"When you kill someone, you kill yourself" ~ Yezidi Faqir

Who Are the Yezidis?

The Yezidis or Yazidis are a Kurdish speaking people who live principally in northern Iraq.  They number approximately 500,000 - 600,000 with another 200,000 settled in other parts of the world.  They are mostly a poor and oppressed people, but they have a rich spiritual tradition that they contend is the world's oldest.  Originally from India and therefore related to the Hindus, they also have close connections with many other cultures and traditions they have lived among during their gradual migration westward to the Middle East.  For example, they have close ties with the Zoroastrian religion they encountered in Persia, and they reflect some of the doctrines and rites of Islam which were integrated into Yezidism by the faith's Sufi reformer, Sheike Adi, during the 11th century.  Well before this time, as far back as 2000 B.C., the Yezidis were living in the Middle East and playing a role in the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Jewish civilizations.

The Yezidis claim to have the oldest religion in the world, contending that the truth of this is reflected in the antiquity of their calendar.  They can trace back their religious calendar  6756 years, thus making 2007 CE the Yezidi year of 6756.  In relation to some of the other major religions, the Yezidi Calendar is 4,750 years older than the Christian or Gregorian Calendar,  990 years older than the Jewish Calender, and it is 5329 years older than the Muslim Calender.

The Yezidi Name

Yezidi Persecution 

Even with all of their ostensible connections to other faiths, the Yezidis have for hundreds of years been under constant attack from Moslems who promulgate the idea that the Yezidi's principle diety, Tawsy Melek, the "Peacock Angel", is Satan.  Moslems also contend that the Yezidis are not "People of the Book", i.e., that they don't have a sacred revealed scripture like the Holy Bible or the Koran at the center of their religion, so they claim justification in their massacre of them.  Or even worse, some Moslems have pronounced the Yezidis as heretics who were once orthodox Moslems - an allegation that puts them in the lowest rung of humanity.  Over the course of 700 years, nearly 23 million Yezidi people have been murdered, thus bringing their civilization to the brink of extinction.

The Tomb of Sheikh Adi in Lalish

Lalish is the spiritual heartland of the Yezidis, a place where they find both spiritual solace and physical protection during times of invasion and persecution.. During the recent assaults on the Yezidis by Saddam Hussien and the Kurdish Moslems many Yezidis sought short and long-term refuge in Lalish.

The sacred history of Lalish begins with the arrival of the Yezidis' patron deity Tawsi Melek, the Peacock Angel, who first arrived on Earth when the planet was still barren and constantly besieged by earthquakes and volcanoes, Tawsi Melek was sent to Earth to remedy the situation and make the planet one of the most beautiful in the universe. Landing as a peacock at Lalish, Tawsi Melek succeeded in stopping the Earth’s quaking and then he covered the planet with his “rainbow” peacock colors.  It is believed that during the sacred Autumn festival in Lalish Tawsi Melek still visits the place along with six Great Angels of the Yezidis.

The focal point of Lalish is the Sanctuary, the shrine-tomb of the great Yezidi reformer Sheikh Adi.  There are also tombs here dedicated to six of the Great Angels who took incarnation with Sheikh Adi, as well as shrines associated with the miracles of Sheikh Adi and landmarks that were, supposedly, once at Mecca, such as Mount Arafat. Legends state that Sheikh Adi transferred Mecca’s landmarks to Lalish, thus making it the most sacred power spot on Earth. There is also a guesthouse attached to the Sanctuary to house the most distinguished Shiekh families during the sacred festivals at Lalish. Known as the Mala Fagra or “House of the Faqir,” it is here that head of the order of Faqirs lives year round. The Faqir head is entitled to the revenue of alms collected from the pilgrims who visit the Sanctuary, a right he annually purchases from the Yezidi Prince.

As one steps through the front entrance of the Sanctuary he or she is greeted by the image of a large black snake. According to one legend, this snake was once a live serpent. It was apparently causing problems for the residents of the Sanctuary so Sheikh Adi transformed it into a solid image when it attempted to scale the wall it is now attached to. Another legend states that Shiekh Mend, a companion of Shiekh Adi and an earthly manifestation of one of the Seven Great Angels, turned himself into this black snake and drove back the tribe of Haweris when they were attempting to convert the Yezidis to Islam.

After stepping through main door of the Sanctuary one finds a dark pool of water to the right. This is the Lake of Azreal, the Angel of Death. Some Yezidis contend that Azreal washes his sword in this pool after taking a soul, while others claim that this is where Azreal brings the souls of the dead to be judged. According to tradition, Sheikh Adi is one of the principal judges of deceased souls.

Proceeding to the nave of the Sanctuary one finds several tombs belonging to the earthly incarnations of the Seven Great Angels. Different colored silks (the seven colors of the rainbow) cover the tombs, and these are knotted several times. Those pilgrims who seek assistance from the Seven Angels in solving their problems tie a knot (or knots) in one of the silk rags while simultaneously untying another one. The untied knot ensures that a previous pilgrim that tied the knot will soon find a rapid solution to his or her problem.

The nave of the Sanctuary is connected to the chamber housing the tomb of the Angel Sheikh Hesen. From there one can move into the room of Shiekh Adi’s tomb. A pilgrim seeking the assistance and blessings of Sheikh Adi will walk around his tomb ten times while praying intensely.

Attached to the chamber of Shiekh Adi’s tomb is the cave of the “wishing rock.” Legend has it that if one manages to throw a piece of cloth on top of this rock over a lit candle one’s wishes come true. This is said to be the rock that Sheikh Adi magically elevated in the air to convince some Sufi sheikhs of his divinity.

Off to the left of Sheikh Hesen’s chamber is a small cave holding the sacred brook of Zemsem, which springs forth from a rock. Popular legends maintain that after being challenged by local Sufis Sheikh Adi tapped this rock and water magically began to flow from it.

Outside of the Sanctuary one can find other shrines dedicated to the Seven Great Angels and other important deities dotting the Holy Valley of Lalish. At one of the important shrines is the White Spring, so called because at the time of the Flood its water is said to have remained clean and clear, rising as a white tower towards the Heaven. This is where Yezidi children are commonly baptized, or the water is collected in a jar and taken outside of Lalish for baptisms.

Another sacred place in the Holy Valley is Mount Arafat, which is one of the hills rising above the valley.  This is supposedly one of the landmarks that Sheikh Adi magically transported from Mecca to Lalish. As a pilgrim climbs up Arafat he or she pauses at a flat platform halfway up the mountain, where sits a small whitewashed structure, the Stone of Felek. This is the abode of Fortune, where death does not exist. Pilgrims walk around the structure nine times. They then kiss the structure and place money in the hole, hoping that it will earn them good fortune when they return to their normal lives. 

http://www.yeziditruth.org/yezidi_heartland_lalish