The Yezidi People
Trip Start
Jun 30, 2008
1
13
17
Trip End
Aug 22, 2008
Lalish,
Iraq
Sunday, August 10, 2008
We were taken to meet some people in the village, and there was much interest on both sides. They were taking lots of pictures of us, as well as a few home videos, while we did some of the former. They were particularly taken with Eiguine's three ear piercings (bars). We ate some fruit with them while introductions were made and we explained where we were from. Eventually, the chief priest arrived to show us around the Yezidi temple. The temples are capped with star-shaped pyramid structures. Inside the temple complex are a 365 wicks which are all lit every morning before sunrise. They use olive oil as the candle fuel, and consequently have huge barrels of the liquid stored in the temple.
The Yesidi Religion
This information is, I think, mostly accurate. It comes from the chief priest, through the journalist, Montana and Eugene (when we met people who spoke Arabic).
The Yezidies are dualists, believing in two gods, a god of creation and a material god, who controls the earth. The latter god is a peacock, who, with seven angels, controls earth. There is a little controversy over whether or not the Yezidies are devil worshipers. This idea became popular, especially amongst Muslims, because the story concerning how the peacock's role in the universe came to be so closely mirrors the Koran's telling of how Shaetan (Satan) became the devil (he was the Jinn who refused to bow down to Adam, as God commanded, and was therefore cast out.)
The Temple
The doorway to the Yezidi temple is decorated on the right side with a black snake, which represents the cosmos and, as such, is believed to hold the earth. It is a constrictor snake, not poisonous, so it makes sense that it holds the earth by rapping around it. The snake is revered in the area, and, consequently, they do not kill it.
There are peacock decorations above the temple doorway and in other places in the village. There was some ambiguity as to the status of the peacock in Yezidism. It may have been previously worshiped as the sun god or in some way equated with the sun, but now the two are considered separate entities.
When entering the temple, or going through any doorway inside the temple, one steps over the raised stone threshold. This style of entrance is similar to that seen in some of the old orthodox churches and monasteries, where the doorway is made intentionally short such that one has to bow in order to enter the holy space. By making people step over the raised threshold the same effect is realized. When Yezidies enter the temple they either bend down and kiss the stone sides or kneel and kiss the threshold (or kiss their hand and press it to the door frame.)
Once inside the temple, the first room contains many columns, around which are tied swaths of brightly colored cloth of a hundred different hues and shades. People tie knots in fabric in order to make a prayer/wish. In this room is a well under which runs a natural stream. In addition, there are a set of stairs down to an underground area around the stream, but it is just for women to pray in, so we weren't allowed in.
We proceeded from this room into a main temple room on which the star/pyramid shaped dome sits. No clear explanation was given as to the use of this room. From there, we were led into a series of rooms carved out of the ground, the first of which contained approximately 40 oil drums and a similar number of ancient clay urns full of olive oil for the wicks around and inside the temple. From this room we moved into a final room in which there is a tomb of a man who may or may not be the founder of the religion. On this point things were unclear, and the darkness did not help facilitate communication.
Upon exiting the temple the journalist interviewed us, asking about our professions, what we knew about the Yezidi people before we came and what we'd tell people when we got back to the US. At this point it was time to leave. We headed back to the Army base, had dinner with Kevin, which he insisted on covering, before heading back over the border, arriving in Diyarbakir at around 3 am.
