Located close to the eastern bank of the Tigris, less than 5 kilometres to the east of the Mosul dam, the Yazidi mausoleums of Mam Chevan are situated in the province of Dohuk-Nohadra in the north-west of the Iraqi Kurdistan autonomous region.

Located on top of a hill which overlooks the town of Khanke, 3 kilometres north-west from the site, the Yazidi mausoleums of Mam Chevan are situated at 36°48’21.6″N 42°46’19.8″E and 370 metres altitude.

Dohuk-Nohadra, where the headquarters of the Lalish Yazidi Social and Cultural Centre are located, is 27 kilometres to the east. The major Yazidi spiritual centre of Lalish is also 73 kilometres to the east. Mosul is 88 kilometres to the south.

Mainly settled in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan and the Nineveh plain, their geographic birthplace, there are also Yazidi in Turkey, Syria, and the Caucasus in particular in Armenia and Georgia. Generally considered as non-Islamic Kurds, which is at the very a least a simplistic if not inaccurate statement given their mythological origins, often demonised due to their religious practices, the Yazidi are a community whose historical origins and number are difficult to estimate.

Marginalized to the extreme in Iraq under various regimes, their existence was practically denied. Prior to 2003, Baghdad officially only recognised a few thousand whereas in reality there were no doubt closer to hundreds of thousands.

The conditions for an attempted genocide were already in place even before the ISIS jihadis started to massacre and kidnap Yazidi in the Sinjar mountains and province of Nineveh in August 2014.

Although the Iraqi forces and the coalition of resistance groups took back Sinjar in November 2015, the majority of the 500,000 – 600,000 Iraqi Yazidi are still displaced. The persecution they have suffered makes them fear for the future despite the constitutional guarantees afforded to them in 2005.

Yazidism was founded in a mountainous territory where its inhabitants were protected by the slopes, peaks and caves. Considered sacred by the Yazidi, this territory roughly divides into two distinct regions, east and west of the Tigris, the key Mesopotamian river. To the west is Sinjar: the city, surrounding villages and the mountain range. To the east is the spiritual centre of Lalish, and the key sectors of Shekhan, Bozan, Bashiqa and Bahzani. The vast majority of the Yazidi population (including clergy) are from these regions although there are some scattered Yazidi communities outside of these areas.

For centuries, the Yazidi have preserved their customs and traditions in this region, this territory. This preservation of the past was cruelly undermined to the west of the Tigris in the Sinjar region by the devastating ISIS offensive in August 2014. The extent of the destruction and severity of the genocidal crimes committed severely weakened the Yazidi communities in the Sinjar mountains who previously formed the core of the Iraqi Yazidi population.

It is in this region, either side of the Tigris, that the Yazidi were able to preserve and develop the characteristic architectural features of their religious buildings which are the main places of worship for the Yazidi faithful.

These buildings are mostly dedicated to the first disciples of the 12^th century Yazidi reformer, Sheikh ‘Adî, members of the Chamsani families and families such as Hasan Maman, Memê Rech and Cerwan, as well as the community’s first religious leaders, descendants of Sheikh ‘Adî (members of the Adani family) and certain important Sufi mystics who influenced Sheikh ‘Adî’s teachings, namely Abd al-Qadîr al-Jilani, al-Hallaj et Qedib al-Ban (Qadî Bilban).

However, it would be wrong to conclude that Yazidism is a medieval religion. The paucity of the theological and historical sources available is compensated for by the ancient tradition and mythology which are omnipresent and constantly developing. The Yazidi see Noah as one of their most ancient and most illustrious patriarchs. They even claim that he lived in Iraqi Mesopotamia, in Ain Sifni (Shekhan) where he built his ark. The Yazidi historians claim that “the Yazidi religion is very ancient. It goes back to 3,500 years BC.”[1]

The Yazidi have a wide diversity of places of worship and prayer, including cemeteries, mausoleums (mazar) some of which are larger than others (khas / mêr), fire oratories (nîshan), the houses of Sheikh or Pîr, trees, bushes, olive groves, bridges, arches, caves, sacred stones (kevir), springs etc. These monuments, structure and sites dedicated to the Yazidi “saints” constitute a large proportion of the cultural setting of the Yazidi communities and are the tangible, physical manifestation of the Yazidi belief system as a whole.

There is however, one fundamental place which all Yazidi turn to, including the diaspora: the Lalish valley in Iraqi Kurdistan. It is the most sacred place in Yazidism. It is the location of the sanctuary of Sheikh ‘Adî, the great reformer of Yazidism in the 12^th century. This valley, its mausoleums and its environment are the centre of gravity of Yazidi spiritual life.

The Yazidi buildings were built at different times. The lack of inscriptions and historical sources make it difficult to date them accurately. The poor quality of some of the more recent restorations makes this analysis even more complex. Furthermore, there do not seem to be specific architectural styles associated with specific periods of Yazidi history which could help to date these buildings. In addition, the same style, derived from a specific model has been used at several times over the centuries and is still in vogue.

_______

[1] Chamo Kassem, inspector of Yazidi schools, specialist in Yazidi religion and culture, Head of Culture and Media, at the Lalish Cultural and Social Centre in Dohuk-Nohadra.

Yazidism is a religion based on tradition and oral history that is both simple and complex at the same time. Simple, because it is not regulated by a constraining liturgy or dogma. Complex, because there is no fundamental theological document underpinning it such as the Torah, the Gospels or the Koran. The Yazidi have two sacred books: the book of revelation “Kitêb-i Cilvê “, and the black book “Mishefa Reş”.

Yazidism is a strictly community-based religion (national). One is born Yazidi, you cannot become Yazidi. There is no evangelizing, inculturation or proselytizing.  That said, Yazidism is not sectarian. Quite the opposite, altruism is considered to be a cardinal virtue, a spiritual and theological foundation. Any researchers interested in studying Yazidism are therefore warmly welcomed by the community and its clergy.[1]

Yazidism is a monotheism. God is singular and unique. He is the creator of the cosmos and of life. In this, Yazidism shares the same belief as the three main monotheist religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  As well as Zoroastrianism.[2]

God is light. He is like the sun which shines on the Earth. That is why the Yazidi systematically face the sun to pray. This is something Yazidism shares with Mesopotamian and Persian Zoroastrianism.

God is good, infinitely good. This is why the Yazidi encourage altruism and always pray firstly for the world and then for themselves.

God is everything and is everywhere. Yazidism is physically and spiritually one with the whole of Creation: cosmic, human, animal, vegetal, and mineral. That is why olive trees whose oil is used for the sacred fire are considered sacred by the Yazidi. Similarly, the angel peacock (tawûsê melek) is the most important of the seven angels (melek) which represent God on earth.

Yazidism believes in the judgement of souls and the last judgement. However, it differs from Christianity in its belief in reincarnation. The dead are buried. Their souls are judged according to the good and evil they have done. Pure souls become beings of light. Impure souls are reincarnated in devalued or bellicose human or animal forms.

_______

[1] “Jean-Paul Roux, who passed away in 2009, former CNRS researcher and head of the Islamic art section of the École du Louvre, considered Yazidism as “a standout religion, an obvious syncretism of popular tradition and reminiscences of the dogma of the major religions’’. La Croix, Claire Lesegretain, 26 April 2010.

[2] Born in Persia, founded by Zarathustra (Zoroaster) in the first millenium Before Christ, Zoroastrianism is monotheist and recognises Ahura Mazdâ as the only God. In this sense Zoroastrianism is fundamentally different from the Mazdaism it is derived from. Mazdaism  is polytheist, considering Ahura Mazdâ as the main, but not the only, God.  This Persian religion spread as far as India in the form of Vedism.

Yazidi worship is not governed by a strict liturgy but constitutes a set of traditional rites and votive practices passed on orally from generation to generation.

The Yazidi generally pray individually, but also gather together as a community at their temples and sanctuaries to listen to qawals, who are both musicians and the gatekeepers and guardians of the Yazidi religion, whose knowledge and practices are passed on from father to son.

The daily prayer, facing the sun, the light of God (Khoda), is not an obligation nor is it required to show you are a “good” Yazidi. However, pious, elderly people pray regularly, up to five times a day.

Kissing sacred places and the hands of saintly figures, offering gifts to consecrated persons, sacrificing animals, knotting and unknotting fabric on wish trees, are all signs of respect and devotion.

Wednesday is the most important day in the week. It is like Sunday for Christians, Saturday for Jews and Friday for Muslims. The main weekly services during which the Yazidi monks light the sacred fire in the mausoleums are held on Wednesdays.

Four major annual festivals are held during the Yazidi religious year. The first is the New Year (ser sal) celebrated on the first Wednesday of the month of April. This festival symbolises the creation of life out of the initial chaos and the coming of tawûsê melek. Eggs, a symbol of the original lifeless earth, are boiled and dyed as part of the celebrations. Some of these eggs are smashed above the doors of houses and mausoleums, mixed in with small red flowers.

Another major annual festival is the Spring festival (towaf), which is held on a date between 12^th– 20^th April. Finally, the pilgrimage to the tomb of Sheikh Adî, in the Lalish sanctuary (djamaiya) takes place on 6^th October.

Mausoleums with a conical, striped dome are emblematic of Yazidi sacred art. Extremely sober in terms of its architecture and decoration, this type of building is built on a cube structure which contains the tomb or cenotaph, covered by a slab with a drum, above which stands a conical dome composed of multiple crests. This vault symbolises the sun’s rays which light up the earth and humanity.

The pinnacle of the dome is systematically fitted with a bronze spire formed of one or more spheres, mounted with a ring, a crescent moon, and a celestial body or hand, around which swathes of coloured fabric are knotted.  The spire represents the cosmos, the planets, the sun and the stars created by God.  The coloured fabrics represented the colours of the rainbow. [1]

The interior of a Yazidi mausoleum is often composed of a separate chamber containing a sarcophagus covered in silk fabrics. There are also often several niches carved into the walls to burn incense and light the sacred fire. These often also contain knotted fabrics placed there by pilgrims making wishes.

The sacred space in any Yazidi mausoleum includes the slab in front and around it. That is why any visitor or pilgrim must remove their shoes.

_______

[1] This interpretation can vary from one community to another.

Located close to Khanke, the mausoleums of Mam Chevan are amongst the most important in the Iraqi Kurdistan province of Dohuk-Nohadra where other Yazidi sanctuaries are found including in Kabartu, Dere Bûn and Shari’a.

In the 1970s, the inhabitants of the seven Yazidi mountain villages situated in the south of the Dohuk province were displaced and gathered together in a newly-created collective village named Shari’a. This displacement and regrouping of the Yazidi population in collective villages also took place in 1985 on the fringes of the military repression carried out in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The close proximity of the Mam Chevan mausoleums to the town of Khanke means the two places are often mixed up, especially given that the 3-kilometre strip that separates them is occupied by the camp for Yazidi displaced from Sinjar.  The Mam Chevan mausoleums are therefore often considered as the sacred Yazidi spaces for the town of Khanke.

The statistical data provided in this file consider Mam Chevan and Khanke as one, single urban space.

Prior to the ISIS offensive in the Sinjar and Nineveh plain in August 2014, there were 23,000 Yazidi in Khanke/Mam Chevan. On 8^th August 2014, the town was evacuated due to fears that it would be taken by the jihadist fighters. The Yazidi then sought refuge in the Dohuk-Nohadra urban area, before returning 10 days later when the danger had passed. Several thousands of Yazidi nonetheless chose to leave the country and head into exile, mainly to Germany. The local Yazidi leaders (in June 2018) claimed there were 15,000 – 20,000 Yazidi in Khanke.[1]

70,000 Yazidi forced to flee from Sinjar in August 2014 also settled in a displaced persons camp on the edge of Khanke, specifically along the road which leads to the Mam Chevan mausoleums. In June 2018, there were still 16,000 Yazidi in this camp and 6,000 outside. [2]

This chaotic situation on the one hand compromises the future of the Yazidi in Iraq, but on the other hand for many of them has reinforced their attachment to their identity and faith.

_______

[1] Data collected by Mesopotamia’s representatives in Khanke/Mam Chevan, on 7th June 2018. This figure is debatable.

[2] Data collected by Mesopotamia’s representatives in Khanke/Mam Chevan, on 7th June 2018

The mausoleums of Mam Chevan are all grouped together in one sacred space. They are situated very close together and surrounded by Yazidi tombs. They have varied, complementary architectural features. Very well maintained, they are visited by large numbers of local Yazidi pilgrims but also, in particular in recent years, by the Yazidi displaced from Sinjar who are living in a camp located below the site and in the town of Khanke. This has increased interest and visitor numbers to this historic heritage site.

Mam Chevan whose name has been given to this sacred space is known as a shepherd in the Yazidi tradition. He is represented in the bas-reliefs here with his crook and sheep.

The mausoleum of Sheikh Abû Bekir: This mausoleum is located in the cemetery in Mam Chevan. It is found to the south-east of the mausoleums of Sheikh Sîn and Sheikh Chams. Yazidi history provides us with accounts of two Sheikhs named Abû Bekir, but we do not know which one this mausoleum is dedicated to. In Lalish, the entrance doors to the mausoleums of Sheikh Nasral-Dîn and Sheikh Chams, dating back to the 14th century are decorated with bas-reliefs showing snakes and lions. These are similar to representations found on the door of the mausoleum of Sheikh Abû Bekir in Mam Chevan. This comparison leads us to believe it dates from the 14^th century. The mausoleum of Sheikh Abû Bekir has a rectangular layout with no roof and is oriented from north to south. In front of the mausoleum is an interior courtyard with a large Eucalyptus tree. The facade of the mausoleum is built from five levels of quarry stones, mounted with a wide strip of rough-hewn stones which appear to have been added recently. There is a kind of antechamber to the north which is also rectangular and is oriented east to west. The western wall contains a niche in the shape of a mihrâb. It has a pointed arch. There is a rectangular door in the middle of the south wall which communicates with the main south section. A vertical snake painted in black, saviour of Noah’s ark and a symbol of wisdom in the Yazidi tradition, can be found on the left side panel of this door. A bas-relief lion and bull face each other on the lintel.

The mausoleum of Sheikh Sin: This mausoleum is found behind that of Sheikh Chams. Sheikh Sîn is another name for Sheikh Fexral-Dîn (also known as Hassan al Adani). He is one of the four sons of Ezdîna Mîr, the brother of Sheikh Chams and one of the seven Yazidi angels. Sheikh Sîn is associated with the angel Nura’il. He is believed to have lived in the 14^th century. The layout of the building is also characteristic of the period. It has a square layout measuring 3 m x 3.10 m, in front of which is a covered courtyard. A rectangular door cut into the facade provides access to the building. An inscription above the entrance door to the mausoleum bears the dates 1193-1246. The mausoleum is mounted with a crenelated conical dome, characteristic of the Yazidi architectural tradition, mounted on a two-level drum, with an octagonal first level and circular second level. The entire building has been renovated in recent years.  There are inscriptions engraved onto the main facade in Yazidi and Arabic.

The mausoleum of Sheikh Mand Twinned with the mausoleum of Sheikh Sîn, the mausoleum of Sheikh Mand is a recent construction. It has the same general architectural features. The side panels to the entrance door are decorated with two bas-reliefs of snakes painted black.

The mausoleum of Sheikh Chams: This mausoleum is in the centre of the Mam Chevan cemetery. According to the inscriptions on the east facade, above the entrance door, it was rebuilt in 1985. There is no information on its original date of construction. The mausoleum has a square layout, measuring 3.5 x 3.5 metres. In front of it was erected a canopy made of reinforced concrete. A lowered door in the wall provides access to the interior of the mausoleum. It contains a sarcophagus in the north wall, oriented from south to north, which is believed to be the tomb of Sheikh Chams. There is a square niche in the west wall and another in the south wall.  Two small raised windows in the north wall and two others in the south wall allow light into the building. The room is topped off which a crenelated conical dome supported by a two-level drum, with one octagonal level and one circular level.

South of the Sheikh Chams mausoleum is a small, cubic headstone less than one metre long, painted white with a golden outline. There is a small niche for lighting the sacred fire. Small pebbles are placed on the slightly curved dome which mark out the passage and prayers of pilgrims.

The mausoleum of Sheikh Babik. Sheikh Babik is a figure in the Yazidi tradition who we believe lived in the 12^th or 13^th century.  A small mausoleum, 3 metres high, dedicated to him is found next to the mausoleum of Sheikh Chams. Built at the start of the 20^th century, it has a resolutely traditional structure. It has a square base with a small niche for lighting the sacred fire. Above it is a drum composed of an octagonal structure, mounted with a circular section on which is built a conical, crenelated dome. The dome is topped off with a spire knotted with coloured fabrics in respect of the Yazidi traditions.