Landmine clearance in Sinjar has become a pivotal factor for the safe return of Yazidi communities displaced by the 2014‑2017 crisis. Recent evaluations by MAG, UNMAS, UNDP and IOM show coordinated de‑mining efforts, yet residual contamination still hampers full durable solutions.
The Yazidi pilgrimage to the sacred valley of Lalish on Çarşema Sor, the Red Wednesday New Year, blends ancient footpaths with modern transport. This article surveys historic routes, ritual actions at the holy site, and how contemporary Yazidis across the diaspora participate in the celebration.
British consular dispatches of the 19th century provide some of the earliest systematic Western records of Ottoman‑led persecution against the Yazidi community. By analysing reports from officials such as Capt. F. R. Maunsell and Lt.‑Col. Herbert Chermside, scholars have reconstructed the scale of massacres, forced conversions and displacement that shaped Yazidi collective memory.
Yazidi household shrines, known as kili, are central to daily religious life. Women traditionally tend, clean, and embellish these sacred spaces, weaving personal devotion with communal identity. Their decorative practices blend textile art, natural pigments, and symbolic motifs, reinforcing gendered expressions of faith.
Gender‑based violence (GBV) against Yazidi women and girls, especially sexual slavery under IS IL, has become a decisive factor in asylum claims across Europe. Selective humanitarianism, special admission programmes, and divergent legal interpretations shape both the success rates and the lived realities of Yazidi refugees.
Genocide recognition shapes Yazidi repatriation by influencing legal narratives, migration governance, and domestic policies. While it legitimizes claims for return, recognition alone does not guarantee safe or sustainable reintegration.
This article examines how Yazidi communities are legally recognised in host nations, focusing on citizenship pathways, asylum protection, and the persistent challenges they face, with a particular lens on Germany and France.
The Yazidi calendar, a lunisolar system rooted in ancient Mesopotamian tradition, governs the bi‑annual Tawûsgeran pilgrimage and other sacred journeys. By aligning lunar months with solar seasons, it synchronises religious rites, communal gatherings, and the distribution of holy objects across Yazidi communities.
The Yazidi Mîr, the hereditary political and religious leader of the Yazidi community, is chosen through a blend of lineage, council approval, and community consensus. This article examines the traditional mechanisms of succession, recent disputes following the 2019 death of Mir Tahsin Beg, and the evolving challenges facing the institution today.
In August 2014, Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a coordinated ground and air campaign that broke the Islamic State’s siege of Mount Sinjar, enabling the rescue of tens of thousands of Yazidis. Their rapid mobilization, air‑drop assistance, and the opening of a humanitarian corridor were pivotal in averting a large‑scale genocide.