Yazidism

E40078

ethnic religion monotheistic religion religion syncretic religion

Yazidism is an ancient, syncretic monotheistic religion with roots in Mesopotamia, traditionally practiced by the Yazidis, many of whom are ethnically Kurdish.

Statements (68)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	ethnic religion → monotheistic religion → religion → syncretic religion →
angelRoleOfMelekTaus	chief of the seven holy beings → world’s guardian →
calendarFeature	Cejna Cemaiya (Feast of the Assembly) → New Year in April (Çarşema Sor) →
centralSanctuary	Lalish temple complex →
corePractice	baptism in sacred springs → fasting on specific holy days → pilgrimage to Lalish → veneration of sacred fires and lamps →
cosmologyFeature	creation of the world by God → governance of the world by seven holy beings →
estimatedAdherents	hundreds of thousands →
ethnicAssociation	Kurdish → Kurmanji-speaking communities →
hasAdherents	Yazidis →
hasClericalClass	faqirs → pirs → sheikhs →
hasHolySite	Lalish →
hasLayClass	murids →
hasReligiousLawFeature	dietary restrictions → purity rules → taboos on certain words and foods →
hasReligiousLeaderTitle	Baba Sheikh → Mîr (prince) →
hasSacredLanguage	Kurmanci Kurdish →
hasSacredText	Mishur (oral religious tradition) → Qewls (sacred hymns) →
historicalRoots	Christianity → Islamic Sufism → Zoroastrianism → local Kurdish beliefs → pre-Islamic Mesopotamian religions →
holySiteCountry	Iraq →
marriageRule	endogamy within the community → strict caste endogamy →
mischaracterizedAs	devil worship by some outsiders →
notableEvent	2014 Sinjar massacre →
originRegion	Mesopotamia →
persecutedIn	Baathist Iraq → Islamic State (ISIS) attacks → Ottoman Empire →
primaryRegions	Armenia → Georgia → Northern Iraq → Shekhan district → Sinjar region → Syria → Turkey → Yazidi diaspora in Europe →
principalAngel	Melek Taus →
prohibits	conversion into the religion → conversion out of the religion →
selfDescription	strict monotheism →
supremeDeity	God →
transmissionMode	oral tradition →
veneratedFigure	Melek Taus → Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir → Sheikh Fexredin → Sheikh Nasir ad-Din → Sheikh Obekr → Sheikh Sejadin → Sheikh Shams → Sultan Ezid →

Referenced by (6)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Kurdistan → Northern Iraq →	hasReligion
Iraqi American → Kurds →	religion
Iranian peoples →	associatedWithReligion
Assyrians →	religiousMinority