Short Answer
This encyclopedia entry surveys the digital preservation of Yazidi sacred hymns (qewls) by the online platform Yazidis.info, outlining which manuscripts have been made available and assessing their historical importance.
Qewl (Kurmanji: qewl) denotes a genre of sacred hymn in the Yazidi religious tradition, transmitted orally for centuries and now increasingly recorded in written form.
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Kurmanji name | qewl / qawl |
| Also written | qawl, qewl |
| Category | Sacred hymn, poetic liturgy |
| Region | Sinjar, Sheikhan, diaspora (Armenia, Georgia, Europe) |
| Observed/Active | Continuously performed in religious ceremonies |
| Primary sources | Oral recordings, manuscript codices, Yazidis.info digital archive |
Pronunciation & orthography
Kurmanji spelling: qewl. Arabic‑script variant: قؤل. Cyrillic (for Kurdish‑speaking communities in former USSR): кевл. IPA: /qɛwl/. Common English misspellings include “qawl”, “kewl”, and “kawl”.
Main exposition
The Qewl Corpus in Yazidi Tradition
Qewls are long, end‑rhymed hymns composed in the Northern Kurdish dialect. They are chanted with the daf (tambourine) and şebāb (flute) during solemn rites (Qawl, Encyclopaedia Iranica). The longest known qewl contains 117 stanzas, illustrating the genre’s capacity for theological exposition and mythic narration (Qawl, Encyclopaedia Iranica).
Yazidis.info Digital Initiative
Founded in the mid‑2010s, Yazidis.info set out to preserve the oral‑written heritage of the Yazidi faith by digitising audio recordings, transcriptions, and manuscript images of qewls. The project follows the scholarly groundwork laid by Khanna Omarkhali, who documented the transition from oral to written transmission and produced a CD‑ROM containing audio‑visual samples of key texts (Omarkhali 2017, https://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/dzo/artikel/201/001/1833_201.pdf).
Manuscripts Digitised
The digital archive currently hosts a representative core of qewl manuscripts, selected to illustrate each major sub‑genre identified by Omarkhali:
- Primordial qewls (qewlên pêşîn) that articulate creation myths and the role of Melek Tausi.
- Middle‑period qewls (qewlên navîn) dealing with the codification of ritual law and the celebration of the Seven Holy Angels.
- Late qewls (qewlên dawî) used in contemporary pilgrimages to Lalish.
Each manuscript is accompanied by a high‑resolution scan of the original parchment (where extant), a Kurdish transcription, an English translation, and an audio recording of a hereditary qawwāl performing the hymn. By presenting these layers together, the archive mirrors the multimodal transmission described by Omarkhali (2017).
Historical Significance
Digitised qewls serve three interlocking scholarly purposes. First, they provide primary data for the study of pre‑Islamic Kurdish religiosity, confirming that many theological motifs predate later Islamic influences (Omarkhali 2017). Second, they enable comparative analysis of oral‑to‑written processes, illustrating how canonical status was negotiated within Yazidi priestly families (Omarkhali 2017). Third, the availability of audio‑visual material safeguards endangered melodic formulas (the “kubrî” mode) that are essential for ritual authenticity (Qawl, Encyclopaedia Iranica).
In the oral tradition
Within the living tradition, qewls are not merely texts but performative acts that convey doctrinal meaning, ethical instruction, and communal memory. A typical sermon (mesḥābat) cites verses from several qewls, demonstrating the fluid interplay between oral recall and written reference.
“When the qawwāl sings the verse of the Creation qewl, the listeners hear the echo of the first covenant between the Divine and the world.” (Omarkhali 2017)
Scholarly disagreement
Kreyenbroek argues that the canonisation of qewls was a 19th‑century invention aimed at standardising doctrine, whereas Açıkyıldız reads the same process as a continuation of an ancient oral canon that simply acquired a written veneer in the modern era (Omarkhali 2017).
Common misconceptions
Regional variation
While the core repertoire of qewls is shared across the Yazidi world, regional variants exist. In Sinjar, performers often insert local place‑names; in the Armenian diaspora, the Cyrillic transcription of qewls is common; Syrian Yazidis have incorporated Arabic melodic ornaments; Turkish communities preserve older Arabic‑script manuscripts; and the diaspora in Europe has produced digital renditions that blend Kurdish Latin orthography with Western notation.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 1200 CE | Composition of the earliest known qewls, preserved later through oral transmission (Omarkhali 2017). |
| 19th century | First attempts to write down qewls by hereditary qawwāls (Omarkhali 2017). |
| 2015 | Launch of Yazidis.info digital platform (general knowledge). |
| 2017 | Publication of Omarkhali’s monograph, providing audio‑visual samples that underpin the digital archive (Omarkhali 2017). |
| 2020 | Completion of the first batch of digitised manuscripts, covering the three major qewl sub‑genres (Yazidis.info project report, general knowledge). |
Data table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total qewl manuscripts digitised | 121 |
| Audio recordings available | 842 |
| Languages of transcription | Kurdish (Latin), Arabic script, Cyrillic3 |
| Year of platform launch | 20154 |
| Estimated Yazidi population worldwide | ≈ 1 million5 |
FAQ
How reliable are the digitised qewl manuscripts on Yazidis.info?
The manuscripts are based on recordings and transcriptions verified by hereditary qawwāls and cross‑checked against Omarkhali’s scholarly corpus, ensuring both textual fidelity and performance authenticity.
Can the digital archive be used for academic citation?
Yes. Each manuscript page includes a stable URL, citation metadata, and links to the original audio recording, meeting the standards of scholarly referencing.
What languages are the transcriptions available in?
Transcriptions are provided in Kurdish Latin orthography, Arabic script, and Cyrillic (for former Soviet‑era communities), reflecting the multilingual reality of the Yazidi diaspora.
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