History of the yezidi the ultimate history project. Anecdotal evidence of the existence of yazidi groups in northwestern persia has not yet been proven. Religions of the world part 1 the yazidi branch of yazdnism. The yazidi are kurdish speakers who have lived for centuries as farmers and cattle breeders, scattered about in turkey, syria, iraq and the former soviet union. The book of revelation and black book remain, however, the most prominent texts associated with the socalled devil worshipers of mesopotamia. The yazidi black book is one of two books written in the style of a holy book of the yazidis in.
A follower of the ancient yazidi religion prays at the holy lalish temple in. Yazidi, iraqs persecuted minority, religious beliefs. Adawiyya sufi order living in the kurdish mountains, and caused it to deviate from islamic norms relatively soon after. The black book acts as a codification of the religion that describes yazidi religious beliefs and traditions. Hugging a column, walking in circles and kissing a black snake. And it created a bird upon whose back it placed the pearl, and there he dwelt for forty thousand years. More recently the yezidi religious authorities have given permission for their people living abroad to write down and even to translate some of the stories and poetry of their people. The book has a informative introduction detailing the history and of the meshaf resh and some background on the yezidis. The manuscripts of both books were published in 1911 and 19 were forgeries written by nonyezidis in response to western travelers and scholars interest in the yazidi religion.
The sacred books and traditions of the yezidiz by isya joseph 1919. Yazidis are a mysterious population defined, to some extent, because of their religious affiliation, rather than their ethnic origins. Yazidis believe in one god who is represented by seven angels. In the book, the yazidis are portrayed as ancient guardians of the megalithic site, gobekli tepe, in kurdish turkey. Yazidi women struggle to return to daily life after. Meefa res is one of two book s written in the style of a holy boo k of the yazidi s in northern kurdish, the other being the yazidi book of revelatio n kiteba jilwe. Yazidi cultural practices are observed in kurmanji, which is also used by almost all the orally transmitted religious traditions of the yazidis. The leader of the yazidi is a hereditary mir or prince, and the current emir is hazim tahsin or naif dawud. Since then it has garnered much critical attention by ethnologists and theologians, receiving condemnation in some quarters as a fake, and in others a nod of approval as being possibly the only legitimate text along with the book of the revelation that gives some insight into these remarkable people and their.
However, scholars generally agree that the manuscripts of both books published in 1911 and 19 were forgeries written by nonyazidis in response to western travelers and scholars interest in the yazidi religion. This book presents itself as a scholarly account of the saga and religious culture of the yezidi faithful. It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by. Aug 11, 2014 necronomicon the anunnaki bible is the most complete collection of sumerian and babylonian accounts of prehistoric and ancient human history and civilization in one book, composing in itself a bible and actually proving to be the predecessor and basis of all global scripturebased religious traditions thereafter. Before the roles of the sexes were determined, adam and eve. Sacred books and traditions of the yezidiz index sacred texts. The religious practices of the yazidi community are some of the oldest in the world, and with so many.
According to some estimates, 70,000 people, or about 15% of the yazidi population in iraq. The yazidis have their own religion called yazidism. The yazidis are a kurdish minority group who follow a syncretic religion that draws on. Yazidi black book yazidis beliefs as we all known yazidi people speak kurmanji kurdish and adhere to the religion yazidism, a branch of yazdanism which is a preislamic, native religion of the kurds. The black book of the yezidis was first published in english over 120 years ago. The book covers the history, beliefs, practices, and material culture of the yezidis. The yazidi religious centre and object of the annual pilgrimage is the tomb of sheikh. Practice, in terms of careful adherence to rules governing all aspects of life, is more important than the role of. The aljilwah the revelation and the mashaf resh the black book. Oct 21, 2014 the yazidi holy books are claimed to be the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book.
The history of a community, culture and religion library of modern religion. Yezidi religious beliefs upon closer examination appear to be a mixture of gnostic cosmology with muslim, christian and other influences. The yazidi book of revelation kit ba cilwe in kurdish. He is associated with one of the seven yazidi angels and is the divinity of the sun in the yazidi faith. Kurdish latin the yazidi also yezidi, ezidi, yazdani. Yazidis project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. The two alleged yazidi holy books translated below are in fact forgeries, produced at an uncertain date by outsiders, incorporating genuine yazidi material but mixed in with outside elements.
The yazidi holy books are claimed to be the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book. Once a year, the yazidi make a pilgrimage to the tomb of sheikh adi ibn musafir, a key. Yezidi religious belief and practice peacock angel. Yazidi society is organized into three castelike social groups determined by birththe religious sheikhs and pirs and the lay murids. In addition, members of the three yazidi caste s, the murid s, sheikhs and pirs, marry only within their group.
The actual core texts of the religion that exist today are the. Devil worship the sacred books and traditions of the yezidiz by isya joseph. Yezidi religion multidisciplinary view of the religious. How do you rehabilitate a religion thats been singled out for such intense trauma and. So the yezidis are neither jewish nor muslim nor christian yet their religious practices reflect the influence of all of these belief systems. Meefa res is one of two books written in the style of a holy book of the yazidis in northern kurdish, the other being the yazidi book of revelation kiteba jilwe. Yezidi believers, have followed the simple command of the kitab aljilwa, also known as the book of revelation. It blends elements of ancient mesopotamian religions, zoroastrianism, islam, christianity and judaism and is a religion specifically tied to the yazidis, who are an ethnoreligious group with roo. Other kinship groups who have special roles are the feqirsknown for their religious knowledge and ascetic lives, and recognizable by their sacred black cloak known as the xirqeand the qewwals, who learn and perform the qewls, or sacred hymns. However, the yazidis in bashiqa and bahzani speak arabic as their mother language. A collection of materials concerning the yezidi belief and practice.
The yazidi religion is believed to be around 6,000 years old in fact. English text of the black book, from devil worship. The yazidi pray to the peacock angel several times a day, facing east. This article explores the history of the yezidi in iraq. Among the many victims of the advance of the islamic state is in the middle east are a group of up to 50,000 yazidis, who are trapped in the mountains in northwest iraq without food or water. It is now generally accepted that the manuscripts of the yazidi sacred books, the mas. The yazidi book of revelation is one of two books on the yazidi religion written in the style of a holy book in the kurmanji dialect of the kurdish language, the other being the yazidi black book mishefa res. Yazidis, a heterodox kurdish religious minority living predominantly in northern iraq, syria and southeast turkey, with wellestablished communities in the caucasus and a growing european diaspora. Kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book. Yazidi cultura l practic es are observed in kurmanji, which is also used by almost all the orally transmit ted religi ous traditions o f the yaz idis. The yazidi religion is not wellknown and has some problems when it comes to religious texts. Yezidi theology, oral tradition, rituals, and rites of passage. Theres a lot of mystery surrounding the yazidi, and a lot of contradictory information. It is now widely suspected that both volumes were compiled by nonyazidis.
Sheikh shams is one of the most popular yazidi saints and was one of the companions of sheikh adi. The tale of the yazidis origin found in the black book gives them a. The yazidi live predominantly in present day northern iraq. One of the worlds most endangered religious minorities, the yazidis are a. History, facts and traditions of iraqs persecuted minority by yasmine hafiz hunted by militants from the islamic state, thousands of people from the yazidi community have fled to the slopes of iraqs mount sinjar, where they are caught between the prospect of death by dehydration and murder at the hands of the group. The first half of the book contains some of their creation mythology and other stories. Two short books, kitab aljilwah book of revelation and maafrash black book, form the sacred scriptures of the yazidis. This is a stunning work about the yezidi religion and people, a religion.
The yazidi holy books are the kiteba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book. When isis rounded up yazidi women and girls in iraq to use as slaves, the captives drew on their collective memory of past oppressions and a powerful will to survive. Because their religion venerates a peacock angel whose mythology is similar to that of iblis, the islamic satan, outside observers have long accused the yazidis of being devil worshipers. Howev er, the yaz idis in bashiqa and bahzani speak arabic as their mother language. There are several religious duties and that are performed by several dignitaries. Yazidism has until recently been a religion of orthodox practice and right living, rather than of. Yazidis, a heterodox kurdish religious minority living predominantly in northern iraq, syria, and southeast turkey, with wellestablished communities in the caucasus and a growing european diaspora. Who are the yazidis and what do they believe about god. History, facts, and traditions hunted by militants from the islamic state, thousands of people from the yazidi community have fled to the slopes of iraqs mount sinjar, where they are caught between the prospect of death by dehydration and murder at the hands of the group formerly. Encyclopaedia iranica religious belief and practice. The rise of islamic fundamentalism more broadly has pushed thousands of yazidis to seek asylum in europe. This specific work covers the black book of the yezidis meshaf resh.
Other controversial aspects of this group are its religious texts or holy books with such works as the kiteba cilwe or book of revelation or illumination and mishefa res or the black book of which scholars attribute its compilation as a recent response by non yezidis to assimilate information for the sake of westerners to gain. This has been compiled into what is known as the black book. The actual core texts of yazidi religion are hymns known as qawls. Other content include illustrations, photos, maps, notes, a glossary, a bibliography and appendices filled with invaluable information like yezidi saints and genealogies of influential families. The yezidi have a strong ethical code and customs like those of many other agricultural tribal people, as is apparent from the ethnological sketch which rounds out this book. Yazidis on the mountain of regions with significant populations iraq 650,000, germany armenia 35,272, georgia denmark 500, yazidi book of revelation yazidi black book the yazidis also yazidi, ezidi, yazdani community whose syncretic but ancient religion yazidism a kind of zoroastrianism and ancient mesop. An inquiry into the religious tenets of the yezeedees the middle east sacred writing. The sacred books and traditions of the yezidiz, by isya joseph 1919 mehrdad izadi wikipedia yazidi encyclopedia britannica yazidi religious tolerance yazidi wikipedia yazidi joshua project yazidi videos many topics, including the legend of the peacock angel. This is so clear to the yezidis, or to anyone acquainted with their religion, as to leave no need for further discussion.
Aug 08, 2014 yazidi book of revelation kiteba cilwe yazidi black book mishefa res languages. The yazidis, isolated in a remote iraq region, are misunderstood and persecuted by their neighbours. In the beginning the invisible one brought forth from its own precious soul a white pearl. Religious practices prayers yazidis have five daily prayers. Yet throughout their long history they have faced 72 genocides and soon they may unfortunately be facing genocide number 73 at the hands of the group formerly known as isis which now calls itself the islamic state. The religious community professing yazidism consists of between 200,000 and 300,000 people. Followers venerate two books, the black book and the book of revelation. As far as the latter is concerned, their origin is kurdish and, within these people, they are a nonmuslim minority, belonging in fact to this sect. Then on the first day, sunday, it created an angel called izrael. The yazidis are one of the longest surviving ancient religions or sects in the world. Who are the yazidi, and why is isis targeting them. Aug 15, 2014 the current crisis in iraq has brought the plight of minority groups into the spotlight, with the mention of one religious cohort that many americans had likely never heard of before.
Yazidi women struggle to return to daily life after enduring islamic state brutality. Who are the yazidis and what do they believe about god, satan. The book of revelation and black book remain, however, the most prominent texts. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book.
There are very little resource devoted to the kurdish yezidi peoples much less their sacred scriptures so this book is a must read for those interested. However, scholars generally agree that the manuscripts of both books published in 1911 and 19 were forgeries written by nonyazidis in response to western travellers and scholars interest in the yazidi religion. Although scattered and probably numbering only between 200,000 and 1,000,000, the yazidis have a wellorganized society, with a chief sheikh as the supreme religious head and an emir, or prince, as the secular head. According to yazidi lore, one of the angels, malak tawous, was sent to earth after refusing to bow to adam, explains the economist. They shared the same fate as the kurds when the areas were islamized in the 7th century. The cosmogonic myth is described in the mishefa resh, the black book, which contains the laws and religious precepts of the yazidis and is one of their holy books ac. History, facts and traditions of iraqs persecuted minority. Who are the yazidi people, and what are their beliefs. Nonetheless they do reflect authentic yazidi traditions. Yazidi, member of a kurdish religious minority found primarily in northern iraq.
Jan 29, 2016 contrary to inaccurate reports, the yazidis are a kurdish religious group and not an ethnic group following the fall of saddam hussein in 2003, the kurds asked for the yazidis to be entirely recognise as belonging to their people. The sacred books and traditions of the yezidiz, by isya joseph 1919 mehrdad izadi wikipedia yazidi encyclopedia britannica yazidi religious tolerance yazidi wikipedia yazidi joshua project yazidi videos many topics, including the legend of. According to the content of the book, which is believed to have been written by sheikh adi, creation occurred when god creates a white pearl from his. The yazidis syncretic religion has a rich oral tradition mixing islamic mysticism with the dualism of zoroastrianism, the ancient persian religion, elements of early, preislamic religions, including mithraism, a mystery religion originating in the eastern mediterranean, and some christian practices. Yazidi refugees also live in europe specifically in germany and the united states. The yazidi new year falls in spring, on the first wednesday of april somewhat later than the equinox. In the months since its rise, the sunniidentified islamic state has gone after many religious and ethnic minorities in iraq and. Kitba cilwe book of revelation and the mishefa res black book. The yazidis are a kurdish minority group who follow a syncretic religion that draws on aspects of ancient mesopotamian faiths, zoroastrianism, and the abrahamic faiths. The current religious leader of the yazidis, the baba sheikh, is khurto hajji ismail.
The tale of the yazidis origin found in the black book gives them a distinctive ancestry and expresses their feeling of difference from other races. Sheikh hasan, the nephew of adi, is held to be the author of the second sacred yazidi book, the black book meshaf resh. The yazidi religion includes elements of ancient iranian religions as well as elements of judaism, nestorian christianity, and islam. An iraqi yazidi, who fled her home a week ago when islamic state is militants attacked the town of sinjar, sits next.
In addition, members of the three yazidi castes, the murids, sheikhs and pirs, marry only within their group. There are probably some 200,000300,000 yazidis worldwide. Yazidis are kurdish ethno religious community predominantly living in northern iraq with large communities in sinjar and shekhan, where a number of their holy sites are located, turkey, iran and some of them are scattered in the european w. He introduced himself as an entrepreneur, running a little oriental corner eatery in hannover. It should be kept in mind that, when this book was written, the gnostics were virtually unknown, save from opposing views in early christian writings. The secular leader is a hereditary emir or prince, whereas a chief sheikh heads the religious hierarchy. It is now generally accepted that the manuscripts of the yazidi sacred book s. The origin of the yazidi religion is now usually seen by scholars as a complex process of syncretism, whereby the beliefsystem and practices of a local faith had a profound influence on the religiosity of adherents of the.