Physical locations and settlement patterns of Yazidis worldwide
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.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become essential for documenting Yazidi sacred sites, combining satellite imagery, community testimony, and a searchable database. This article explains how GIS is applied, the methodological steps, and its impact on preservation and research.
Yazidi cosmology, anchored in a dual hierarchy of the transcendent creator and an immanent demiurge, adapts to local contexts from the Sinjar heartland to Turkish diaspora communities. This article maps those regional reinterpretations, scholarly debates, and the lived oral traditions that sustain them.
The Kitêba Cilwe, also known as Kitēba jilwe, is a central Yazidi sacred text whose usage varies across regions. This article explores how Yazidi communities in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, the Caucasus and the diaspora employ the text differently, reflecting local religious, social and linguistic contexts.
Sheikhan District, located in Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate, is the historic heart of Yazidi worship and administration. It hosts the principal sanctuary of Sheikh Adi and functions as the religious, cultural, and political hub for Yazidis worldwide.
Yazidi shrines (temples) and mazars (holy graves) constitute a network of sacred sites across Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the diaspora. This directory, compiled by Yazidis.info, documents their locations, histories, and contemporary status.
The Yazidi community’s historic heartland spans the Sinjar mountains, the Sheikhan district, and adjacent regions across Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the Caucasus. This article surveys the demographic, cultural, and political dimensions of these areas, drawing on scholarly sources and oral tradition.
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.