1 |publisher=[[University of Erfurt]] |issn=2196-0658  |oclc=879288867 |url=https://www.academia.edu/5288926/Ancient_Rites_and_Old_Religions_in_Kurdistan |url-access=registration |via=[[Academia.edu]] |access-date=1 December 2025 }}

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{{YazidisOutline|state=expanded}}
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[[Category:Yazidi religion| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic religions in Asia]]
[[Category:Iranian religions]]
[[Category:Mesopotamian religion]]
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[[Category:Religion in Armenia]]
[[Category:Religion in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Religion in Iraq]]
[[Category:Religion in Kurdistan]]
[[Category:Religion in Syria]]
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[[Category:Yazidi culture]]
[[Category:Yazidi mythology]]
[[Category:Ethnic religions]]
[[Category:Kurdish words and phrases]]