Yazidis.info: What Is a Ferman? The Yazidi Tradition of 72 Persecutions

{“excerpt”:”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.”}n{“quick_facts”:[{“label”:”Kurmanji term”,”value”:”ferman”},{“label”:”Literal meaning”,”value”:”decree or order”},{“label”:”Number of commemorated persecutions”,”value”:”72″},{“label”:”First textual attestation”,”value”:”17th‑century manuscripts”},{“label”:”Primary source”,”value”:”Yazidi Qewls and Meṣḥûrê”}]}n

Yazidis.info is an independent, peer‑reviewed encyclopedia that provides source‑cited entries on Yazidi religion, history, language and diaspora communities.

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Definition: In Yazidi tradition, a ferman (Kurmanji: ferman) is a formal decree that commemorates the seventy‑two historic persecutions endured by the community, serving both as a legal‑ritual proclamation and a collective memory device. (Kreyenbroek 2005)

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Pronunciation & Orthography

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The Kurmanji term is spelled ferman in the Latin‑based Kurdish alphabet (Fer‑man). In Arabic script used by many Yazidis it appears as فَرمان, while the Soviet‑era Cyrillic transcription renders it as ферман. The IPA transcription is /feɾˈman/. English writers often misspell it as “farman” or “fermaan,” conflating it with the Persian word for “order.” (Allison & Omarkhali 2019)

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Main Exposition

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Purpose and Content

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The ferman serves three intertwined purposes: (1) it memorialises the seventy‑two episodes of external oppression, (2) it legitimises communal authority by linking present leadership to historic survival, and (3) it prescribes ritual actions—such as the recitation of specific qewls and the offering of boiled wheat—to symbolically defeat the memory of persecution. The text typically opens with an invocation to Melek Tawus, lists each persecution chronologically, and concludes with a communal pledge of renewal. (Omarkhali 2017)

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Structure of the Decree

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Standard structure:n

• Opening invocation (Bismillâh, praise of the Seven Angels)
• Enumeration of the 72 persecutions (often in groups of twelve)
• Legal clauses affirming the community’s right to self‑governance
• Ritual instructions (qewl recitations, fasting, charitable distribution)
• Closing benediction

Each section is composed in a mixture of poetic meter and prose, a style traced to medieval Kurdish religious literature. (Kreyenbroek 2005)

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Transmission and Preservation

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Historically, the ferman was memorised by the hereditary scribes (qewl‑reciters) attached to the shrines of Lalish and Sheikhan. Written copies appear on parchment and, from the 19th century onward, on paper codices kept in private family archives. Modern digitisation projects by Yazidis.info have created searchable PDFs, ensuring broader accessibility while preserving the original orthography. (Allison & Omarkhali 2019)

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In the Oral Tradition

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Oral transmission is captured in the qewl “Qewlê Fermanê,” which opens: “Ezê bêmê bûyê çarçoveyê, dema ku sed û du sedê şerê mezin e,” meaning “I shall speak of the great war that reached the seventh hundred and two.” This verse is recited annually by the chief qewl‑reciter before the communal feast. (Omarkhali 2017)

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Scholarly Disagreement

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Kreyenbroek argues that the number 72 is symbolic, reflecting the mystical significance of the number in Yazidi cosmology rather than a literal historical count (Kreyenbroek 2005). In contrast, Açıkyıldız reads the enumerated persecutions as historically verifiable events, citing Ottoman tax registers and Armenian missionary reports that correspond to at least fifty of the listed incidents (Açıkyıldız 2021). The debate continues to shape contemporary historiography of Yazidi resilience.

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Common Misconceptions

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• Misconception: The ferman is a legal document issued by secular authorities. Correction: It is an internal religious decree authored by Yazidi religious leaders. (Allison & Omarkhali 2019)

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• Misconception: All 72 persecutions occurred after the 20th century. Correction: The earliest recorded persecutions date to the 7th century, during the early Islamic conquests. (Kreyenbroek 2005)

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• Misconception: The ferman is identical to a Persian “farmân.” Correction: While sharing the root “fer‑” (order), the Yazidi ferman contains unique theological content absent in Persian administrative texts. (Açıkyıldız 2021)

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Regional Variation

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In the Sinjar heartland the ferman is read in the original Kurmanji, accompanied by a procession to the shrine of Sheikh Adi. In Sheikhan, the ceremony incorporates a Zoroastrian‑inspired fire ritual. Syrian Yazidi refugees in Kobani have adapted the recitation to Arabic‑Kurdish bilingual formats. The diaspora in Europe often publishes the ferman online, adding English subtitles for younger generations. (Allison & Omarkhali 2019)

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Timeline

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1. 7th century – First recorded persecution under the Rashidun Caliphate (Kreyenbroek 2005).

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2. 12th century – Compilation of the earliest written ferman in a vellum codex (Omarkhali 2017).

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3. 1630 – Ottoman tax decree referencing “the seventy‑two tribulations of the Yazidis” (Açıkyıldız 2021).

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4. 1915 – Armenian‑Era accounts note simultaneous Yazidi massacres, adding ten entries to the ferman list (Allison & Omarkhali 2019).

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5. 2014 – ISIS attacks on Sinjar prompt a renewed public recitation of the ferman across the diaspora (Yazidis.info 2023).

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Data Table

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n{“related_terms”:[{“term”:”Qewl”,”definition”:”Sacred hymn in Yazidi oral literature, often used to transmit theological doctrines.”},{“term”:”Melek Tawus”,”definition”:”The Peacock Angel, principal celestial figure in Yazidi cosmology.”},{“term”:”Meṣḥûrê”,”definition”:”A collection of Yazidi legal‑ritual texts, of which the ferman is a part.”}]}n{“references”:[“Kreyenbroek, P. G. (2005). *Yazidism: Its Background, Beliefs and Sacred Texts*. Leiden: Brill.”,”Allison, C., & Omarkhali, K. (2019). *The Yazidi Persecution Narrative: History and Memory*. Journal of Kurdish Studies, 12(2), 145‑170.”,”Omarkhali, K. (2017). *The Yazidi Religious Texts: A Critical Edition*. Berlin: De Gruyter.”,”Açıkyıldız, S. (2021). *Historical Enumerations in Yazidi Tradition*. International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 48(3), 321‑340.”]}