The name of Yazidi is aexonym.[11] The Yazidi people and religion are named afterSultan Ezid. Most modern historians hold that the name Ezid derives from the name ofYazid I (c. 646–689), the secondCaliph ofUmayyad Caliphate.[13] TheAdawiyya existed in the Kurdish mountains before the 12th century, whenSheikh Adi ibn Musafir (1072–1078),[13] a Sufi of Umayyad descent,[14][4] 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.[13]
In Yazidi religious lore, there is no trace of any link betweenSultan Ezid and the second Umayyad caliph.[15] Some scholars have derived the name Yazidi from wordyazata, the name for a divine being inOld Iranian.[4][1]
Yazidism emerged fromAdawiyya Sufi order, founded by SheikhAdi ibn Musafir.[9] Who was anArab Sufi mystic sheikh ofUmayyad lineage. Adi ibn Musafir established hiszāwiyya (Sufi convent) atLalish. At the time, Lalish was inhabited by a peasantKurdish community whose beliefs included elements ofancient Iranian religions, which, although similar, was not only distinct fromZoroastrianism but actually of pre-Zoroastrian origin, and local veneration ofYazid 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.[9]
Yazidis believe in one God, to whom they refer asXwedê,Xwedawend,Êzdan, andPedsha ('King'), and, less commonly,Ellah andHeq.[2][8][10][5][16] According to some Yazidi hymns (known asQewls), God has 1,001 names, or 3,003 names according to other Qewls.[17][18] 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 Yazidimyth of creation begins with the description of the emptiness and the absence of order in theUniverse. Prior to theWorld's creation, God created adur (white pearl) in spiritual form from his own pure Light and alone dwelt in it.[19] 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" inYazidi literature) to whom he assigned all the world's affairs; the leader of the Seven Angels was appointedTawûsî Melek ("Peacock Angel").[5][11][20] The end of Creation is closely connected with the creation of mankind and the transition from mythological to historical time.[8][12][10]
Melek Taûs, the Peacock Angel. This emblem features Tawûsê Melek in the center, theSumeriandiĝir on the left, and the domes aboveSheikh 'Adī's tomb on the right.Tawûsî Melek depicted as a peacock inside thedisplay case on thegrave of a Yazidi believer, cemetery of the Yazidi community inHanover.
The Yazidis believe in a divine Triad.[5][11][20] The original, hidden God of the Yazidis is considered to beremote and inactive in relation to his creation, except to contain and bind it together within his essence.[5] His firstemanation isMelek Taûs (Tawûsî Melek), the Peacock Angel, who functions as the ruler of the world.[5][11][20] The secondhypostasis of the divine Triad is theSheikh 'Adī. The third isSultan 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.[5] Yazidis are calledMiletê Tawûsî Melek ("the nation of Tawûsî Melek").[21]
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.[27] 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.[27]
Yezidis believe in Seven Angels, considered theemanations of God, who, In Yazidicreation stories, were created by God from his own light (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 asHeft 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 issur orsirr (literally: 'mystery'), which denotes a divine essence from which the angels were created.[28] This pure divine essence calledSur orSirr has its own personality and will and is also calledSura Xudê ('the Sur of God').[29] This term refers to the essence of the Divine itself, that is, God. The Angels share this essence from their creator who is God.[28] In religious literature, these Angels are sometimes referred to asCibrayîl,Ezrayîl,Mîkayîl, Şifqayîl,Derdayîl,Ezafîl, andEzazîl.[30] The leader of these Angels is known asTawûsê Melek, and the others are better known by the names of their earthly incarnations/representations:Fexreddin,Sheikh Shems,Nasirdin,Sejadin,Sheikh Obekr, andShex Hesen (Şêxsin).[31][32][33]
TheYazidi pantheon contains a total of 365 holy figures venerated by Yazidis,[34] designated by various special terms includingXudan,Xas,Mêr andBabçak. According to Yazidi beliefs, God is almighty and absolute, and theXudans 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 thefour elements of nature and their manifestations.[35]
One of the important figures of Yazidism isSheikh 'Adī ibn Musafir. Sheikh 'Adī ibn Musafir settled in the valley ofLaliş (some 58 kilometres (36 mi) northeast ofMosul) in the Yazidi mountains in the early 12th century and founded the 'AdawiyyaSufi order. He died in 1162, and his tomb at Laliş is a focal point of Yazidi pilgrimage and the principalYazidi holy site.[36] Yazidism has many influences:Sufi influence and imagery (especially taken from Mansur al-Hallaj)[37] 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. Itscosmogony for instance has many points in common with those ofancient Iranian religions.[38][39][40][41][2]
Rebirth and concept of time
Yazidis believe in therebirth of the soul. Like theAhl-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" (kirasgorîn). There is also a belief that some of the events from the time of creation repeat themselves incycles of history. In Yazidism, different concepts of time coexist:[8]
An esoteric time sphere (Kurdish: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.
Bedîl ordewr (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 collectiveeschatological end point.
Threetofan ('storm, flood') i.e.catastrophes. It is believed that there are three big events during history namedtofan 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 abasic element: the first through water (tofanê avê), the second through fire (tofanê agirî) and the last is connected with wind (air) (tofanê ba). It is believed that the firsttofan has already occurred in the past and that the nexttofan 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.[42]
In Yazidism, the older original concept ofmetempsychosis and the cyclic perception of the course of time is harmonised and coexists with the younger idea of a collectiveeschatology.[8]
Cosmogony and beginning of life
The Yazidicosmogony 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 (dur).
Developments immediately after the burst – cosmogony II
The creation of the earth and man – anthropogony[43][44]
The termEnzel is one of the frequently mentioned terms in the religious vocabulary and it comes up numerous times in the religious hymns, known asQewls. For instance, in Qewlê Tawisî Melek:
"Ya Rebî ji Enzel de her tuyî qedîmî" (English: Oh, Creator of theEnzel, you are infinite)[45]
And Dûa Razanê:
Ezdayî me, ji direke enzelî me(English: I ama follower of God, I comefrom an "enzelî" pearl)[45]
Thus, the termEnzel can also be referred to as a "pure, spiritual, immaterial and infinite world", "the Beyond" or "the sphere beyond the profane world". TheEnzel 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 (textê nûrî) is located.
Qewlê Bê Elif:
Padşê min bi xo efirandî dura beyzaye – My King created the white pearl from himself
Textê nûrî sedef – The shining throne in the pearl[45]
The Yazidiqewls 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 primevalCosmic Ocean.[17] As the pearl burst open, the beginning of the material universe was set in motion.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.[46][2][44]
The religious literature of Yazidis is composed mostly of poetry which is orally transmitted in mainlyKurmanji and includes numerous genres, such asQewl (religious hymn),Beyt (poem),Du‛a (prayer),Dirozge (another kind of prayer),Şehdetiya Dîn (the Declaration of the Faith),Terqîn (prayer for after a sacrifice),Pişt perde (literally 'under the veil', another genre),Qesîde (Qasida),Sema‛ (literally 'listening'),Lavij, Xerîbo, Xizêmok, Payîzok, andRobarîn. 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.[citation needed] Therefore, they are accompanied by someprosaic 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 includeÇîrok andÇîvanok (legends and myths), andDastan andMenal Pîrs (interpretations of religious hymns).[49][1] Yazidis also possess some written texts, such as the sacred manuscripts calledmişûrs and individual collections of religious texts calledcilvê andKeşkûl, although they are rarer and often safekept among Yazidis.[50] Yazidis are also said to have two holy books,Book of Revelation andBlack Book whose authenticities are debated among scholars.[1]
Holy books
EnglishWikisource has original text related to this article:
The Yazidiholy books 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.[1] 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 asqawls; 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.[1] The sacred texts had already been translated into English by the early 20th century.[51]
Qewl andBeyt
A very important genre of oral literature of the Yazidi community consists of religioushymns, calledQewls, which literally means 'word, speech' (from Arabicqawl). The performers of these hymns, called theQewal, 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 otherKurdish tribes, principally the Dumilî and Hekarî.[52][11][8] Theqewls are full of cryptic allusions and usually need to be accompanied byčirōks ('stories') that explain their context.[1]
Mishur
Mishurs are a type of sacredmanuscripts that were written down in the 13th century and handed down to each lineage (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 ofKurdish tribes and other priestly lineages that were affiliated with the founder. Themishurs are safekept among the families of Pirs in particular places that are designated for their safekeeping; these places are referred to asstêr inKurmanji.[53] According to the Yazidi tradition, there are a total of 40mishurs which were distributed to the 40 lineages of Pirs.[8]
The Yazidi New Year (Sersal) is calledÇarşema sor ("Red Wednesday")[19] orÇarşema Serê Nîsanê ("Wednesday at the beginning of April").[54] It falls in spring, on the first Wednesday[55] of the April and Nîsan months in theJulian andSeleucid calendars, i.e. the first Wednesday on or after 14 April according to theGregorian calendar.[56][57]
Yazidis celebrating a Yazidi ceremony calledTawwaf in the town ofBashiqa in Iraq.
One of the most important Yazidi festivals isÎda Êzî ("Feast of Êzî"), which is celebrated in commemoration of the divine figureSultan 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. TheÎda Êzî festival is celebrated in honor of God and the three days of fasting before are also associated with the ever shorter days before thewinter solstice, when the Sun is less and less visible. With theÎda Êzî festival, the fasting time is ended. The festival is often celebrated with music, food, drinks and dance.[58]
Another important festival is theTawûsgeran, where Qewals and other religious dignitaries visit Yazidi villages, bringing thesinjaq, sacred images of a peacock symbolizing Tawûsê Melek. These are venerated, fees are collected from the pious, sermons are preached and holy water andberat (small stones from Lalish) distributed.[59][60]
The greatest festival of the year is theCêjna Cemaiya ('Feast of the Assembly'), which includes an annualpilgrimage to the tomb of Sheikh 'Adī' (Şêx Adî) in Lalish, northernIraq. The festival is celebrated from 6 October to 13 October,[61] in honor of the Sheikh Adi. It is an important time for cohesion.[62]
If possible, Yazidis make at least onepilgrimage to Lalish during their lifetime, and those living in the region try to attend at least once a year for theFeast of the Assembly in autumn.[63]
Tiwafs 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.[64][65]
Religious practices
Prayers
Prayers 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,[66] usually privately, or the prayers are recited by one person during a gathering. The prayers are classified according to their own content. There are:
Children arebaptised at birth andcircumcision is not required, but is practised by some due to regional customs.[67] The Yazidi baptism is calledmor kirin (literally: 'to seal'). Traditionally, Yazidi children are baptised at birth with water from theKaniya Sipî ('White Spring') at Lalish. It involves pouring holy water from the spring on the child's head three times.[68][69]
Purity and taboos
The Chel Mera Temple, or "40 Men Temple", on the highest peak of theSinjar 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.[70]
Many Yazidis considerpork to be prohibited. However, manyYazidis living in Germany began to viewthis taboo as a foreign belief from Judaism or Islam and not part of Yazidism, and therefore abandoned this rule.[71] Furthermore, in a BBC interview in April 2010,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".[72]
Some Yazidis inArmenia andGeorgia who converted toChristianity, still identify as Yazidis even after converting,[73] but are not accepted by the other Yazidis as Yazidis.[74]
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.[17]
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^"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."[1]
^abcdefgOmarkhali, Khanna (2017).The Yezidi religious textual tradition, from oral to written : categories, transmission, scripturalisation, and canonisation of the Yezidi oral religious texts: with samples of oral and written religious texts and with audio and video samples on CD-ROM. Harrassowitz Verlag.ISBN978-3-447-10856-0.OCLC994778968.
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^Asatrian, Garnik; Arakelova, Victoria (2016). "On the Shi'a Constituent in the Yezidi Religious Lore".Iran and the Caucasus.20 (3–4):385–395.doi:10.1163/1573384X-20160308.JSTOR44631094.
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^Foltz, Richard (2017-06-01). "The "Original" Kurdish Religion? Kurdish Nationalism and the False Conflation of the Yezidi and Zoroastrian Traditions".Journal of Persianate Studies.10 (1):87–106.doi:10.1163/18747167-12341309.ISSN1874-7094.
^Omarkhali, Khanna (2009–2010). "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?".Folia Orientalia.45–46:197–219.OCLC999248462.
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^Spat, Eszter (2016-10-08). "Hola Hola Tawusi Melek, Hola Hola Şehidêt Şingalê: Persecution and the Development of Yezidi Ritual Life".Kurdish Studies.4 (2):155–175.doi:10.33182/ks.v4i2.426 (inactive 20 October 2025).ISSN2051-4891.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of October 2025 (link)
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