Physical locations and settlement patterns of Yazidis worldwide
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.
Since the enactment of the Yazidi Survivors’ Law, hundreds of Yazidi women and families have received legal ownership of land in Sinjar and Sheikhan. These restitution efforts, backed by Iraqi authorities and UN agencies, mark a historic reversal of displacement caused by ISIS atrocities.
Kaniya Sêva, the “White Spring” of Lalish, is a karst spring revered by Yazidis for its role in the baptism‑like mor kirin rite. This article surveys its geological setting, historic development, ritual significance, and contemporary conservation challenges.
Since the 2014 destruction by Daesh, several international and local initiatives have been restoring Yazidi sacred shrines on Mount Sinjar. Key projects include the Mam Rashan Shrine reconstruction, the Pirafat Temple restoration, and the rehabilitation of the Malack Sheikh Hassan Temple.
The Yazidi architectural heritage of the Caucasus comprises a network of temples, shrines, and communal buildings that reflect centuries‑old religious practice and diaspora adaptation. From the monumental Quba Mere Diwane in Armenia to the Sultan Ezid Temple in Tbilisi, these structures embody distinctive motifs, funerary sculpture, and ongoing preservation challenges.
This article surveys the geographic spread of Yazidi tribal groups across the Sinjar Plateau, combining historical records, landscape analysis, and contemporary fieldwork to illustrate how clans have settled and evolved in this strategic region of northern Iraq.
This article examines official census figures and scholarly estimates of Yazidi communities in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, highlighting demographic trends, methodological challenges, and regional variations across the Caucasus.
After the 2005 Iraqi Constitution formally recognised Yazidis as a distinct community, documenting their land ownership has remained fraught with obstacles. Destruction of records, lingering discriminatory policies, weak land governance and gendered barriers all impede the creation of reliable land‑tenure data for Yazidi households.
After the 2014 ISIL onslaught, international agencies and Yazidi communities launched extensive reconstruction efforts in Sinjar. This article details the housing, water, and land‑tenure projects, their funding sources, and the role of returnees in rebuilding their villages.
Yazidi shrines, from village mazars to the grand Lalish complex, encode a rich symbolic language that intertwines theology, cosmology, and community memory. This article surveys their forms, meanings, and regional variations, drawing on recent scholarship and heritage documentation.