The Ezidis: children of the sun living in Anatolia
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 26, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - In Turkey there are only 400 members remaining of the Ezidis, one of the oldest communities in Anatolia. The largest Ezidi populations in the world are in Armenia and Germany, according to a research by a master student
Misunderstood for centuries, one of the oldest minority communities in Anatolia has lived in silence in Turkey, keeping their traditions alive through oral history and a religious caste system.
For centuries, many have claimed the Ezidis were Satanists, but Ezidis are a religious community with hundreds of years of oral history. They are monotheistic, have no place of worship and their holy scripture has been lost.
They have derogatorily been called "Yezidis," in reference to the belief that they descended from the Emevi emperor Yezid bin Muaviye, who killed the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson.
The name Yezidi was used to insult the group, forcing the Ezidis to hide their identity. They took shelter in Anatolia and have continued to exist in hiding for centuries. Unlike the assumption, they have never been Satanists. They stand facing the sun and have prayed to God for centuries.
Holy books
The "Kitab el Cilve" (Apocalyptic Book) and "Mishef-i Reş" (Black Book), the holy books of the Ezidis, were burned during attacks from Turkmenistan’s Bedrettin Lulu in Lales, their holy place in Iraq, in the 13th and 14th centuries. These holy books have been orally transferred from one generation to another for centuries.
Five years ago, Istanbul Bilgi University Department of History master’s student Amed Gökçen began research into the community, hoping to remove the prejudices against the Ezidis and reveal their centuries-old culture. As a result of research in the southeastern Anatolian cities of Mardin, Batman, Diyarbakır and Şanlıurfa, Gökçen learned that the Ezidis population was only 400 in Turkey. He said the most important factor that enabled this community to survive against all odds is a caste system, similar to the one in India, which creates religious cooperation.
He pursued the migration routes of the Ezidis and extended his research from Syria to Iraq and from Armenia to Germany. He discovered that the largest Ezidi population was in Armenia and Germany. He wrote about their traditions, religious beliefs and legends, and collected 26 hymns and 21 folk songs.
Gökçen’s research was put up for sale last week by Kalan Music in a detailed book in the Ezidis’s Kirman language (a branch of Kurdish), English and Turkish, and on two CDs. "The Ezidis are a community that assimilate themselves," said Gökçen. "They hesitate to reveal their identity. They generally try to integrate into the societies where they live and try to get lost among them."
Difference between the German and Armenian Ezidis
Gökçen said he faced many difficulties during his research and that it was not possible to gather information about the community without the reference of a community member.
Speaking about his impressions during his research in Armenia and Germany, Gökçen said: "The Ezidis are being assimilated in Armenia. The Ezidis define themselves as a branch of Kurds everywhere else in the world but in Armenia they call themselves only Ezidikis."
Gökçen said the Ezidis of Germany live in very comfortable conditions. "In order to take advantage of special rights the German government grants to the minorities, those who are not Ezidis and who even called them Yezidis have introduced themselves as Ezidis," he said. There are 50,000 Ezidis living in Armenia and 300,000 in Germany, according to Gökçen.
The Collected Ezidi Mythology
The Ezidis date their bloodline back to Seyid Bin Cer, the first son of Adam and Eve. According to a legend, after God created Adam and Eve, he put their souls in jars to see which one was fertile. When he opened the jars 40 days later, Seyid Bin Cer was in Adam’s jar and all of nature’s insects and birds were in Eve’s. Since Seyid Bin Cer could keep the bloodline of humanity alive, God sent him a beautiful virgin, or Houri, from heaven. There is the concept of "clean blood" in the Ezidis because they consider themselves from the bloodline of Seyid Bin Cer and a houri from heaven. Therefore, Ezidis only marry other Ezidis.
For centuries, many have claimed the Ezidis were Satanists, but Ezidis are a religious community with hundreds of years of oral history. They are monotheistic, have no place of worship and their holy scripture has been lost.
They have derogatorily been called "Yezidis," in reference to the belief that they descended from the Emevi emperor Yezid bin Muaviye, who killed the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson.
The name Yezidi was used to insult the group, forcing the Ezidis to hide their identity. They took shelter in Anatolia and have continued to exist in hiding for centuries. Unlike the assumption, they have never been Satanists. They stand facing the sun and have prayed to God for centuries.
Holy books
The "Kitab el Cilve" (Apocalyptic Book) and "Mishef-i Reş" (Black Book), the holy books of the Ezidis, were burned during attacks from Turkmenistan’s Bedrettin Lulu in Lales, their holy place in Iraq, in the 13th and 14th centuries. These holy books have been orally transferred from one generation to another for centuries.
Five years ago, Istanbul Bilgi University Department of History master’s student Amed Gökçen began research into the community, hoping to remove the prejudices against the Ezidis and reveal their centuries-old culture. As a result of research in the southeastern Anatolian cities of Mardin, Batman, Diyarbakır and Şanlıurfa, Gökçen learned that the Ezidis population was only 400 in Turkey. He said the most important factor that enabled this community to survive against all odds is a caste system, similar to the one in India, which creates religious cooperation.
He pursued the migration routes of the Ezidis and extended his research from Syria to Iraq and from Armenia to Germany. He discovered that the largest Ezidi population was in Armenia and Germany. He wrote about their traditions, religious beliefs and legends, and collected 26 hymns and 21 folk songs.
Gökçen’s research was put up for sale last week by Kalan Music in a detailed book in the Ezidis’s Kirman language (a branch of Kurdish), English and Turkish, and on two CDs. "The Ezidis are a community that assimilate themselves," said Gökçen. "They hesitate to reveal their identity. They generally try to integrate into the societies where they live and try to get lost among them."
Difference between the German and Armenian Ezidis
Gökçen said he faced many difficulties during his research and that it was not possible to gather information about the community without the reference of a community member.
Speaking about his impressions during his research in Armenia and Germany, Gökçen said: "The Ezidis are being assimilated in Armenia. The Ezidis define themselves as a branch of Kurds everywhere else in the world but in Armenia they call themselves only Ezidikis."
Gökçen said the Ezidis of Germany live in very comfortable conditions. "In order to take advantage of special rights the German government grants to the minorities, those who are not Ezidis and who even called them Yezidis have introduced themselves as Ezidis," he said. There are 50,000 Ezidis living in Armenia and 300,000 in Germany, according to Gökçen.
The Collected Ezidi Mythology
The Ezidis date their bloodline back to Seyid Bin Cer, the first son of Adam and Eve. According to a legend, after God created Adam and Eve, he put their souls in jars to see which one was fertile. When he opened the jars 40 days later, Seyid Bin Cer was in Adam’s jar and all of nature’s insects and birds were in Eve’s. Since Seyid Bin Cer could keep the bloodline of humanity alive, God sent him a beautiful virgin, or Houri, from heaven. There is the concept of "clean blood" in the Ezidis because they consider themselves from the bloodline of Seyid Bin Cer and a houri from heaven. Therefore, Ezidis only marry other Ezidis.