The Kurdistan Ministry for Donations and Religions held a press conference, where Minister Pishtivan Sadiq spoke, who said that they would launch a project to restore part of the Yezidi Lalesh temple.

"The Yezidis deserve the best services, they have been subjected to atrocities by ISIS, so the responsibility for compensating them financially and morally lies with the Government of the Kurdistan Region," Sadiq said.

Lalesh Temple is in the Sheikhan district of Nineveh Province, about 60 km northwest of Nineveh and about 40 km from Dahuk Province in northern Iraq. The temple is considered the main temple of the Yezidi religion, Yezidis visit it from all over the world.

According to WHC, "many travelers and writers who have written the history of this temple have presented many interpretations of its origin and foundation. Researcher-archaeologist Abd al-Raqib Yusuf described the temple as the oldest existing place in the area."

The Lalesh Temple, which includes the tomb of Sheikh Adi, is a rectangular building measuring (30 x 12) m. The temple underwent expansion and enlargement during its long life.

A lot of conservation work has been done for the temple, the last of which was in 1979, and one of the serious threats faced by the temple arose when the terrorist organization ISIS occupied the Shangal district in August 2014.

In addition to the terrorist massacres carried out by terrorists against the Yezidi population in the region, the jihadists destroyed 39 domed buildings and shrines belonging to the Yezidis.

With the liberation of the district, efforts are being made to restore and rehabilitate facilities damaged as a result of the activities of a terrorist organization. Campaigns for the preservation and restoration of the Lalesh temple were carried out with the support of the local Yezidi population and funding from the private sector.

The German company "Bosnick" has done a lot of work on the conservation and restoration of the temple. In addition, efforts are currently focused on creating infrastructure facilities for this place, mainly because many people from around the world visit the temple, since it is the place of the spiritual council of the Yezidi people, where Yezidis make a pilgrimage at least once in their lives.

Lalesh Temple is also part of the preliminary list of Iraq, which can qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

Mlêtê Êzidî