The villages of Bashiqa and Bahzani host a cluster of Yazidi sacred sites whose mausoleums and temples embody centuries‑old religious architecture. After severe damage during the Islamic State’s 2014 genocide, international NGOs have undertaken careful restoration, reviving both stonework and ritual life.
Takfiri theology, as employed by the Islamic State, classifies non‑conforming Muslims and religious minorities as apostates, leading to systematic persecution of Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a. This article compares the doctrinal justifications and on‑ground policies that produced genocide, forced conversion, and mass displacement.
The Kocho massacre, perpetrated by ISIS in August 2014, has been invoked in several international judicial proceedings, most notably before the International Criminal Court. This article surveys the cases that have cited Kocho as factual evidence, outlining legal arguments, scholarly debates, and the broader significance for genocide jurisprudence.
Lalish Temple, the spiritual heart of the Yazidi faith, has been on Iraq’s UNESCO tentative list since 2020. This article examines the cultural criteria it fulfills, the post‑ISIS restoration challenges, and the Yazidi community’s views on its World Heritage nomination.
Yazidi hymns, called qewl, are being safeguarded through field recordings, metadata standards, and collaborative digital repositories. Projects led by AMAM and partners use modern audio technology, cloud storage, and scholarly transcription to protect this oral heritage for future generations.
Yazidi marriage combines early arranged unions, strict endogamy, a bride‑price system, and distinct caste rules. Family life is organized around monogamous households, with polygyny limited to elite figures, while diaspora communities adapt these traditions under new legal contexts.
Sufi poetic forms and mystical motifs have profoundly shaped Yazidi beyts, influencing their metrical patterns, imagery of divine love, and the incorporation of Sufi‑derived terminology. This article examines how these influences appear in the structure and themes of Yazidi religious poetry.
Stranbêj singers—Yazidi vocal artists who preserve and perform traditional repertoire—are trained through a blend of oral apprenticeship, familial lineage, and emerging institutional programs. This article surveys historic master‑apprentice methods, contemporary school models, gender dynamics, and regional variations across the Yazidi world.
The Yazidi calendar, rooted in a monotheistic Kurdish tradition, organizes religious life around twelve months, a lunar‑solar cycle, and key festivals such as the New Year (Sersal) and the Feast of the Assembly. This article explains its structure, seasonal rituals, and regional variations.
This article surveys the documented shrines of the 8th‑century Sufi mystic Rabi‘a al‑Adawiyya, tracing their geographic spread from the Levant to the Arabian Peninsula. It outlines scholarly mapping projects, methodological debates, and regional variations in veneration practices.