Chronological account of Yazidi peoples from origins to present
During the Ba’athist era (1968‑2003), the Iraqi state pursued an Arabization programme that reshaped Yazidi settlement patterns by creating collective towns (komel). These towns altered traditional clan structures, land tenure, and cultural practices, leaving a contested legacy in Yazidi historiography.
During the Ottoman period (1516–1918) Yazidis faced a distinctive fiscal regime, sporadic forced conscription, and violent reprisals that culminated in 19th‑century massacres. Scholarly research draws on tax registers, missionary reports, and oral testimonies to reconstruct these experiences.
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.
Yazidis.info documents the evolving legal status of Yazidis in Iraq, detailing how citizenship, census practices, and state classification have changed from the Ottoman era to the post‑2003 constitution. The article analyses official statistics, minority‑rights legislation, and scholarly debates surrounding Yazidi identity in the Iraqi state.
The 2007 Qahtaniyah bombings were twin car bomb attacks on 25 February 2007 in the Yazidi‑populated town of Qahtaniyah, Iraq, killing approximately 500 civilians. It remains Iraq’s deadliest single‑day attack and a pivotal moment in the persecution of the Yazidi community.
Yazidis.info compiles scholarly estimates of Yazidi demography from Ottoman tax registers to 21st‑century censuses. The article traces fluctuations caused by migration, conflict, and state policies, presenting a timeline and data table for comparative analysis.
Bedirxan, a prominent Kurdish noble family, orchestrated the 19th‑century massacres of Yazidis in the Sinjar and Sheikhan districts, killing thousands and reshaping Yazidi communal memory. The events are documented in Ottoman archival records, British consular reports, and Yazidi oral tradition, and remain a focal point of scholarly debate.
Yazidis and the Sayfo examines the experience of the Yazidi community during the Ottoman Empire’s collapse and the 1915‑1918 genocide, known as the Sayfo. The article outlines demographic impacts, regional variations, and scholarly debates, drawing on primary Ottoman records and modern research.
The 1892 Ferîq Pasha campaign was an Ottoman‑led military operation aimed at subjugating Yazidi communities in the Hakkâri and Mosul regions. Led by the Kurdish governor Ferîq Pasha, the expedition resulted in widespread displacement, forced conversions, and the destruction of Yazidi shrines.
The Adawiyya Order is a medieval Kurdish religious brotherhood that played a pivotal role in shaping Yazidism’s doctrinal core and communal identity. Its syncretic teachings and institutional structures laid the foundations for the Yazidi faith as known today.