What language do Yazidis speak?
Kurmanji
Most Yazidis speak Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) with a small minority speaking Arabic. Most Yazidis consider Yazidism both a distinct ethnic and cultural identity and do not identify as Kurdish.
What is the origin of Yazidis?
The Yazidis were first recorded historically by Muslim historian ‘Abd al-Karim al-Sam’ani (d. 1167 CE) as a community in Iraq during the 12th century CE. He wrote of a community called al-Yazidiyya in the region of Hulwan in northern Mosul, Iraq.
What happened to the Yazidis on the mountain?
40,000 or more Yazidis were trapped in the Sinjar Mountains and mostly surrounded by ISIL forces who were firing on them. They were largely without food, water or medical care, facing starvation and dehydration.
What happened to the Yazidis in 2014?
The Sinjar massacre marked the beginning of the genocide of Yazidis by ISIL, the killing and abduction of thousands of Yazidi men, women and children. It took place in August 2014 in Sinjar city and Sinjar District in Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate and was perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
What kind of society do the Yazidi live in?
The Yazidi live in tight-knit communities, and marriage outside the religion is not allowed. The Yazidi follow a strict caste system within their culture. The Yazidi are also called Yezidi, Daasin, or Ezidi.
Who are the Kurds and what are the Yazidis?
The Kurds are usually identified as an Iranian ethnic group descended from the Medes. Not all Kurds are Yazidis, but all Yazidis are Kurdish. The Yazidi live in tight-knit communities, and marriage outside the religion is not allowed.
Where does the name Yazidi faith come from?
The origins of the Yazīdī faith can be traced to areas of the Kurdish mountains of northern Iraq where pockets of devotion to the fallen Umayyad dynasty persisted long after the death of the last Umayyad caliph, the half-Kurdish Marwan II, in 750. Some descendants of the dynasty settled in the area,…