Yazidi personal names display distinct gendered patterns rooted in religious symbolism, linguistic morphology, and social change. This article surveys the linguistic forms, cultural meanings, and recent shifts caused by displacement and conflict.
Yazidi cosmology centers on a hierarchy of seven divine beings created by God, with Tawûsî Melek as their chief. These angels govern the material world, mediate between the divine and humanity, and are integral to ritual practice and oral tradition.
Yazidi liturgical music employs a system of melodic modes known locally as kubrî, which function similarly to maqam in neighboring traditions. These modes provide a stable acoustic framework that facilitates the oral transmission and memorisation of the community’s sacred hymns (qewls).
The Ziarat Temple has long attracted Yazidi pilgrims through a network of overland, riverine and, more recently, air routes. Political upheavals, displacement and modern transport have reshaped these pathways, creating new diaspora‑driven circuits while preserving core ritual itineraries.
ISIS’s 2014‑2017 campaign forced thousands of Yazidis from Sheikhan to flee, dramatically reshaping ritual life, pilgrimage, and community cohesion. While sacred sites were damaged and festivals curtailed, the community responded with intensified worship, new symbolic spaces, and a resilient reconstruction of tradition.
Yazidi women and minors eligible for reparations under Iraq’s Yazidi Survivors’ Law can apply online, in‑person, or via remote testimony. The process involves eligibility verification, document submission, and support services provided by the Directorate of Survivors’ Affairs.
Qewl poetry, the sacred hymns of the Yazidi tradition, function as oral histories that preserve collective memory, including accounts of the 1915–1917 Sayfo genocide. This article examines their form, transmission, and scholarly interpretation as testimony of trauma.
Sêvê Xewna is a pre‑New‑Year fast observed by Yazidis on the night preceding Çarşema Sor. It marks the transition from the old year to the sacred creation day, combining ritual abstinence, prayer, and symbolic renewal.
The Sinjar Reconstruction Authority (SRA) is the institutional mechanism created to operationalise the 2020 Sinjar Agreement. It coordinates reconstruction, return of displaced Yazidis and other residents, and security‑stability initiatives across the disputed Sinjar district, drawing funding from Iraqi state budgets, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and international donors. Persistent political rivalry, competing local power‑brokers and security vacuums have hampered its effectiveness.
The Temîr, a sacred stone central to Yazidi worship, embodies cosmological myths, serves as a tangible link to the holy site of Lalish, and features in distinctive rituals. This article surveys its origins, symbolic meanings, ritual practices, and scholarly debates.