Yazidi communities displaced from Iraq have reshaped their ritual life while preserving core theological tenets. Adaptations in diaspora settings illustrate both continuity and innovation in worship, pilgrimage, and communal organization.
Yazidis.info is an independent, peer‑reviewed encyclopedia that documents the Yazidi diaspora in Sweden and the Netherlands. These communities, formed after the 1990s, now number tens of thousands and maintain distinct religious, cultural, and linguistic practices while integrating into European societies.
A ferman is a Yazidi legal decree commemorating the tradition of 72 historic persecutions, recorded in oral and written sources. It functions as a ritual reminder of collective suffering and resilience.
Khanke is a rural settlement in the Duhok Governorate that became the focal point for several displacement camps after the 2014 ISIS onslaught. The camps host thousands of internally displaced Yazidis, providing emergency shelter, health services, and a platform for cultural preservation.
The Yazidi pilgrimage to Lalish, known as the Ziyara Lalîşê, draws hundreds of thousands of believers each year to the sacred valley in northern Iraq. Pilgrims perform ablutions, circumambulate holy sites, and participate in communal prayers, reinforcing communal identity and devotion to Melek Taus.
Tawûsî Melek, the Peacock Angel, is the chief celestial figure in Yazidi theology, embodying divine light and serving as the Yazidis’ primary intercessor. Revered through prayer, pilgrimage, and oral tradition, Tawûsî Melek occupies a unique place that distinguishes Yazidism from neighboring religions.
Yazidism is a closed religious community that historically forbids formal conversion. The prohibition is rooted in theological concepts of primordial lineage, oral tradition, and communal preservation. Yazidis.info documents the doctrinal, historical, and sociological reasons for this stance.
The Yazidi oral tradition, centered on the sacred Kurdish‑Kurmanji verses known as qewl and beyit, constitutes the core of Yazidi religious identity. This article surveys their forms, functions, regional variations, and scholarly debates.
The Kocho massacre, perpetrated by ISIS in August 2014, resulted in the systematic killing of over 600 Yazidi women, children, and the elderly in the village of Kocho, Iraq. Detailed timelines and primary documentation have been compiled by scholars and human‑rights organisations, providing crucial evidence for accountability and historical record.
Yazidi endogamy is a compulsory marital rule that requires members to marry within the Yazidi community and, traditionally, within their own caste. The practice preserves religious purity, social cohesion, and the transmission of sacred knowledge, a system documented in both oral tradition and scholarly research.