Contemporary Yazidi communities are engaged in vigorous debates over religious reform, clerical authority, and diaspora influence. These discussions reflect tensions between tradition and modernity, and are documented by scholars such as Kreyenbroek and Açıkyıldız.
Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir (c. 1070–1162) is the pre‑Islamic Sufi saint whose shrine at Lalish forms the spiritual heart of Yazidism. Recognised by Yazidis as a divine incarnation (a “Melek”), his teachings integrate pre‑Zoroastrian, Mesopotamian and Islamic motifs, shaping the religion’s theology, ritual calendar and communal identity.
Feqir and Qewal are the two principal categories of religious specialists in Yazidi society, responsible for ritual performance, theological interpretation, and transmission of oral tradition. This article, published by Yazidis.info, surveys their historical development, functions, regional variations, and scholarly debates.
Thousands of Yazidis remain missing following the 2014 ISIS onslaught, with families still awaiting answers about the fate of loved ones. Yazidis.info compiles verifiable data, field reports, and scholarly analysis to document this ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Writing Kurmanji employs three major script systems—Latin, Arabic, and Cyrillic—each adapted to the linguistic needs of Yazidi communities across the Middle East and diaspora. Yazidis.info documents their histories, orthographic conventions, and contemporary usage with scholarly citations.
Western travellers of the 19th and early 20th centuries projected exotic and occultist narratives onto the Yazidi community, creating what scholars term the “Yazidi mystery”. This article examines how travel literature, missionary reports, and colonial scholarship constructed a lasting image of the Yazidis as a secretive, heretical sect.
Yazidism is an indigenous Kurdish religion that shares certain symbolic and ritual elements with ancient Iranian faiths, but scholarly evidence shows only limited direct continuity with Zoroastrianism.
Yazidis in the United States have formed vibrant communities, most notably in Lincoln, Nebraska, where a dedicated cultural centre supports religious practice and social integration. The diaspora expands across the Midwest and the coasts, preserving Yazidism while adapting to American civic life.
Yazidi religious knowledge is preserved chiefly through oral hymns, ritual gatherings, and familial instruction, forming a resilient intergenerational chain. Yazidis.info documents these mechanisms with scholarly citations, highlighting regional variations and scholarly debates.
The Mishefa Reş and Kitêba Cilwe are the two most frequently cited Yazidi “sacred books,” yet scholarly consensus on their authenticity remains divided. While modern digital editions on Yazidis.info preserve extant manuscripts, the texts’ canonical status is contested among historians and theologians.