,transcriber's ,notes ,obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected4 ,variations in hyphenation have been standardised but all other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged4 ,the precise location of footnote #cg is speculative since it is not indicated in the original4 ,al-,bertuni is only mentioned once in the book1 with an anchor to a footnote which is not present4 ,the anchor has not been included4 ,the first footnote to chapter ,,vii has no anchor1 nor any mention of the apparent topic within the chapter so it has not been indexed4 ,italics are represented thus italic1 and superscripts thus ye4 ,,world ,,worships ,,series ,,history ,,of ,,christianity1 in #d ,volumes4 ,by ,andrew ,stephenson ,,sex ,,worship ,,and ,,symbolism ,,of ,,primitive ,,races4 ,by ,sanger ,brown1 ,,ii4 ,,devil ,,worship1 ,,the ,,sacred ,,books ,,and ,,traditions ,,of ,,the ,,yezidiz4 ,by ,isya ,joseph4 ,,zoroastrianism ,,and ,,judaism4 ,by ,george ,william ,carter4 ,,messiahs3 ,,christian ,,and ,,pagan4 ,by ,wilson ,d4 ,wallis4 ,,the ,,deeper ,,aspects ,,of ,,roman ,,emperor-,,worship4 ,by ,louis ,matthews ,sweet4 ,,richard ,g4 ,,badger1 ,,publisher1 ,,boston ,illustration3 ,,the ,,symbol ,,of ,,the ,,devil4 ,,devil ,,worship ,,the ,,sacred ,,books ,,and ,,traditions ,,of ,,the ,,yezidiz ,,by ,,isya ,,joseph1 ,b4,a41 ,m4,a41 ,,ph4,d4 ,illustration ,,boston ,,richard ,g4 ,,badger ,,the ,,gorham ,,press ,copyright1 #aiai1 by ,richard ,g4 ,badger ,all rights reserved ,the ,gorham ,press1 ,boston1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,made in the ,united ,states of ,america4 ,,to ,,my ,,teachers ,,in ,,union ,,theological ,,seminary1 ,,columbia1 ,,and ,,harvard ,,universities1 ,,this ,,book ,,is ,,inscribed ,,with ,,gratitude ,,and ,,esteem ,,contents ,chapter ,page ,,introduction--,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,manuscript #aa ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,introduction #bb ,,part ,i4 ,,the ,,translation ,,of ,,the ,,arabic ,,text ,,preface1 ,,in ,,the ,,name ,,of ,,the ,,most ,,compassionate ,,god #bi ,i4 ,,al-,,jilwah--,,the ,,revelation #cj ,,ii4 ,,mashaf ,,res--,,the ,,black ,,book #cf ,,iii4 ,,appendix ,,to ,,part ,i4 #ec ,,iv4 ,,the ,,poem ,,in ,,praise ,,of ,,ei #8,,adi #gj ,v4 ,,the ,,principal ,,prayer ,,of ,,the ,,yezidis #gc ,,vi4 ,,seven ,,classes ,,of ,,yezidis #ge ,,vii4 ,,the ,,articles ,,of ,,faith #gg ,,notes ,,on ,,part ,i4 #hc ,,part ,,ii4 ,,the ,,critical ,,discussion ,,of ,,yezidism ,i4 ,,the ,,religious ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,yezidis #hi ,i4 ,the ,yezidi ,myth #hi ,,ii4 ,the ,christian ,tradition #if ,,iii4 ,the ,speculative ,theories of ,western ,orientalists #ajc ,,iv4 ,the ,dogmatic ,view of ,mohammedan ,scholars and the ,writer's ,own ,explanation #aah ,notes on ,part ,i4 #ach ,,ii4 ,,the ,,essential ,,elements ,,in ,,yezidism #ade ,i4 ,the ,yezidi ,view of ,god #ade ,,ii4 ,the ,deity of the ,second ,degree #adg #a4 ,melek s #adg #b4 ei #8,ad #aeh #c4 ,yezid #aff ,notes on ,chapter ,,ii4 #afg ,,iii4 ,,other ,,deities ,,and ,,festivals #afi ,i4 ,the ,so-,called ,seven ,divinities #afi ,,ii4 ,the ,day of ,sarsal or ,new ,year #agd ,notes on ,chapter ,,iii4 #agg ,,iv4 ,,sacraments1 ,,religious ,,observances ,,and ,,sacerdotal ,,system #agh ,i4 ,sacraments #agh ,,ii4 ,some ,other ,religious ,practices #ahj ,,iii4 ,the ,sacerdotal ,orders #ahb ,notes on ,chapter ,,iv4 #ahe ,v4 ,,their ,,customs #ahf ,i4 ,marriage #ahf ,,ii4 ,funerals #aib ,,iii4 ,nationality #aid ,,iv4 ,locality #aie ,v4 ,dwellings #aig ,,vi4 ,the ,language #aih ,,vii4 ,occupation #aih ,notes on ,chapter ,v4 #bjj ,,vi4 ,,list ,,of ,,the ,,yezidi ,,tribes #bja ,the ,tribes ,across the ,river from ,mosul #bja ,the ,tribes at ,sinjar and ,jezireh #bjb ,the ,tribes of ,midyat ,region #bjc ,,vii4 ,,persecution #bje ,notes on ,chapter ,,vii4 #baj ,,bibliography #bac ,,index #bai ,,devil ,,worship ,,introduction ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,manuscript ,the ,arabic manuscript here translated was presented to me before ,i left ,mosul by my friend ,dud a- as a memento of our friendship4 awja a- was a man of culture1 in sympathy with western thought1 and an intimate acquaintance of ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 the vice-consul of the ,french ,republic in ,mosul4 ,from the first page of the manuscript it appears that through some ,yezidis he had access to their literature4 ,i know he was in close touch with many of them1 especially with the family of ,mulla aidar1 which is the only ,yezidi family that can read and guard the sacred tradition of the sect4 ,the manuscript comprises a brief ,introduction1 the ,sacred ,books1 and an ,appendix4 ,in the first1 the compiler indicates the sources of his information and gives a sketch of the life of ei #8,ad1 the chief saint of the ,yezidis4 ,the ,sacred ,books comprise ,kitb al-,jilwah 7,book of ,revelation71 and ,maaf ,r 7,black ,book7--so named because in it mention is made of the descent of the ,lord upon the ,black ,mountain 7p4 #cb74 ,al ,jilwah#a is ascribed to ei #8,ad himself1 and would accordingly date from the twelfth century ,a4 ,d4 ,it is divided into a brief introduction and five short chapters4 ,in each1 #8,ad is represented as the speaker4 ,in the ,preface the ei says that he existed with ,melek ,ts before the creation of the world1 and that he was sent by his god ,ts to instruct the ,yezidi sect in truth4 ,in the first chapter he asserts his omnipresence and omnipotence2 in the second he claims to have power to reward those who obey him and to punish those who disobey him2 in the third he declares that he possesses the treasures of the earth2 in the fourth he warns his followers of the doctrines of those that are without2 and in the fifth he bids them keep his commandments and obey his servants1 who will communicate to them his teachings4 ,the ,black ,book1#b which perhaps dates from the thirteenth century1 is larger than the ,book of ,revelation1 but is not divided into chapters4 ,it begins with the narrative of creation3 ,god finishes his work in seven days--,sunday to ,saturday4 ,in each day he creates an angel or king 7melek74 ,melek s1 who is created on ,sunday1 is made chief of all4 ,after that ,fahr-ad ,dn creates the planets1 man1 and animals4 ,then follows a story about ,adam and ,eve1 their temptation and quarrel2 the coming of the chief angels to the world to establish the ,yezidi kingdom2 the flood2 the miraculous birth of ,yezd bn ,mu#8awiya2 and certain ordinances in regard to food1 the ,new ,year1 and marriages4 ,the ,appendix contains the following3 #a4 ,a collection of materials concerning the ,yezidi belief and practice4 #b4 ,a poem in praise of ei #8,ad4 #c4 ,the principal prayer of the ,yezidis1 in the ,kurdish language4 #d4 ,a description of the ,yezidi sacerdotal system4 #e4 ,a petition to the ,ottoman government to exempt the sect from military service1 presented in the year #ahgb ,a4 ,d4 ,an analysis of the texts shows that the material is taken from different sources3 part of it is clearly derived from the religious books of the sect2 another part from a description of the beliefs and customs of the sect given by a member of it to an outsider2 a third1 partly from observations by an outsider1 partly from stories about ,yezidis current among their ,christian neighbors4 ,unfortunately the compiler does not specify whence each particular part of his information is obtained4 ,on closer examination it is evident that part1 at least1 of the ,arabic in hand is a translation from ,syriac4 ,the ,yezidis1 frequently called 8,devil-,worshippers10 are a small and obscure religious sect1 numbering about #bjj1jjj4c ,they are scattered over a belt of territory three hundred miles wide1 extending in length from the neighborhood of ,aleppo in northern ,syria to the ,caucasus in southern ,russia4 ,the mass of them1 however1 are to be found in the mountains of northern and central ,kurdistan and among the ,sinjar ,hills of ,northern ,mesopotamia4 ,by reason of their mysterious religion1 the ,devil-,worshipers have been an object of interest and investigation for several generations4 ,our chief firsthand sources of information in regard to the manners1 customs1 and practices of these people are3 ,sir ,henry ,layard1 ,nineveh and its ,remains 7#ahdi71 ,nineveh and ,babylon 7#ahec72 ,g4 ,p4 ,badger1 ,the ,nestorians and their ,rituals 7#aheb72 my honored teacher1 ,rev4 ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus1 veteran missionary of the ,a4 ,b4 ,c4 ,f4,m41 resident in ,mardin1 ,mesopotamia1 8,the ,yezidis10 in the ,encyclopaedia of ,missions2 ,p4 ,anastase1 8,the ,yezidis10 in the ,arabic periodical1 ,al-,marik1 ,vol4 ,,ii 7#ahii72 ,professor ,a4 ,v4 ,williams ,jackson1 of ,columbia ,university1 ,persia ,past and ,present 7#aijf72 8,the ,yezidis10 in the ,international ,encyclopaedia1 s4 v42 also in ,j ,a ,o ,s1 ,,xxv1 #agh2 ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 in the ,journal ,asiatique1 #ahhb 7viie srie1 ,t4 #bj71 p4 #beb1 and #ahhe 7viiie srie1 ,t4 #e71 p4 #gh4 ,siouffi was the first to discover and establish the historical character of ei #8,ad1 about whom the scholars had been puzzled4 ,he published an extract relating to #8,ad from ,ibn allikn's ,wafaiyt #8al-,ayn 7bibliographical work74 ,of the second-hand sources of information may be mentioned ,les ,yezidis1 by ,j4 ,menant 7,paris1 #ahib71 and the article by ,victor ,dingelstedt1 8,the ,yezidis10 in the ,scottish ,geographical ,magazine1 ,vol4 ,,xiv1 pp4 #bei ff4#d ,in addition to these descriptions1 several manuscripts have come to light of recent years which give a great deal of information about the beliefs and customs of the ,yezidis4 ,two of these manuscripts are in the ,bibliothque ,nationale1 in ,paris 7,fond ,syriaque1 ,nos4 #cjf and #cbe74 ,a translation of the ,arabic 7,carshuni7 texts in these manuscripts relative to the ,yezidis was published by ,professor ,e4 ,h4 ,browne in an appendix to ,o4 ,h4 ,parry1 ,six ,months in a ,syrian ,monastery1 #ahie4 ,professor ,browne at that time proposed to edit the ,arabic text 7see ,j4-,b4 ,chabot1 ,journal ,asiatique1 #ahif1 ixe srie1 ,t4 #g1 p4 #ajj72 but so far as ,i can ascertain this intention has not been carried out4 ,the manuscript translated by ,browne1 which according to ,parry 7loc4 cit41 p4 #ceg7 was written by a native of ,mosul1 seems to be closely related to that translated below4 ,there are1 however1 some differences in contents and arrangement3 my copy is divided into the ,book of ,revelation1 the ,black ,book1 and an ,appendix2 while ,browne's embraces the ,book of ,revelation which corresponds to that in my manuscript71 and two other 8,accounts10 the greater part of which is contained in the ,black ,book of my text1 and the rest in the ,appendix4 ,further1 in my manuscript ,al-,jilwah immediately follows the ,introduction2 while in ,browne's the discussion of the sacerdotal system1 the petition to the ,ottoman government1 and some other matters1 are inserted between the ,introduction and ,al-,jilwah4 ,in ,browne's1 moreover1 the ,poem in ,praise of ei #8,ad1 and the ,principal ,prayer 7in ,kurdish7 are absent1 while the petition to the ,turkish government is briefer1 and lacks articles iv and xiv4 ,the text of this petition1 in its original form1 was published by ,lidzbarski in ,z ,d ,m ,g1 ,,li1 #eib ff41 after a manuscript in ,berlin which was procured from ammas ,eremia amir4 ,two ,syriac texts have also been printed4 ,the first1 edited and translated by ,j4-,b4 ,chabot in the ,journal ,asiatique1 #ahif 7ixe srie1 ,t4 #g71 p4 #ajj ff41 from the ,paris manuscripts referred to above1 corresponds1 with slight variations1 to the second 8,account10 of ,browne 7,parry1 loc4 cit41 pp4 #chj-hg74 ,the second was published with an ,italian translation1 by ,samuel ,giamil1 under the title1 ,monte ,singar2 ,storia di un ,popolo ,ignoto 7,rome1 #aijj71 from a manuscript copied for him in #ahii from an original in the monastery of ,rabban ,hormizd4 ,the author of this work1 a ,syrian priest1 ,isaac1 lived for a long time among the ,yezidis1 and not only had unusual opportunities of observation1 but1 as is evident from several anecdotes1 possessed their confidence and esteem in a singular degree4 ,his work is in catechetical form3 a youthful ,yezidi inquirer questions a teacher about the beliefs1 traditions1 and customs of his people1 and the answers contain the fullest exposition of these matters we at present possess4 ,occasionally the author falls out of his role1 and lets it appear that the questioner is no other than ,priest ,isaac himself4 ,the work is divided into ten sections1 which treat respectively of the works of ,god and his abode 7p4 #c72 the creation of ,adam and ,eve 7p4 #h72 the wonderful deeds of the god ,yezd 7p4 #af72 the ,yezidi saints 7p4 #bg72 the ,new-,year 7p4 #cb72 marriage customs 7p4 #df72 death and burial 7p4 #ec72 the pilgrimage to ei #8,ad's shrine 7p4 #fg72 the festivals and assemblies at ei #8,ad 7p4 #hj72 and the ,yezidi kings 7p4 #hg74 ,apart from the ,kitb al-,jilwah1 ,priest ,isaac's work is clearly the source from which is derived most of the material in the ,syriac and ,arabic manuscripts that have hitherto come to light4 ,beside the ,arabic manuscript from ,dud a- which is translated below1 ,i have in my possession two others1 which were sent me by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus4 ,the first of these written by ammas ,eremia amir 7designated in the notes hereafter as ,,ss71 seems to be a duplicate of that from which ,browne's translation was made4 ,they agree in contents and arrangement1 and in certain readings in which they differ from the other texts4 ,at the close of ,,ss the writer says that he compiled it 7chiefly from ,al-,jilwah7 for the benefit of some of his friends who wished to acquaint themselves with the ,yezidi religion4 ,the origin of the ,yezidi sect has been the subject of much discussion1 but no satisfactory solution of the problem has as yet been reached4 ,there are those who assert that the ,yezidis are the remains of the ancient ,manichaeans2#e others entertain the view that the ,yezidis were originally ,christians1 whom progressive ignorance has brought into their present condition#f--some even going so far as to connect the name 8,yezidi0 with 8,jesus06#g ,some think that the ,yezidi sect takes its name from the ,persian word yazd1 #8god1 or good spirit1' over against ,ahriman1 the evil principle2#h while others associate it with ,yazd or ,yezid1 a town in central ,persia1 the inhabitants of which are chiefly ,parsees4#i ,some finally maintain that the sect was founded by ei #8,ad4#aj ,the ,yezidis themselves had a curious legend connecting the name with the ,caliph ,yezd bn ,mu#8wiya#aa 7see p4 #cg74 ,in a dissertation presented for the degree of ,doctor of ,philosophy in ,harvard ,university ,i called attention to a statement of a-ahrastn the importance of which seems hitherto not to have been appreciated1 but which appears to me to give the most probable explanation of the name and of the original affinities of the sect4 ,the passage is as follows 7,kitb al ,milal wan-,nihal1 ed4 ,cureton1 ,i1 #aja73 ,the ,yezidis are the followers of ,yezd bn ,unaisa1 who kept friendship with the first ,muhakkama1 before the ,azaria2 he separated himself from those who followed after them with the exception of the ,abadiyah1#ab for with these he kept friendly4 ,he believed that ,god would send an apostle from among the ,persians1 and would reveal to him a book that is already written in heaven1 and would reveal the whole 7book7 to him at one time1#ac and as a result he would leave the religion of ,mohammed1 the ,chosen ,one--may ,god bless and save him6--and follow the religion of the ,sabians mentioned in the ,koran4#ad 7,these are not the ,sabians who are found in arn and ,wasit4#ae7 ,but ,yezd associated himself with the people of the ,book who recognized the ,chosen ,one as a prophet1 even though they did not accept his 7,mohammed's7 religion4 ,and he said that the followers of the ordinances are among those who agree with him2 but that others are hiding the truth and give companions to ,god1 and that every sin1 small or great1 is idolatry4#af ,the statement of ,a-ahrastn is so clear that it can bear no other interpretation than that the ,yezidis were the followers of ,yezd bn ,unaisa4 ,he calls them his ab1 that is1 his followers1 a term by which he designates the relation between a sect and its founder4#ag ,the statement comes from the pen of one who is considered of the highest authority among the ,arab scholars on questions relating to philosophical and religious sects4#ah ,this precise definition of the position of ,yezd bn ,unaisa in the sectarian conflicts of the first century of ,islam seems to show that he had exact information about him4 ,the prediction about the ,persian prophet is quoted1 almost in the same words1 by another great ,mohammedan authority on religious sects1 ,ibn azm1 who lived a century before ,a-ahrastn4 7,the ,egyptian edition of ,ibn azm1 ,vol4 ,,iv1 p4 #ahh1 reads ,zaid bn ,abi ,ubaisa2 but that ,unaisa should be restored is evident from the fact that ,ibn azm is at pains to distinguish the author of this unorthodox prediction from the well-known traditionist of the name--e4 g41 ,tabari1 ,i1 #ace4ai ,the prophecy was perhaps preserved among the leaders of the ,abaiya1 with which sect ,yezd bn ,unaisa is associated4 ,a-ahrastn's statement1 the significant part of which we have found also in ,ibn azm was doubtless derived from an older written source4 ,who is intended by the coming ,persian prophet--if1 indeed1 any particular individual is meant--it is not possible to determine4 ,kremer#bj cannot be right in identifying him with ei #8,ad1 for the supposed prediction was in circulation a century or more before his time4 ,he is said to have been1 not a ,persian1 but a ,syrian from ,baalbek or elsewhere in the ,west2 and both in ,arabic authors#ba and in his own writings#bb he appears as a ,moslem1 a ,sufi saint in good standing4 ,the ,yezidis to this day await the appearance of the ,persian prophet4#bc ,on the basis of these scanty bits of fact1 it appears that3 ,the ,yezidis were originally a arijite#bd sub-sect1 akin to the ,abadiya1 bearing the name of their founder1 ,yezd bn ,unaisa4 ,certain distinctive arijite peculiarities seem indeed to have outlived among them the common faith of ,islam2 such as the tolerant judgment of ,jews and ,christians2 the condemnation of every sin as implicit idolatry4 ,in their new seats in ,kurdistan1 whither they migrated about the end of the fourteenth century#be they were drawn into the movement of which ei #8,ad was in his life time the leader and after his death the saint1 and ended by making of him the incarnation of ,god in the present age4#bf ,with this they joined elements drawn from ,christianity1#bg with here and there a trace of ,judaism1 and with large survivals of the persistent old ,semitic heathenism1 many of which they share with their neighbors of all creeds4 ,difficult problems1#bh however1 remain unsolved1 especially the origin and nature of the worship of ,melek s4#bi ,the certain thing is that the actual religion of the ,yezidis is a syncretism1 to which ,moslem1 ,christian 7heretical1 rather than orthodox71 pagan1 and perhaps also ,persian religions have contributed4#cj ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,introduction #a ,al-,jilwah is said to have been written in #eeh ,a4 ,h41 by ei ,far-ad-,dn1 the secretary of ei #8,ad1 at the dictation of the latter4 ,the original copy1 wrapped in linen and silk wrappings1 is kept in the house of ,mulla aidar1 of ,baadrie4 ,twice a year the book is taken to ei #8,ad's shrine4 7,letter from ammas ,jeremia amir to ,mr4 ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus1 of ,mardin1 dated ,october #bh1 #ahib47 #b ,the ,black ,book is said to have been written by a certain asan al-,bar1 in #gdc ,a4 ,h4 ,the original copy is kept in the house of ,kehyah 7chief7 #8,ali1 of ,kasr #8,az-ad-,dn1 one hour west of ,semale1 a village east of ,tigris4 ,the book rests upon a throne1 having over it a thin covering of red broadcloth1 of linen1 and other wrappings4 ,then is disclosed the binding1 which is of wood4 #c ,the exact number of the ,yezidis is unknown4 ,see also ,socit de ,gographie de l',est1 ,bulletin1 #aijc1 p4 #bhd2 ,al ,mari1 ,,ii1 #hcd4 #d ,for a fuller account of the literature on the ,yezidis1 consult ,j4 ,menant1 ,les ,yzidis1 and ,paul ,perdrizet1 ,socit de ,gographie de l',est1 ,bulletin1 #aijc1 pp4 #bha ff4 #e ,socit de ,gographie de l',est1 ,bulletin1 #aijc1 p4 #big4 #f ,fraser1 ,mesopotamia and ,persia1 pp4 #bhe1 #bhg2 ,rich1 ,residence in ,kurdistan1 ,,ii1 #fi2 ,al ,mari1 ,,ii1 #cif2 ,badger1 ,the ,nestorians and their ,rituals1 ,i1 #aaa2 ,assemani1 ,bibliotheca ,orientalis1 ,,iii1 #dci4 #g ,michel ,febvre1 ,theatre de la ,turquie1 p4 #cfd2 ,socit de ,gographie de l#8,est1 ,bulletin1 #aijc1 pp4 #bii1 #cja2 cf4 also ,j4 ,menant1 ,les ,yzidis1 pp4 #eb1 #hf1 #acb4 #h ,oppenheim1 ,vom ,mittelmeer zum persischen ,golf1 #aijj1 ,,ii1 #adh2 ,victor ,dingelstedt1 ,scottish ,geographical ,magazine1 ,,xiv1 #bie2 ,southgate1 ,a ,tour through ,armenia1 ,,ii1 #cag2 ,a4 ,v4 ,williams ,jackson1 8,yezidis10 in the ,new ,international ,encyclopedia1 ,,xvii1 #ici2 ,perdrizet1 loc4 cit41 p4 #bii4 #i ,a4 ,v4 ,williams ,jackson1 ,persia ,past and ,present1 p4 #aj1 ,new ,international ,encyclopedia1 8,yezidis20 ,perdrizet1 loc4 cit4 #aj ,dingelstedt1 loc4 cit42 ,revue de l',orient ,chrtien1 ,i1 8,kurdistan40 #aa ,socit de ,gographie de l',est1 loc4 cit42 ,encyclopedia of ,missions1 8,yezidis02 ,a4 ,v4 ,williams ,jackson1 loc4 cit4 #ab ,on these sects consult ,a-ahrastn1 ,i1 #hf1 #hi1 #ajj4 #ac ,not like ,mohammed1 to whom1 according to ,moslem belief1 the ,koran was revealed at intervals4 #ad ,on the abians of the ,koran1 see ,baiwi and ,zamaari on ,suras #b1 #ei2 #e1 #gc2 #bb1 #ag4 #ae ,on the abians of arrn1 see ,fihrist1 p4 #aij2 on the abians in general consult ,a-ahrastn1 ,,ii1 #bjc2 on the location of arrn and ,wasit1 see ,yat1 ,,ii1 #cca1 and ,,iv1 #hha4 #af ,to get more particular information in regard to ,yezd bn ,unaisa1 ,i wrote to ,mosul1 ,bagdad1 and ,cairo1 the three centers of ,mohammedan learning1 and strange to say1 none could throw any light on the subject4 #ag ,al-,haraiyah he describes as ,ab ,al-are 7,i1 #aja71 al-afaziyah1 ,ab afez 7ibid471 etc4 #ah ,ibn allikn says3 8,a-ahrastn1 a dogmatic theologian of the ,aarite sect1 was distinguished as an ,imm and a doctor of the law4 ,he displayed the highest abilities as a jurisconsult4 ,the ,kitb al-,milal wa-n-,nihal 7this is the book in which ,a-ahrastn traces the ,yezidi sect to ,yezd bn ,unaisa7 is one of his works on scholastic theology4 ,he remained without an equal in that branch of science40 #ai ,it is to be noticed also that the name 8,unaisa0 is very common among the ,arabs2 cf4 ,ibn ,sa#8ad 7ed4 ,sachau71 ,,iii1 #bed1 #bfj1 #bfd1 #bfe1 #bha1 #bhc1 #bhg1 #bhi2 ,musnad1 ,,vi1 #dcd2 ,mishkat1 #bb1 #gbd4 #bj ,geschichte der herrschenden ,ideen des ,islams1 p4 #aie4 #ba ,ibn allikn 7,egyptian edit41 ,a4 ,h4 #acaj71 ,i1 #caf2 ,mohammed al-#8,omari1 al-,mauili1 8ei #8,ad10 quoted by ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 ,journal asiatique1 #ahhe1 #hj2 ,yaut1 ,,iv1 #cgd4 #bb #8,itiad ,ahl as-,sunna1 8,belief of the ,sunnites10 the ,waaya1 8,counsels to the ,califs02 cf4 ,c4 ,huart1 ,history of ,arabic ,literature1 p4 #bgc4 #bc ,see p4 #fa of this book4 #bd ,a-ahrastn regards them a arijte sub-sect4 #be ,layard1 ,nineveh and its ,remains1 ,,ii1 #bed4 #bf ,mohammed al-#8,omari al-,mausili and ,ysn al-tib al-#8,omari al-,mauili1 8ei #8,ad10 quoted by ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 ,journal asiatique1 ,srie viii1 ,v 7#ahhe71 #hj4 #bg ,george ,warda1 ,bishop of ,arbila1 ,poems1 edited by ,heinrich ,hilgenfeld1 ,leipzig1 #aijd4 #bh ,such as their ceremonies at ei #8,ad 7,badger1 ,the ,nestorians1 ,i1 #aag71 which have obtained for them the name ,chera ,sonderan1 8,the ,extinguishers of ,light40 ,bar ,hebraeus 7,chronicon ,eccles41 ed4 ,abeloos-,lamy1 ,i1 #bai7 speaks of similar practices among what he calls 8,borborians10 a branch of the ,manichaeans1 and calls them 8,the ,extinguishers of ,light40 ,this name is applied to other eastern sects also2 see ,abhandlungen fr die ,kunde des ,morgenlandes1 ,v1 #abd4 #bi ,professor ,jackson1 of ,columbia ,university1 seems to trace it to the 8old devil-worship in ,mazandaran0 7,j ,a ,o ,s1 ,,xxv1 #agh74 ,but it is not certain that the ,yezidis believe in ,melek s as an evil spirit4 ,in the history of religion the god of one people is the devil of another4 ,asura is a deity in the ,rig ,veda and an evil spirit only in later ,brahman theology4 ,in ,islam the gods of heathenism are degraded into jinns1 just as the gods of ,north ,semitic heathenism are called e#8rm 7hairy demons7 in ,lev4 #ag3g2 or as the gods of ,greece and ,rome became devils to early ,christians4 ,see ,w4 ,r4 ,smith1 ,religion of the ,semites1 p4 #abj2 ,fihrist1 pp4 #cbb1 #cbf4 ,professor ,m4 ,lidzbarski 7,z ,d ,m ,g1 ,,li1 #eib71 on the other hand1 argues that s is the god ,tammuz4 ,his contention is based on the assumption that the word s must embody the ancient god2 that in ,fihrist1 #cbb1 the god ,tuz has a feast on the #aeth of ,tammuz 7,july72 that in ,kurdish1 the language of the ,yezidis1 m is frequently changed to w4 ,this theory also is untenable1 for one might guess at any ancient god4 ,the exact form of the name 8,tauz0 is uncertain 7see ,chwolsohn1 ,die ,ssabier1 ,,ii1 #bjb72 the statement that in ,kurdish m is frequently changed to w is not true1 if one would set it up as a grammatical rule to explain such phenomena2 the ,kurdish-speaking people never pronounce ,tammuz1 8,tauz20 and1 finally1 in the ,yezidi conception of ,melek s there are no traces of the notion held respecting ,tammuz4 #cj ,such a state of affairs finds a historical parallel in other religions4 ,take1 for example1 ,christianity4 ,in it we find that the distinctive characteristics of the founder have been wrapped up in many foreign elements brought in by those who came from other religions4 ,,part ,i ,,the ,,translation ,,of ,,the ,,arabic ,,text ,,preface ,in the ,name of the ,most ,compassionate ,god6 ,with the help of the ,most ,high ,god1 and under his direction1 we write the history of the ,yezidis1 their doctrines1 and the mysteries of their religion1 as contained in their books1 which reached our hand with their own knowledge and consent4 ,in the time of ,al-,mutadir ,billah1 ,a4 ,h4 #bie1ca there lived ,manr-al-allj1#cb the wool-carder1 and ei #8,abd-al-dir of ,jln4#cc ,at that time1 too1 there appeared a man by the name of ei #8,ad1 from the mountain of ,hakkari1#cd originally from the region of ,aleppo or ,baalbek4 ,he came and dwelt in ,mount ,lali1#ce near the city of ,moul1 about nine hours distant from it4 ,some say he was of the people of arrn1 and related to ,marwn ibn-al-akam4 ,his full name is araf ad-,dn ,ab-l-,fadl1 #8,ad bn ,musfir bn ,ismael bn ,mousa bn ,marwn bn ,al-asan bn ,marwn4 ,he died ,a4 ,h4 #eeh 7,a4 ,d4 #aafb-fc74 ,his tomb is still visited2 it is near ,ba#8adrei1 one of the villages of ,moul1 distant eleven hours4 ,the ,yezidis are the progeny of those who were the murids 7disciples7 of ei #8,ad4 ,some trace their origin to ,yezid1#cf others to asan-,al-,bar4#cg ,,al-,,jilwah 7,,the ,,revelation7 ,before all creation this revelation was with ,melek ,ts1 who sent #8,abd ,ts to this world that he might separate truth known to his particular people4 ,this was done1 first of all1 by means of oral tradition1 and afterward by means of this book1 ,al-,jilwah1 which the outsiders may neither read nor behold4 ,,chapter ,i ,i was1 am now1 and shall have no end4 ,i exercise dominion over all creatures and over the affairs of all who are under the protection of my image4 ,i am ever present to help all who trust in me and call upon me in time of need4 ,there is no place in the universe that knows not my presence4 ,i participate in all the affairs which those who are without call evil because their nature is not such as they approve4 ,every age has its own manager1 who directs affairs according to my decrees4 ,this office is changeable from generation to generation1 that the ruler of this world and his chiefs may discharge the duties of their respective offices every one in his own turn4 ,i allow everyone to follow the dictates of his own nature1 but he that opposes me will regret it sorely4 ,no god has a right to interfere in my affairs1 and ,i have made it an imperative rule that everyone shall refrain from worshiping all gods4 ,all the books of those who are without are altered by them2 and they have declined from them1 although they were written by the prophets and the apostles4 ,that there are interpolations is seen in the fact that each sect endeavors to prove that the others are wrong and to destroy their books4 ,to me truth and falsehood are known4 ,when temptation comes1 ,i give my covenant to him that trusts in me4 ,moreover1 ,i give counsel to the skilled directors1 for ,i have appointed them for periods that are known to me4 ,i remember necessary affairs and execute them in due time4 ,i teach and guide those who follow my instruction4 ,if anyone obey me and conform to my commandments1 he shall have joy1 delight1 and goodness4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,i requite the descendants of ,adam1 and reward them with various rewards that ,i alone know4 ,moreover1 power and dominion over all that is on earth1 both that which is above and that which is beneath1 are in my hand4 ,i do not allow friendly association with other people1 nor do ,i deprive them that are my own and that obey me of anything that is good for them4 ,i place my affairs in the hands of those whom ,i have tried and who are in accord with my desires4 ,i appear in divers manners to those who are faithful and under my command4 ,i give and take away2 ,i enrich and impoverish2 ,i cause both happiness and misery4 ,i do all this in keeping with the characteristics of each epoch4 ,and none has a right to interfere with my management of affairs4 ,those who oppose me ,i afflict with disease2 but my own shall not die like the sons of ,adam that are without4 ,none shall live in this world longer than the time set by me2 and if ,i so desire1 ,i send a person a second or a third time into this world or into some other by the transmigration of souls4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,i lead to the straight path without a revealed book2 ,i direct aright my beloved and my chosen ones by unseen means4 ,all my teachings are easily applicable to all times and all conditions4 ,i punish in another world all who do contrary to my will4 ,now the sons of ,adam do not know the state of things that is to come4 ,for this reason they fall into many errors4 ,the beasts of the earth1 the birds of heaven1 and the fish of the sea are all under the control of my hands4 ,all treasures and hidden things are known to me2 and as ,i desire1 ,i take them from one and bestow them upon another4 ,i reveal my wonders to those who seek them1 and in due time my miracles to those who receive them from me4 ,but those who are without are my adversaries1 hence they oppose me4 ,nor do they know that such a course is against their own interests1 for might1 wealth1 and riches are in my hand1 and ,i bestow them upon every worthy descendant of ,adam4 ,thus the government of the worlds1 the transition of generations1 and the changes of their directors are determined by me from the beginning4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,i will not give my rights to other gods4 ,i have allowed the creation of four substances1 four times1 and four corners2 because they are necessary things for creatures4 ,the books of ,jews1 ,christians1 and ,moslems1 as of those who are without1 accept in a sense1 i4 e41 so far as they agree with1 and conform to1 my statutes4 ,whatsoever is contrary to these they have altered2 do not accept it4 ,three things are against me1 and ,i hate three things4 ,but those who keep my secrets shall receive the fulfilment of my promises4 ,those who suffer for my sake ,i will surely reward in one of the worlds4 ,it is my desire that all my followers shall unite in a bond of unity1 lest those who are without prevail against them4 ,now1 then1 all ye who have followed my commandments and my teachings1 reject all the teachings and sayings of such as are without4 ,i have not taught these teachings1 nor do they proceed from me4 ,do not mention my name nor my attributes1 lest ye regret it2 for ye do not know what those who are without may do4 ,,chapter ,v ,o ye that have believed in me1 honor my symbol and my image1 for they remind you of me4 ,observe my laws and statutes4 ,obey my servants and listen to whatever they may dictate to you of the hidden things4 ,receive that that is dictated1 and do not carry it before those who are without1 ,jews1 ,christians1 ,moslems1 and others2 for they know not the nature of my teaching4 ,do not give them your books1 lest they alter them without your knowledge4 ,learn by heart the greater part of them1 lest they be altered4 ,thus endeth the book of ,al-,jilwah1 which is followed by the book of ,maaf ,re1 i4 e41 the ,black ,book4 ,,mashaf ,,re 7,,the ,,black ,,book7 ,in the beginning ,god created the ,white ,pearl out of his most precious essence4 ,he also created a bird named ,angar4 ,he placed the ,white ,pearl on the back of the bird1 and dwelt on it for forty thousand years4 ,on the first day1 ,sunday1 ,god created ,melek ,anzazl1 and he is s-,melek1 the chief of all4 ,on ,monday he created ,melek ,dardel1 and he is ei asan4 ,tuesday he created ,melek ,israfel1 and he is ei ams 7ad-,dn74 ,wednesday he created ,melek ,miel1 and he is ei ,ab ,bakr4 ,thursday he created ,melek ,azrel1 and he is ,sajad-ad-,dn4 ,friday he created ,melek emnel1 and he is ,nair-ad-,dn4 ,saturday he created ,melek ,nurel1 and he is ,yadin 7,far-ad-,dn74 ,and he made ,melek s ruler over all4#ch ,after this ,god made the form of the seven heavens1 the earth1 the sun1 and the moon4 ,but ,far-ad-,dn created man and the animals1 and birds and beasts4 ,he put them all in pockets of cloth1 and came out of the ,pearl accompanied by the ,angels4 ,then he shouted at the ,pearl with a loud voice4 ,thereupon the ,white ,pearl broke up into four pieces1 and from its midst came out the water which became an ocean4 ,the world was round1 and was not divided4 ,then he created ,gabriel and the image of the bird4 ,he sent ,gabriel to set the four corners4 ,he also made a vessel and descended in it for thirty thousand years4 ,after this he came and dwelt in ,mount ,lali4 ,then he cried out at the world1 and the sea became solidified and the land appeared1 but it began to shake4 ,at this time he commanded ,gabriel to bring two pieces of the ,white ,pearl2 one he placed beneath the earth1 the other stayed at the gate of heaven4 ,he then placed in them the sun and the moon2 and from the scattered pieces of the ,white ,pearl he created the stars which he hung in heaven as ornaments4 ,he also created fruit-bearing trees and plants and mountains for ornaments to the earth4 ,he created the throne over the carpet4#ci ,then the ,great ,god said3 8,o ,angels1 ,i will create ,adam and ,eve2 and from the essence of ,adam shall proceed ehar bn ,jebr1 and of him a separate community shall appear upon the earth1 that of ,azazl1 i4 e41 that of ,melek s1 which is the sect of the ,yezidis4 ,then he sent ei #8,ad bn ,musfir from the land of ,syria1 and he came 7and dwelt in ,mount7 ,lali4 ,then the ,lord came down to the ,black ,mountain4 ,shouting1 he created thirty thousand ,meleks1 and divided them into three divisions4 ,they worshiped him for forty thousand years1 when he delivered them to ,melek s who went up with them to heaven4 ,at this time the ,lord came down to the ,holy ,land 7al-uds71 and commanded ,gabriel to bring earth from the four corners of the world1 earth1 air1 fire1 and water4 ,he created it and put in it the spirit of his own power1 and called it ,adam4 ,then he commanded ,gabriel to escort ,adam into ,paradise1 and to tell him that he could eat from all the trees but not of wheat4#dj ,here ,adam remained for a hundred years4 ,thereupon1 ,melek s asked ,god how ,adam could multiply and have descendants if he were forbidden to eat of the grain4 ,god answered1 8,i have put the whole matter into thy hands40 ,thereupon ,melek s visited ,adam and said 8,have you eaten of the grain80 ,he answered1 8,no1 ,god forbade me40 ,melek s replied and said1 8,eat of the grain and all shall go better with thee40 ,then ,adam ate of the grain and immediately his belly was inflated4 ,but ,melek s drove him out of the garden1 and leaving him1 ascended into heaven4 ,now ,adam was troubled because his belly was inflated1 for he had no outlet4 ,god therefore sent a bird to him which pecked at his anus and made an outlet1 and ,adam was relieved4 ,now ,gabriel was away from ,adam for a hundred years4 ,and ,adam was sad and weeping4 ,then ,god commanded ,gabriel to create ,eve from under the left shoulder of ,adam4 ,now it came to pass1 after the creation of ,eve and of all the animals1 that ,adam and ,eve quarreled over the question whether the human race should be descended from him or her1 for each wished to be the sole begetter of the race4 ,this quarrel originated in their observation of the fact that among animals both the male and the female were factors in the production of their respective species4 ,after a long discussion ,adam and ,eve agreed on this3 each should cast his seed into a jar1 close it1 and seal it with his own seal1 and wait for nine months4 ,when they opened the jars at the completion of this period1 they found in ,adam's jar two children1 male and female4 ,now from these two our sect1 the ,yezidis1 are descended4 ,in ,eve's jar they found naught but rotten worms emitting a foul odor4 ,and ,god caused nipples to grow for ,adam that he might suckle the children that proceeded from his jar4 ,this is the reason why man has nipples4 ,after this ,adam knew ,eve1 and she bore two children1 male and female2 and from these the ,jews1 the ,christians1 the ,moslems1 and other nations and sects are descended4 ,but our first fathers are eth1 ,noah1 and ,enosh1 the righteous ones1 who were descended from ,adam only4 ,it came to pass that trouble arose between a man and his wife1 resulting from the denial on the part of the woman that the man was her husband4 ,the man persisted in his claim that she was his wife4 ,the trouble between the two was settled1 however1 through one of the righteous men of our sect1 who decreed that at every wedding a drum and a pipe should be played as a testimony to the fact that such a man and such a woman were married legally4 ,then ,melek s came down to earth for our sect 7i4 e41 the ,yezidis71 the created ones1 and appointed kings for us1 besides the kings of ancient ,assyria1 ,nisroch1 who is ,nair-ad-,dn2 ,kamush1 who is ,melek ,far-ad-,dn1 and ,artms1 who is ,melek ams-7ad-7,dn4 ,after this we had two kings1 abur 7,sapor7 ,first 7#bbd-bgb ,a4 ,d47 and ,second 7#cji-cgi71 who reigned one hundred and fifty years2 and our amirs down to the present day have been descended from their seed4 ,but we hated four kings4 ,before ,christ came into this world our religion was paganism4 ,king ,ahab was from among us4 ,and the god of ,ahab was called ,beelzebub4 ,nowadays we call him ,pir ,bub4 ,we had a king in ,babylon1 whose name was ,batnaar2 another in ,persia1 whose name was ,aura2 and still another in ,constantinople1 whose name was ,agrilus4 ,the ,jews1 the ,christians1 the ,moslems1 and even the ,persians1 fought us2 but they failed to subdue us1 for in the strength of the ,lord we prevailed against them4 ,he teaches us the first and last science4 ,and one of his teachings is3 ,before heaven and earth existed1 ,god was on the sea1 as we formerly wrote you4 ,he made himself a vessel and traveled in it in kunsiniyat#da of the seas1 thus enjoying himself in himself4 ,he then created the ,white ,pearl and ruled over it for forty years4 ,afterward1 growing angry at the ,pearl1 he kicked it2 and it was a great surprise to see the mountains formed out of its cry2 the hills out of its wonders2 the heavens out of its smoke4 ,then ,god ascended to heaven1 solidified it1 established it without pillars4 ,he then spat upon the ground1 and taking a pen in hand1 began to write a narrative of all the creation4 ,in the beginning he created six gods from himself and from his light1 and their creation was as one lights a light from another light4 ,and ,god said1 8,now ,i have created the heavens2 let some one of you go up and create something therein40 ,thereupon the second god ascended and created the sun2 the third1 the moon2 the fourth1 the vault of heaven2 the fifth1 the far 7i4 e41 the morning star72 the sixth1 paradise2 the seventh1 hell4 ,we have already told you that after this they created ,adam and ,eve4 ,and know that besides the flood of ,noah1 there was another flood in this world4 ,now our sect1 the ,yezidis1 are descended from ,na#8umi1 an honored person1 king of peace4 ,we call him ,melek ,miran4 ,the other sects are descended from ,ham1 who despised his father4 ,the ship rested at a village called #8,ain ,sifni1#db distant from ,mosul about five parasangs4 ,the cause of the first flood was the mockery of those who were without1 ,jews1 ,christians1 ,moslems1 and others descended from ,adam and ,eve4 ,we1 on the other hand1 are descended from ,adam only1 as already indicated4 ,this second flood came upon our sect1 the ,yezidis4 ,as the water rose and the ship floated1 it came above ,mount ,sinjar1#dc where it ran aground and was pierced by a rock4 ,the serpent twisted itself like a cake and stopped the hole4 ,then the ship moved on and rested on ,mount ,judie4 ,now the species of the serpent increased1 and began to bite man and animal4 ,it was finally caught and burned1 and from its ashes fleas were created4 ,from the time of the flood until now are seven thousand years4 ,in every thousand years one of the seven gods descends to establish rules1 statutes1 and laws1 after which he returns to his abode4 ,while below1 he sojourns with us1 for we have every kind of holy places4 ,this last time the god dwelt among us longer than any of the other gods who came before him4 ,he confirmed the saints4 ,he spoke in the ,kurdish language4 ,he also illuminated ,mohammed1 the prophet of the ,ishmaelites1 who had a servant named ,mu#8wiya4 ,when ,god saw that ,mohammed was not upright before him1 he afflicted him with a headache4 ,the prophet then asked his servant to shave his head1 for ,mu#8wiya knew how to shave4 ,he shaved his master in haste1 and with some difficulty4 ,as a result1 he cut his head and made it bleed4 ,fearing that the blood might drop to the ground1 ,mu#8wiya licked it with his tongue4 ,whereupon ,mohammed asked1 8,what are you doing1 ,mu#8wiya80 ,he replied1 8,i licked thy blood with my tongue1 for ,i feared that it might drop to the ground40 ,then ,mohammed said to him1 8,you have sinned1 ,o ,mu#8wiya1 you shall draw a nation after you4 ,you shall oppose my sect40 ,mu#8wiya answered and said1 8,then ,i will not enter the world2 ,i will not marry40 ,it came to pass that after some time ,god sent scorpions upon ,mu#8wiya1 which bit him1 causing his face to break out with poison4 ,physicians urged him to marry lest he die4 ,hearing this1 he consented4 ,they brought him an old woman1 eighty years of age1 in order that no child might be born4 ,mu#8wiya knew his wife1 and in the morning she appeared a woman of twenty-five1 by the power of the great ,god4 ,and she conceived and bore our god ,yezid4 ,but the foreign sects1 ignorant of this fact1 say that our god came from heaven1 dispised and driven out by the great ,god4 ,for this reason they blaspheme him4 ,in this they have erred4 ,but we1 the ,yezidi sect1 believe this not1 for we know that he is one of the above-mentioned seven gods4 ,we know the form of his person and his image4 ,it is the form of a cock which we possess4 ,none of us is allowed to utter his name1 nor anything that resembles it1 such as eitn 7,satan71 aitn 7cord71 ar 7evil71 at 7river71 and the like4 ,nor do we pronounce mal#8n 7accursed71 or la#8anat 7curse71 or na#8al#dd 7horseshoe71 or any word that has a similar sound4 ,all these are forbidden us out of respect for him4 ,so ass 7lettuce7 is debarred4 ,we do not eat it1 for it sounds like the name of our prophetess assiah4 ,fish is prohibited1 in honor of ,jonah the prophet4 ,likewise deer1 for deer are the sheep of one of our prophets4 ,the peacock is forbidden to our ei and his disciples1 for the sake of our s4 ,squash also is debarred4 ,it is forbidden to pass water while standing1 or to dress up while sitting down1 or to go to the toilet room1 or to take a bath according to the custom of the people4#de ,whosoever does contrary to this is an infidel4 ,now the other sects1 ,jews1 ,christians1 ,moslems1 and others1 know not these things1 because they dislike ,melek s4 ,he1 therefore1 does not teach them1 nor does he visit them4 ,but he dwelt among us2 he delivered to us the doctrines1 the rules1 and the traditions1 all of which have become an inheritance1 handed down from father to son4 ,after this1 ,melek s returned to heaven4 ,one of the seven gods made the sanjas#df 7standards7 and gave them to ,solomon the wise4 ,after his death our kings received them4 ,and when our god1 the barbarian ,yezd1 was born1 he received these sanjas with great reverence1 and bestowed them upon our sect4 ,moreover1 he composed two songs in the ,kurdish language to be sung before the sanjaas in this language1 which is the most ancient and acceptable one4 ,the meaning of the song is this3 ,hallelujah to the jealous ,god4 ,as they sing it1 they march before the sanjas with timbrels and pipes4 ,these sanjas remain with our emir1 who sits on the throne of ,yezd4 ,when these are sent away1 the awwls assemble with the emir1 and the great general1 the ei1 who is the representative of ei ,nasir-ad-,dn1 i4 e41 ,nisroch1 god of the ancient ,assyrians4#dg ,they visit the sanjas4 ,then they send each sanja in care of a awwl to its own place2 one to alataneye1 one to ,aleppo1 one to ,russia1 and one to ,sinjar4 ,these sanjas are given to four awwls by contract4 ,before they are sent1 they are brought to ei #8,ad's tomb1 where they are baptized amid great singing and dancing4 ,after this each of the contractors takes a load of dust from ei #8,ad's tomb4 ,he fashions it into small balls1 each about the size of a gall nut1 and carries them along with the sanjas to give them away as blessings4 ,when he approaches a town1 he sends a crier before him to prepare the people to accept the awwl and his sanja with respect and honor4 ,all turn out in fine clothes1 carrying incense4 ,the women shout1 and all together sing joyful songs4 ,the awwl is entertained by the people with whom he stops4 ,the rest give him silver presents1 everyone according to his means4 ,besides these four sanjas1 there are three others1 seven in all4 ,these three are kept in a sacred place for purposes of healing4 ,two of them1 however1 remain with ei #8,ad1 and the third remains in the village of ,baazanie1 which is distant from ,mosul about four hours4 ,every four months these awwls travel about4 ,one of them must travel in the province of the emir4 ,they travel in a fixed order1 differing each year4 ,every time he goes out1 the traveler must cleanse himself with water made sour with summa 7sumac7 and anoint himself with an oil4 ,he must also light a lamp at each idol that has a chamber4 ,this is the law that pertains to the sanjas4 ,the first day of our new year is called the ,serlie1 i4 e41 the beginning of a year4 ,it falls on the ,wednesday of the first week in ,april4#dh ,on that day there must be meat in every family4 ,the wealthy must slaughter a lamb or an ox2 the poor must kill a chicken or something else4 ,these should be cooked on the night1 the morning of which is ,wednesday1 ,new ,year's day4 ,with the break of day the food should be blessed4 ,on the first day of the year alms should be given at tombs where the souls of the dead lie4 ,now the girls1 large and small1 are to gather from the fields flowers of every kind that have a reddish color4 ,they are to make them into bundles1 and1 after keeping them three days1 they are to hang them on the doors#di as a sign of the baptism of the people living in the houses4 ,in the morning all doors will be seen well decorated with red lilies4 ,but women are to feed the poor and needy who pass by and have no food2 this is to be done at the graves4 ,but as to the awwls1 they are to go around the tombs with timbrels1 singing in the ,kurdish language4 ,for so doing they are entitled to money4 ,on the above-mentioned day of ,serlie no instruments of joy are to be played1 because ,god is sitting on the throne 7arranging decrees for the year71#ej and commanding all the wise and the neighbors to come to him4 ,and when he tells them that he will come down to earth with song and praise1 all arise and rejoice before him and throw upon each the squash of the feast4 ,then ,god seals them with his own seal4 ,and the great ,god gives a sealed decision to the god who is to come down4 ,he1 moreover1 grants him power to do all things according to his own will4 ,god prefers doing good and charity to fasting and praying4 ,the worship of any idol1 such as ,seyed-ad-,dn or ei ams is better than fasting4 ,some layman is to give a banquet to a kchak after the fasting of the latter forty days1 whether it be in summer or in winter4 ,if he 7the kchak7 says this entertainment is an alms given to the sanja1 then he is not released from his fasting4 ,when it comes to pass that the yearly tithe-gatherer finds that the people have not fully paid their tithes1 he whips them till they become sick1 and some even die4 ,the people are to give the kchaks money to fight the ,roman army1 and thus save the sect 7,yezidis7 from the wrath of the man of the year4 ,every ,friday a load of gifts is to be brought as an offering to an idol4 ,at that time1 a servant is to call the people aloud from the roof of a kchak's house1 saying1 it is the call of the prophet to a feast4 ,all are to listen reverently and respectfully2 and1 on hearing it1 every one is to kiss the ground and the stone on which he happens to lean4 ,it is our law that no awwl shall pass a razor over his face4 ,our law regarding marriage is that at the time of the wedding a loaf of bread shall be taken from the house of a kchak and be divided between the bride and the bridegroom1 each to eat one-half4 ,they may1 however1 eat some dust from ei #8,ad's tomb instead of the bread for a blessing4 ,marriage in the month of ,april is forbidden1 for it is the first month of the year4 ,this rule1 however1 does not apply to awwls2 they may marry during this month4 ,no layman is allowed to marry a kchak's daughter4 ,everyone is to take a wife from his own class4 ,but our emir may have for a wife any one whom he pleases to love4 ,a layman may marry between the ages of ten and eighty2 he may take for a wife one woman after another for a period of one year4 ,on her way to the house of the bridegroom1 a bride must visit the shrine of every idol she may happen to pass2 even if she pass a ,christian church1 she must do the same4 ,on her arrival at the bridegroom's house1 he must hit her with a small stone in token of the fact that she must be under his authority4 ,moreover1 a loaf of bread must be broken over her head as a sign to her that she must love the poor and needy4 ,no ,yezidi may sleep with his wife on the night the morning of which is ,wednesday1 and the night the morning of which is ,friday4 ,whosoever does contrary to this commandment is an infidel4 ,if a man steal the wife of his neighbor1 or his own former wife1 or her sister or mother1 he is not obliged to give her dowry1 for she is the booty of his hand4 ,daughters may not inherit their father's wealth4 ,a young lady may be sold as an acre of land is sold4 ,if she refuses to be married1 then she must redeem herself by paying her father a sum of money earned by her service and the labor of her hand4 ,here ends ,kitb ,re1 which is followed by several stories1 some of which are told secretly1 some openly4 ,,appendix ,,to ,,part ,i ,,appendix ,,to ,,part ,i ,they say our hearts are our books1 and our eis tell us everything from the second ,adam until now and the future4 ,when they notice the sun rise1 they kiss the place where the rays first fall2 they do the same at sunset1 where its rays last fall4 ,likewise they kiss the spot where the moon first casts its rays and where it last casts them4 ,they think1 moreover1 that by the multiplication of presents to eis and idols they keep troubles and afflictions away4 ,there is a great difference among the chaks1 they contradict one another4 ,some say1 8,melek s appears to me and reveals to me many revelations40 ,others say1 8,we appear to people in many different ways40 ,some believe that ,christ is ei ams himself4 ,they say that they have had prophets in all times2 the chaks are the prophets4 ,one of the chaks says in one of his prophecies3 8,i was in ,jonah's ship1 where a lot was cast in my presence4 ,it fell on ,jonah2 and he was thrown into the sea1 where he remained forty days and nights40 ,another said3 8,i was sitting with the great ,god1 who said1 #8,i hope the time will come when ,i shall send ,christ to the world4' ,i said to him1 #8,yes4' ,then he sent him4 ,after making a sign in the sun1 ,christ came down to the earth40 ,he appeared to our sect only1 and made for us seven circles1 which are at ei #8,ad4 ,now he appeared to us because we observe the necessary order1 which the other sects do not observe4 ,their origin and race are unknown2 ours are known4 ,we are emirs and sons of emirs2 we are eis and sons of eis2 we are chaks and sons of chaks1 etc4 ,but ,christians and ,moslems make priests and mullas for themselves out of those who had none of their kindred in those offices before1 and never will have afterward4 ,we are better than they4 ,we are allowed to drink wine2 our young men also may desire it when they1 in company with women1 engage in religious dancing and playing4 ,some of the chaks and eis1 however1 are not allowed to drink it4 ,when one is about to die1 he is visited by a chak1 who places a bit of ei #8,ad's dust in his mouth4 ,before he is buried his face is anointed with it4 ,moreover1 the dung of sheep is placed on his tomb4 ,finally1 food is offered on behalf of the dead4 ,the chaks pray for the dead at the graves1 for which service they are paid4 ,they tell the relatives of the dead what they see in dreams and visions1 and the condition of their dead1 whether they have been translated to the human or to the animal race4 ,some people hide silver or gold coins that they plan to take out in case they are born the second time in this world4 ,some believe that the spirits of many righteous persons travel in the air4 ,those spirits make revelations to the chaks1 who are acquainted with the world of mysteries and secrets4 ,life and death are in their hands4 ,hence the fate of the people depends on the gratitude and honor which they show the chaks4 ,according to ,yezidis1 hell has no existence4 ,it was created in the time of the first ,adam1 they say1 when our father1 ,ibr al-,afar1 was born4#ea ,by reason of his generosity and noble deeds1 ,ibr had many friends4 ,now1 when he viewed hell he became very sad4 ,he had a small bab afar1#eb into which1 as he kept weeping his tears fell4 ,in seven years it was filled4 ,he then cast it into hell1 and all its fires were put out that mankind might not be tortured4 ,this incident relates to one of the noble deeds of our first father1 ,ibr al-,afar4 ,they have many more such upright men of noble deeds4 ,such an one is ,mohammed ,ran1 whose resting place is behind the mount of ei ,mattie4#ec ,he 7,ran7 is exceedingly strong1 so that the most sacred oaths are sworn by him4 ,if any one becomes sick1 he takes refuge in making vows to asin1 i4 e41 pillars of idols4 ,now there is a place of religious pilgrimage which is called ,sitt ,nafsah4 ,this place is a mulberry tree in the village of ,ba#8aa4 ,another such place is called #8,abdi ,ran1 and is in the village of arabek4 ,a third place of pilgrimage is in the village ,bazanie1 which is called ei ,bak4 ,nearby is a spring1 and beside this is a mulberry tree4 ,whoever is afflicted with fever1 goes to that tree1 hangs on its branches a piece of cloth from his clothes1 and casts bread in the spring for the fish4 ,all this he does that he may be cured4 ,they entertain the belief that whoever unties or shakes off one of the shreds of cloth will catch the disease with which the man was afflicted when he hung it up4 ,there are many such trees in the village of ,ba#8aa1 and in some other places4 ,there is also a spring of water1 called in the common language #8,ain a-afra 7,yellow ,spring74 ,the ,yezidis call it ,kan-,zarr4#ed ,in this swim those who are afflicted with the disease of ab-afar 7jaundice74 ,but those who are troubled with dropsy go for cure to the house of the ,pir that lives in the village of ,man ,re4 ,when they assemble at ei #8,ad's1 no one is allowed to cook anything4 ,everyone is to eat from ei #8,ad's table4 ,as to the chaks1 every one of them sits on a stone1 as one sits in prayer4 ,to them the laity go1 seeking succor4 ,they give them money while making their petition1 and vow to the stone on which the chak sits1 sheep and oxen1 everyone according to his means4 ,now1 at the ,new ,year the places are given in contract4 ,when they assemble at the ,new ,year1 they dance and play with instruments of joy4 ,before eating the kabd1 i4 e41 the vowed ox1 they swim in the water of ,zamzam1 a spring coming from beneath the temple of ei #8,ad4 ,then they eat in haste1 snatching meat from the pot like fanatics1 so that their hands are frequently burned4 ,this practice is in accordance with their rules4 ,after eating1 they go up the mountain1 shooting with their guns1 and then return to ei #8,ad4 ,everyone of them takes a little dust and preserves it for the times of wedding and death4 ,they wear entwined girdles which they call the ties of the back 7belt74 ,they baptize these and the sanjas with the water of ,zamzam4 ,he who is called ,jawi#ee wears a stole which is woven from the hair of a goat4 ,it is nine spans in length and around it are sansls 7tinsels74 ,when the gathering comes to an end1 they collect the money from the chaks and the contractors1 and bring it to the emir4 ,after everyone has taken according to his rank1 the remainder goes to the emir4 ,they have another gathering which takes place at the feast of ,al-,hijjj4 ,at this pilgrimage they go up to the mountain which is called ,jabal al-#8,araft4#ef ,after remaining there an hour1 they hasten toward ei #8,ad4 ,he who arrives there before his companions is praised much4 ,hence everyone tries to excel4 ,the one who succeeds receives abundant blessings4 ,they still have another assembly4 ,this is called 8the road of the chaks10 when each1 putting a rope around his neck1 goes up the mountain4 ,after collecting wood they bring it to ei #8,ad1 carrying it on their backs4 ,the wood is used for heating purposes and for the emir's cooking4 ,during these assemblies the sanjas are passed around4 ,in the first place they are washed with water made sour with sumac in order to be cleansed from their rust4 ,the water is given away in drinks for purposes of blessing4 ,in return money is taken4 ,in the second place1 the chaks go around with the sanjas to collect money4 ,in their preaching1 the eis tell the people that all kings have come from their descent1 such as ,nisroch1#eg who is ,nasr-ad-,dn1 and ,kamu who is ,far-ad-,dn1 and ,artms1 who is ams-ad-,dn1 and many others1 as ,shabur and ,yoram2 and many royal names of the ancient kings1 together with their own 7,yezidi7 kings1 are from their seed4 ,the sign of the ,yezidi is that he wears a shirt with a round bosom4 ,it differs from that of the other people1 the bosom of whose shirts are open all the way down4 ,there is one occasion when no ,yezidi will swear falsely1 viz41 when one draws a circle on the ground1 and tells him that this circle belongs to s-,melek1 ei #8,ad1 and ,yezd1 and baryshabaei4 ,he places him in the middle of the circle1 and then tells him that ,melek s and all those who were mentioned above will not intercede for him after his death1 and that the shirt of the ,jewish ,nasim#eh be on his neck1 and that the hand of ,nasim be on his neck and eye1 and that ,nasim be his brother for the next world1 and let him be to him for a ei and a pir if he does not tell the truth4 ,then if he swears to tell the truth1 he cannot conceal anything4 ,for an oath made under such conditions is considered greater than that made in the name of ,god1 and even than that made in the name of one of their prophets4 ,they fast three days in a year from morning till evening4 ,the fast falls in ,december1 according to the oriental calendar4 ,they have no prayer#ei except what is mentioned above1 such as that referring to the sun and the moon1 and asking help from eis and holy places when they say1 8,o ei #8,ad1 ,o ei ,sams10 and the like4 ,they are all forbidden to teach their children anything1 with the exception of two stanzas which they teach their children out of necessity and because it is traditional4 ,a story is told about them by reliable people4 ,once when ei ,nair was preaching in a village at ,mount ,sinjar1 there was a ,christian mason in the audience who1 seeing the house filled with people1 thought they were going to pray4 ,he then pretended to take a nap1 that he might amuse himself with what he should hear4 ,he knew the ,kurdish language4 ,when the ,christian seemed to be asleep1 but was really awake and listening1 ei ,nair began to preach saying3 8,once the great ,god appeared to me in vision4 ,he was angry at ,jesus because of a dispute with him4 ,he therefore caught him and imprisoned him in a den which had no water4 ,before the mouth of the den he placed a great stone4 ,jesus remained in the den a long time1 calling upon the prophets and the saints for help and asking their aid4 ,every one whose succor ,jesus asked went to beg the great ,god to release him4 ,but ,god did not grant their requests4 ,jesus therefore remained in a sorrowful state1 knowing not what to do40 ,after this the preacher remained silent for a quarter of an hour1 and thus a great silence prevailed in the house4 ,then he went on to say3 8,o poor ,jesus1 why are you so forgotten1 so neglected8 ,do you not know that all the prophets and all the saints have no favor with the great ,god unto ,melek s8 ,why have you forgotten him and have not called upon him80 ,saying this1 the preacher again remained silent as before4 ,afterward he again continued3 8,jesus remained in the den till one day when he happened to remember ,melek s4 ,he then sought his aid1 praying1 #8,o ,melek s1 ,i have been in this den for some time4 ,i am imprisoned2 ,i have sought the help of all the saints1 and none of them could deliver me4 ,now1 save me from this den4' ,when ,melek s heard this1 he descended from heaven to earth quicker than the twinkling of an eye1 removed the stone from the top of the den1 and said to ,jesus1 #8,come up1 behold ,i have brought thee out4' ,then both went up to heaven4 ,when the great ,god saw ,jesus1 he said to him1 #8,o ,jesus1 who brought thee out of the den8 ,who brought thee here without my permission8' ,jesus answered and said1 #8,melek s brought me out of the den and up here4' ,then ,god said1 #8,had it been another1 ,i would have punished him1 but ,melek s is much beloved by me2 remain here for the sake of my honor4' ,so ,jesus remained in heaven40 ,the preacher added1 8,notice that those who are without do not like ,melek s4 ,know ye that in the resurrection he will not like them either1 and he will not intercede for them4 ,but1 as for us1 he will put us all in a tray1 carry us upon his head1 and take us into heaven1 while we are in the tray on his head40 ,when the congregation heard this1 they rose up1 kissed his clothes and feet1 and received his blessing4 ,now the views of the ,yezidis regarding the birth of ,christ and the explanation of the name of the ,apostle ,peter1 are found in one of their stories1 which runs thus3 8,verily ,mary the ,virgin mother of ,jesus1 begat ,jesus in a manner unlike the rest of women4 ,she begat him from her right side1#fj between her clothes and her body4 ,at that time the ,jews had a custom that1 if a woman gave birth1 all her relatives and neighbors would bring her presents4 ,the women would call1 carrying in their right hand a plate of fruits which were to be found in that season1 and in the left hand they would carry a stone4 ,this custom was a very ancient one4 ,therefore when ,mary the ,virgin gave birth to ,jesus1 the wife of ,jonah1 who is the mother of ,peter1 came to her2 and1 according to the custom1 carried a plate of fruit in her right hand and a stone in her left4 ,as she entered and gave ,mary the plate1 behold1 the stone which was in her left hand begat a male4 ,she called his name ,simon ,cifa1 that is1 son of the stone4 ,christians do not know these things as we do40 ,they have a story explaining the word heretic4 ,it is this3 ,when the great ,god created the heavens1 he put all the keys of the treasuries and the mansions there in the hands of ,melek s1 and commanded him not to open a certain mansion4 ,but he1 without the knowledge of ,god1 opened the house and found a piece of paper on which was written1 8,thou shalt worship thy ,god alone1 and him alone shalt thou serve40 ,he kept the paper with him and allowed no one else to know about it4 ,then ,god created an iron ring and hung it in the air between the heaven and the earth4 ,afterward he created ,adam the first4 ,melek s refused to worship ,adam when ,god commanded him to do so4 ,he showed the written paper which he took from the mansion and said1 8,see what is written here40 ,then the great ,god said1 8,it may be that you have opened the mansion which ,i forbade you to open40 ,he answered1 8,yes40 ,then ,god said to him1 8,you are a heretic1 because you have disobeyed me and transgressed my commandment40 ,from this we know that ,god speaks in the ,kurdish language1 that is from the meaning of this saying1 8,go into the iron ring which ,i1 thy ,god1 have made for whosoever does contrary to my commandment and disobeys me40 ,when one criticizes such a story as this by saying that ,god drove ,melek s from heaven and sent him to hell because of his pride before ,god the most high1 they do not admit that such is the case4 ,they answer3 8,is it possible that one of us in his anger should drive out his child from his house and let him wait until the next day before bringing him back8 ,of course not4 ,similar is the relation of the great ,god to ,melek s4 ,verily he loves him exceedingly4 ,you do not understand the books which you read4 ,the ,gospel says1 #8,no one ascended up to heaven but he who came down from heaven4' ,no one came down from heaven but ,melek s and ,christ4 ,from this we know that the great ,god has been reconciled to ,melek s1 who went up to heaven1 just as ,god came down from heaven and went up again40 ,the following is a story told of a kchak3 ,it is related that at one time there was no rain in the village of ,ba#8aa4 ,in this village there was a ,yezidi whose name was ,kchak ,ber4 ,there were also some saints and men of vision dwelling there4 ,they 7people7 gathered to ask ,ber to see about the rain4 ,he told them1 8,wait till tomorrow that ,i may see about it40 ,they came to him on the next day and said1 8,what have you done concerning the question of rain8 ,we are exceedingly alarmed by reason of its being withheld40 ,he answered3 8,i went up to heaven last night and entered into the divan where the great ,god1 ei #8,ad1 and some other eis and righteous men were sitting4 ,the priest ,isaac was sitting beside ,god4 ,the great ,god said to me1 #8,what do you want1 ,o ,kchak ,ber2 why have you come here8' ,i said to him1 #8,my lord1 this year the rain has been withheld from us till now1 and all thy servants are poor and needy4 ,we beseech thee to send us rain as thy wont4' ,he remained silent and answered me not4 ,i repeated the speech twice and thrice1 beseeching him4 ,then ,i turned to the eis who sat there1 asking their help and intercession4 ,the great ,god answered me1 #8,go away until we think it over4' ,i came down and do not know what took place after ,i descended from heaven4 ,you may go to the priest ,isaac and ask him what was said after ,i came down40 ,they went to the priest and told him the story1 and asked him what was said after ,kchak ,ber came down4 ,this priest ,isaac was a great joker4 ,he answered them1 8,after the kchak came down1 ,i begged ,god for rain on your behalf4 ,it was agreed that after six or seven days he would send it40 ,they waited accordingly1 and by a strange coincidence1 at the end of the period it rained like a flood for some time4 ,seeing this1 the people believed in what they were told1 and honored the priest ,isaac1 looking upon him as one of the saints1 and thinking that he must have ,yezidi blood in him4 ,for more than twenty years this story has been told as one of the tales of their saints4 ,once ei #8,ad bn ,musfir and his murids were entertained by ,god in heaven4 ,when they arrived1 they did not find straw for their animals4 ,therefore ei #8,ad ordered his murids to carry straw from his threshing floor on the earth4 ,as it was being transported1 some fell on the way1 and has remained as a sign in heaven unto our day4 ,it is known as the road of the straw man4 ,they think that prayer is in the heart2 therefore they do not teach their children about it4 ,and in their book neither is there any rule regarding prayer1 nor is prayer considered a religious obligation4 ,some assert that at one time ei #8,ad1 in company with ei #8,abd-al-dir1 made a pilgrimage to ,mecca1 where he remained four years4 ,after his absence ,melek s appeared to them 7the two eis7 in his symbol4 ,he dictated some rules to them and taught them many things4 ,then he was hidden from them4 ,four years later ei #8,ad returned from ,mecca2 but they refused him and would not accept him4 ,they asserted that he had died or ascended to heaven4 ,he remained with them1 but was without his former respect4 ,when the time of his death came1 ,melek s appeared to them and declared1 8,this is ei #8,ad himself1 honor him40 ,then they honored him and buried him with due veneration1 and made his tomb a place of pilgrimage4 ,in their estimation it is a more excellent spot than ,mecca4 ,everyone is under obligation to visit it once a year at least2 and1 in addition to this1 they give a sum of money through the eis to obtain satisfaction 7that ei #8,ad may be pleased with them74 ,whoever does this not is disobedient4 ,moreover1 it is said that the reason why the pilgrimage to his tomb is regarded as excellent by us and by ,god is that in the resurrection ei #8,ad will carry in a tray all the ,yezidis upon his head and take them into paradise1 without requiring them to give account or answer4 ,therefore they regard the pilgrimage to his tomb as a religious duty greater than the pilgrimage to ,mecca4 ,there are some domes1 huts1 around the tomb of ei #8,ad4 ,they are there for the purpose of receiving blessings from the tomb4 ,and they are all attributed to the great eis1 as the hut of #8,abd-al-dir-al-,jln2#fa the hut of ei adb-al-,bn2 the hut of ei ams-ad-,dn2 the hut of ei ,manr-al-allj1 and the hut of ei asan-al-,bar4 ,there are also some other huts4 ,each hut has a banner made of calico4 ,it is a sign of conquest and victory4 ,eating of deer's meat is forbidden them1 they say1 because the deer's eyes resemble the eyes of ei #8,ad4 ,verily his virtues are well-known and his praiseworthy qualities are traditions handed down from generation to generation4 ,he was the first to accept the ,yezidi religion4 ,he gave them the rules of the religious sect and founded the office of the ei4 ,in addition to this1 he was renowned for his devotion and religious exercise4 ,from ,mount ,lali1 he used to hear the preaching of #8,abd-al-dir-al-,jlni in ,bagdad4 ,he used to draw a circle on the ground and say to the religious ones1 8,whosoever wants to hear the preaching of ,al-,jln1 let him enter within this circle40 ,the following custom1 which we have1 began with him3 ,if we wish to swear to anyone1 a ei draws a circle1 and he who is to take an oath1 enters into it4 ,at one time1 passing by a garden1 ei #8,ad asked about lettuce2 and1 as no one answered1 he said1 8,huss0 7hush74 ,for this reason lettuce is forbidden and not eaten4 ,as regards fasting1 they say about the month of ,raman that it was dumb and deaf4 ,therefore1 when ,god commanded the ,moslems to fast1 he likewise commanded the ,yezidis1 saying to them in the ,kurdish language1 8sese10 meaning 8three40 ,the ,mohammedans did not understand it2 they took it for 8se10 8thirty40 ,for this reason1 they 7,yezidis7 fast three days4 ,moreover1 they believe there are eating1 drinking1 and other earthly pleasures in the next world4#fb ,some hold that the rule of heaven is in ,god's hands1 but the rule of the earth is in ei #8,ad's hands4 ,being exceedingly beloved by ,god1 he bestowed upon him according to #8,ad's desire4 ,they believe in the transmigration of souls4 ,this is evinced by the fact that when the soul of ,manr-al-allj parted from his body when the ,caliph of ,bagdad killed him and cast his head into the water1 his soul floated on the water4 ,by a wonderful chance and a strange happening1 the sister of the said ,manr went to fill her jar4 ,the soul of her brother entered it4 ,without knowing what had happened1 she came with it to the house4 ,being tired1 she felt thirsty and drank from the jar4 ,at that moment the soul of her brother entered her1 but she did not perceive it until she became pregnant4 ,she gave birth to a son who resembled ei ,manr himself4 ,he became her brother according to birth and her son according to imputation4 ,the reason why they do not use drinking-vessels which have narrow mouths1 or a net-like cover1 is that when one drinks water from them they make a sound4 ,when the head of ei ,manr was thrown into the water it gurgled4 ,in his honor they do not use the small jars with narrow necks4 ,they assert that they expect a prophet who will come from ,persia to annul the law of ,mohammed and abrogate ,islam4 ,they believe that there are seven gods1 and that each god administers the universe for ten thousand years2 and that one of these gods is ,lasiferos1 the chief of the fallen angels1 who bears also the name ,melek s4 ,they make him a graven image after the form of a cock#fc and worship it4 ,they play the tambourine and dance before it to make it rejoice with them4 ,they 7awwls7 travel within the ,yezidis' villages to collect money1 at which time they take it into the houses that it may bless and honor them4 ,some say that ei #8,ad is a deity2 others that he is like a ,vizier to ,god4 ,to him all things are referred4 ,this is ,melek s age4 ,the ruling and administrative power is in his hands until the thousandth year4 ,when the time comes to an end he will deliver the power to the next god to rule and administer until another thousand years shall be ended1 and so on until the seventh god4 ,and yet there is accord and love among these gods1 and none is jealous of the one who may rule and administer the world for a period of ten thousand years4 ,they have a book named ,al ,jilwah that they ascribe to ei #8,ad1 and they suffer no one who is not one of them to read it4 ,mention is made in some of their books that the ,first ,cause is the ,supreme ,god1 who before he created this world1 was enjoying himself over the seas2#fd and in his hand was a great ,white ,pearl1 with which he was playing4 ,then he resolved to cast it into the sea1 and when he did so this world came into being4 ,moreover1 they think themselves not to be of the same seed from which the rest of mankind sprung1 but that they are begotten of the son of ,adam1 who was born to ,adam of his spittle4 ,for this reason they imagine themselves nobler and more pleasing to the gods than others4 ,they say they have taken fasting and sacrifice from ,islam2 baptism from ,christians2 prohibition of foods from the ,jews2 their way of worship from the idolaters2 dissimulation of doctrine from the ,rafiis 7,shi#8ites72 human sacrifice and transmigration from the pre-,islamic paganism of the ,arabs and from the ,sabians4 ,they say that when the spirit of man goes forth from his body1 it enters into another man if it be just2 but if unjust1 into an animal4 ,,the ,,poem ,,in ,,praise ,,of ,,ei #8,,ad ,peace ,be unto ,him ,my understanding surrounds the truth of things1 ,and my truth is mixed up in me1 ,and the truth of my descent is set forth by itself1 ,and when it was known it was altogether in me4 ,and all that are in the universe are under me1 ,and all the habitable parts and deserts1 ,and everything created is under me1 ,and ,i am the ruling power preceding all that exists4 ,and ,i am he that spoke a true saying1 ,and ,i am the just judge and the ruler of the earth4 ,and ,i am he that men worship in my glory1 ,coming to me and kissing my feet4 ,and ,i am he that spread over the heavens their height4 ,and ,i am he that cried in the beginning4 ,and ,i am he that of myself revealeth all things1 ,and ,i am he to whom came the book of good tidings ,from my ,lord1 who burneth the mountains4 ,and ,i am he to whom all created men come ,in obedience to kiss my feet4 ,i bring forth fruit from the first juice of early youth ,by my presence1 and turn toward me my disciples4 ,and before this light the darkness of the morning cleared away4 ,i guide him that asketh for guidance4 ,i am he that caused ,adam to dwell in ,paradise ,and ,nimrod to inhabit a hot burning fire4 ,and ,i am he that guided ,amed the ,just1 ,and let him into my path and way4 ,and ,i am he unto whom all creatures ,come for my good purposes and gifts4 ,and ,i am he that visited all the heights1 ,and goodness and charity proceed from my mercy4 ,and ,i am he that made all hearts to fear ,my purpose1 and they magnify the majesty and power of my awfulness4 ,and ,i am he to whom the destroying lion came ,raging1 and ,i shouted against him and he became stone4 ,and ,i am he to whom the serpent came1 ,and by my will ,i made him dust4 ,and ,i am he that struck the rock and made it tremble1 ,and made to burst from its sides the sweetest of waters4#fe ,and ,i am he that sent down the certain truth2 ,for me is the book that comforteth the oppressed4 ,and ,i am he that judged justly1 ,and when ,i judged it was my right ,and ,i am he that made the springs#fe to give water1 ,sweeter and pleasanter than all waters4 ,and ,i am he that caused it to appear in my mercy1 ,and by my power ,i called it the pure4 ,and ,i am he to whom the ,lord of heaven hath said1 ,thou art the just ,judge and ,ruler of the earth4 ,and ,i am he that disclosed some of my wonders1 ,and some of my virtues are manifested in that which exists4 ,and ,i am he that caused the mountains to bow1 ,to move under me and at my will4#ff ,and ,i am he before whose majesty the wild beasts cried2 ,they turned to me worshiping1 and kissed my feet4 ,and ,i am #8,ad a-m1 the son of ,musfir4 ,verily the ,all-,merciful has assigned unto me names1 ,the heavenly throne1 and the seat1 and the 7seven7 heavens1 and the earth4 ,in the secret of my knowledge there is no ,god but me4 ,these things are subservient to my power4 ,o mine enemies1 why do you deny me8 ,o men1 deny me not1 but submit4 ,in the day of judgment you will be happy in meeting me4 ,who dies in my love1 ,i will cast him ,in the midst of ,paradise1 by my will and pleasure2 ,but he that dies unmindful of me ,will be thrown into torture in misery and affliction4 ,i say ,i am the only one and the exalted2 ,i create and make rich those whom ,i will4 ,praise it to myself1 for all things are by my will4 ,and the universe is lighted by some of my gifts4 ,i am the king that magnifies himself1 ,and all the riches of creation are at my bidding4 ,i have made known unto you1 ,o people1 some of my ways4 ,who desireth me must forsake the world4 ,and ,i can also speak the true saying1 ,and the garden on high is for those who do my pleasure4 ,i sought the truth and became a confirming truth2 ,and by the like truth shall they1 like myself1 possess the highest place4 ,,the ,,principal ,,prayer ,,of ,,the ,,yezidis ,amen1 ,amen1 ,amen6 ,through the intermediation of ams-ad-,dn1 ,far ad-,dn1 ,nair-ad-,dn1 ,sajad ad-,dn1 ei ,sin 7usein71 ei ,bakr1 dir ar-,ramn4 ,lord1 thou art gracious1 thou art merciful2 ,thou art ,god1 king of kings and lands1 ,king of joy and happiness1 ,king of good possession 7eternal life74 ,from eternity thou art eternal4 ,thou art the seat of luck 7happiness7 and life2 ,thou art lord of grace and good luck4 ,thou art king of jinns and human beings1 ,king of the holy men 7saints71 ,lord of terror and praise1 ,the abode of religious duty and praise1 ,worthy of praise and thanks4 ,lord6 ,protector in journeys1 ,sovereign of the moon and of the darkness1 ,god of the sun and of the fire1 ,god of the great throne1 ,lord of goodness4 ,lord6 ,no one knows how thou art4 ,thou hast no beauty2 thou hast no height4 ,thou hast no going forth2 thou hast no number4 ,lord6 ,judge of kings and beggars1 ,judge of society and of the world1 ,thou hast revealed the repentance of ,adam4 ,lord1 thou hast no house2 thou hast no money2 ,thou hast no wings1 hast no feathers2 ,thou hast no voice1 thou hast no color4 ,thou hast made us lucky and satisfied4 ,thou hast created ,jesus and ,mary4 ,lord1 thou art gracious1 ,merciful1 faithful4 ,thou art ,lord2 ,i am nothingness4 ,i am a fallen sinner1 ,a sinner by thee remembered4 ,thou hast led us out of darkness into light4 ,lord6 ,my sin and my guilt1 ,take them and remove them4 ,o ,god1 ,o ,god1 ,o ,god1 ,amen6 ,,seven ,,classes ,,of ,,yezidis ,they are divided into seven classes1 and each class has functions peculiar to itself that cannot be discharged by any of the other classes4 ,they are3 #a4 ei4 ,he is the servant of the tomb1 and a descendant of ,imam asan al-,bar4 ,no one can give a legal decision or sign any document except the ei who is the servant of ei #8,ad's tomb4 ,he has a sign by which he is distinguished from others4 ,the sign is a belt which he puts on his body1 and net-like gloves1 which resemble the halters of camels4 ,if he goes among his people1 they bow down and pay him their respects4 ,the eis sell a place in paradise to anyone who wishes to pay money4 #b4 ,emir4 ,the emirship specifically belongs to the descendants of ,yezd4 ,they have a genealogical tree1 preserved from their fathers and forefathers1 which goes up to ,yezd himself4 ,the emirs have charge of the temporal and governmental affairs1 and have the right to say1 8,do this and do not that40 #c4 awwl4 ,he has charge of tambourines and flutes and religious hymns4 #d4 ,pr4 ,to him appertain the conduct of fasts1 the breaking of fasts1 and hair-dressing4 #e4 ,kchak4 ,to him appertain the duties of religious instruction1 and sepulture1 and interpretation of dreams1 i4 e41 prophecy4 #f4 ,far4 ,to him appertain the duties of instruction of boys and girls in playing on the tambourines1 in dancing and religious pleasure4 ,he serves ei #8,ad4 #g4 ,mulla4 ,to him appertain the duties of instructing children4 ,he guards the books and the mysteries of religion and attends to the affairs of the sect4 ,,articles ,,of ,,faith ,at one time 7,a4 ,h4 #abhi2 ,a4 ,d4 #ahgb71 the ,ottoman power wanted to draft from among them an army instead of taking the tax which was its due4 ,they presented to the government all the rules that prevented them from complying4 ,these all pertain to religion and are moral obligations upon them4 ,they are as follows3 ,,article ,i ,according to our ,yezidi religion every member of our sect1 whether big or little1 girl or woman1 must visit ,melek s three times a year1 that is1 first1 from the beginning to the last of the month of ,april1 ,roman calendar2 secondly1 from the beginning to the end of the month of ,september2 thirdly1 from the beginning to the end of the month of ,november4 ,if anyone visit not the image of ,melek s1 he is an infidel4 ,,article ,,ii ,if any member of our sect1 big or little1 visit not his highness ei #8,ad bn ,musfir--may ,god sanctify his mysteries6 once a year1 i4 e41 from the fifteenth to the twentieth of the month of ,september1 ,roman calendar1 he is an infidel according to our religion4 ,,article ,,iii ,every member of our sect must visit the place of the sunrise every day when it appears1 and there should not be ,moslem1 nor ,christian1 nor any one else in that place4 ,if any one do this not1 he is an infidel4 ,,article ,,iv ,every member of our sect must daily kiss the hand of his brother1 his brother of the next world1 namely1 the servant of the ,mahdi1 and the hand of his ei or pr4 ,if any one do this not1 he is regarded as an infidel4 ,,article ,v ,according to our religion it is something intolerable when the ,moslem in the morning begins to say in prayer1 ,god forbid6 8,i take refuge in ,god1 etc40#fg ,if any one of us hear it1 he must kill the one who says it and kill himself2 otherwise he becomes an infidel4 ,,article ,,vi ,when one of our sect is on the point of death1 if there be no brother of the next world and his ei1 or his pr and one of the awwls with him to say three sayings over him1 viz41 8,o servant of ,melek s1 whose ways are high1 you must die in the religion of the one we worship1 who is ,melek s1 whose ways are high1 and do not die in any other religion than his4 ,and if some one should come and say to you something from the ,mohammedan religion1 or ,christian religion1 or ,jewish religion1 or some other religion1 do not believe him1 and do not follow him4 ,and if you believe and follow another religion than that of the one we worship1 ,melek s1 you shall die an infidel10 he becomes an infidel4 ,,article ,,vii ,we have something called the blessing of ei #8,ad1 that is1 the dust of the tomb ei #8,ad--may ,god sanctify his mystery6 ,every member of our sect must have some of it with him in his pocket and eat of it every morning4 ,and if he eat not of it intentionally1 he is an infidel4 ,likewise at the time of death1 if he possess not some of that dust intentionally1 he dies an infidel4 ,,article ,,viii ,regarding our fasting1 if any one of our sect wish to fast1 he must fast in his own place1 not in another4 ,for while fasting he must go every morning to the house of his eih and his pr1 and there he must begin to fast2 and when he breaks his fast1 likewise1 he must go to the house of his eih and his pr1 and there break the fast by drinking the holy wine of the eih or the pr4 ,and if he drink not two or three glasses of that wine1 his fasting is not acceptable1 and he becomes an infidel4 ,,article ,,ix ,if one of our sect go to another place and remain there as much as one year1 and afterward return to his place1 then his wife is forbidden him1 and none of us will give him a wife4 ,if anyone give him a wife1 that one is an infidel4 ,,article ,x ,regarding our dress1 as we have mentioned in the fourth ,article that every one of our sect has a brother for the next world1 he has also a sister for the next world4#fh ,therefore if any one of us make for himself a new shirt1 it is necessary that his sister for the next world should open its neck band1 i4 e41 the neck band of that shirt1 with her hand4 ,and if she open it not with her hand1 and he wear it1 then he is an infidel4 ,,article ,,xi ,if some one of our sect make a shirt or a new dress1 he cannot wear it without baptizing it in the blessed water which is to be found at the shrine of his highness ei #8,ad1 may ,god sanctify his mystery6 ,if he wear it1 he is an infidel4 ,,article ,,xii ,we may not wear a light black dress at all4 ,we may not comb our heads with the comb of a ,moslem or a ,christian or a ,jew or any other4 ,nor may we shave our heads with the razor used by any other than ourselves 7,yezidis71 except it be washed in the blessed water which is to be found at the shrine of his highness eih #8,ad4 ,then it is lawful for us to shave our heads4 ,but if we shave our heads without the razor having been washed in that water1 we become infidels4 ,,article ,,xiii ,no ,yezidi may enter the water-closet of a ,moslem1 or take a bath at a ,moslem's house1 or eat with a ,moslem's spoon or drink from a ,moslem's cup1 from a cup used by any one of another sect4 ,if he does1 he is an infidel4#fi ,,article ,,xiv ,concerning food1 there is a great difference between us and the other sects4 ,we do not eat meat or fish1 squash1 bamia 7okra71 fasulia 7beans71 cabbage1 or lettuce4 ,we cannot even dwell in the place where lettuce is sown4#gj ,for these and other reasons1 we cannot enter the military service1 etc4 ,the names of those who affixed their signatures3 ,,the ,,head ,,of ,,the ,,yezidi ,,sect1 ,,the ,,emir ,,of ,,ei,n1 ,,usein4 ,,the ,,religious ,,ei ,,of ,,the ,,yezidi ,,sect ,,of ,,the ,,district ,,of ,,ei,n1 ,,ei ,,na,,ir4 ,,the ,,chief ,,of ,,the ,,village ,,of ,,mam ,,re,n1 ,p,r ,,suleim,n4 ,,the ,,village ,,chief ,,of ,,musk,n1 ,,murad4 8 8 8 8 ,,at,,rah1 ,,ayy,b4 8 8 8 8 ,,beib,n1 ,,usein4 8 8 8 8 ,,dah,,an1 ,,assan4 8 8 8 8 ,,uzr,n1 ,,nu#8,m4 8 8 8 8 ,b,,kasra1 #8,,ali4 8 8 8 8 ,b#8,a,a1 ,,jam4 8 8 8 8 ,,ba1 ,,ilias4 8 8 8 8 ,,krepa,,in1 ,,sa,d4 8 8 8 8 ,,ab,,reh1 ,k,,chak4 8 8 8 8 ,,kas4 8 8 8 8 ,,sin1 #8,,abd4 8 8 8 8 #8,,ain ,,sifni1 ,,gurg4 8 8 8 8 ,,asr-#8,i,,zz-,,ad-,d,n4 8 8 8 8 ,,eir4 8 8 8 8 ,,kibert1 ,,hir4 ,,and ,,others4 ,these are they whose names were in the petition above mentioned1 and from which we copied a few things4 ,the result was that when they presented this petition1 they were exempted from military service1 but they paid a tax in money as did the ,christians4 ,,notes ,,on ,,part ,i #ca ,a4 ,h4 #bie 7,a4 ,d4 #hjg-h74 ,this is the date of ,al-,mutadir's accession1 who reigned till ,a4 ,h4 #cbj 7,a4 ,d4 #icb72 cf4 ,w4 ,muir1 ,the ,caliphate1 p4 #eei4 #cb ,the life of ,manr-al-allj is given in ,fihrist 7ed4 ,flgel71 p4 #aij4 #cc ,the life of #8,abd-al-dir of ,jln is given in ,jami's ,nafaat 7ed4 ,lee71 p4 #ehd4 #cd ,the ,hakkari country is a dependency of ,mosul1 and inhabited by ,kurds and ,nestorians2 cf4 p4 #ajd4 ,ibn aual1 ,ktb al-,maslik wal-,mamlik 7ed4 ,m4 ,j4 ,de ,goeje71 pp4 #adc f4 #ce ,yat1 ,,iv1 #cgc1 calls it ,laile and says that ei #8,ad lived there4 #cf ,presumably ,yezd bn ,mu#8wiya1 the second caliph in the ,omayyid dynasty1 who reigned1 ,a4 ,d4 #fhj-hc2 cf4 ,w4 ,muir1 ,the ,caliphate1 p4 #cbg4 #cg ,the life of asan al-,bar is given in ,ibn allikn4 ,he is not to be identified with asan al-,bar 7died #aaj ,a4 ,h41 who1 according to ,mohammedan tradition1 first pointed the ,koran text1 with the assistance of ,yay bn ,yamar4 #ch ,in ,menant's ,yzidis1 #dh1 the names of these seven angels are somewhat differently given4 ,according to ,mohammedan tradition ,zazil or ,azazil was the original name of the devil4 #ci ,by the 8throne0 here is meant the throne of ,god1 and by the 8carpet0 the earth2 cf4 ,sura #fj3 #aca4 #dj ,according to ,moslem belief1 wheat was the forbidden fruit2 see ,baiwi on ,sura1 ii1 #cc4 #da ,kunsiniyat is an obscure term4 #db #8,ain ,sifni is about five miles from ,ba#8adrie2 cf4 ,layard1 ,nineveh1 ,i1 #bgb4 #dc ,yat 7,,iii1 #aeh7 mentions a similar tradition4 #dd ,these are indications of ,mohammedan influence and censorship1 for no ,yezidi will ever write in his sacred book such words as eitn1 ar1 etc4 #de ,that is1 those of other religions4 #df ,sanja is a ,turkish word1 meaning banner2 it is the name by which the ,yezidis generally designate the sacred image of ,melek s4 #dg ,see note #bg4 #dh ,the ,harranian ,new ,year fell on the first day of ,april1 and on the sixth day they slaughtered an ox and ate it2 cf4 ,fihrist1 #cbb4 #di ,a similar practice is found among the ,parsees of ,india1 who hang a string of leaves across the entrances to their houses at the beginning of every ,new ,year4 #ej ,according to ,babylonian mythology1 human destiny was decreed on the ,new ,year's day and sealed on the tenth day2 cf4 the ,hibbert ,journal1 ,v1 ,january1 #aijg4 ,and according to ,talmud 7,mina1 ,ro haana1 ,i3#b71 ,new ,year's is the most important judgment day1 on which all creatures pass for judgment before the ,creator4 ,on this day three books are opened1 wherein the fate of the wicked1 the righteous1 and those of the intermediate class are recorded4 ,hence prayer and works of repentance are performed at the ,new ,year from the first to the tenth days1 that an unfavorable decision might be averted2 cf4 ,jewish ,encyclopedia1 8,penitential ,day40 ,r4 ,akiba says3 8,on ,new ,year day all men are judged2 and the decree is sealed on the ,day of ,atonement20 cf4 ibid41 8,day of ,judgement40 #ea ,ibr al-,afar means 8the yellow pitcher40 #eb ,bakb is a pitcher with a narrow spout4 #ec ,mar ,mattie is a ,syrian monastery about seven hours' ride east of ,mosul1 generally known by the name of ei ,mattie1 in accordance with the general custom of sheltering a ,christian saint beneath a ,moslem title4 ,elijah is known as ,al-uder1 8the green one40 ,aphrates was bishop of ei ,mattie4 ,the church of this monastery is a large building1 chiefly interesting as containing the tomb of the great ,bar ,hebraeus1 known as ,abu-l-,faraj1 who was ordained at ,tripolis1 and became in #abdf ,a4 ,d4 ,metropolitan of ,mosul4 ,he lies buried1 with his brother ,barsom1 in the 8,beth adieh0 7sanctuary7 of the church1 and over them is placed the inscription3 8,this is the grave of ,mar ,gregorias1 and of ,mar ,barsome his brother1 the children of the ,hebrew1 on ,mount ,elpep0 7the ,syriac name for ,jabal ,malb74 #ed ,kani in ,kurdish means a spring2 zarr1 yellow4 ,in ,kurdish1 as in ,persian1 the adjective usually follows the modified noun2 cf4 ,tartibi ,jadid1 ,ta#8alimi ,faresi1 ,the ,new ,method for ,teaching ,persian 7in the ,turkish language1 ed4 ,kasbar1 ,constantinople1 ,a4 ,h4 #acab71 p4 #ah4 #ee ,jaw is a ,turkish word1 signifying a sergeant4 #ef ,this ceremony1 as well as the names #8,arafat1 ,zamzam1 etc41 seems to be a mere copy of the ,meccah ,pilgrimage4 #8,araft1 8,the ,mount of ,recognition10 is situated twelve miles from ,mecca1 a place where the pilgrims stay on the ninth day of the day of the pilgrimage1 and recite the midday and afternoon prayer4 ,the ,mohammedan legend says1 that when our first parents forfeited heaven for eating wheat1 they were cast down from the ,paradise1 ,adam fell on the ,isle of ,ceylon1 and ,eve near ,jiddah 7the port of ,mecca7 in ,arabia2 and that1 after separation of #bjj years1 ,adam was conducted by the ,angel ,gabriel to a mountain near ,mecca1 where he found and knew his wife1 the mountain being then named #8,arafat1 8,recognition40 #eg ,the god ,nisroch of ,scripture1 ,,ii ,kings #ai3cg2 ,isa4 #cg3 #ch4 #eh ,a superstitious name signifying an ill omen4 #ei ,that is1 public prayers like those of the ,mohammedans and of the ,christians2 cf4 ,al ,marik1 ,,ii1 #cac4 #fj ,the text has 8her hand40 #fa ,while the ,yezidis venerate #8,abd al-dir of ,jln1 the ,nusairis curse him2 cf4 ,j ,a ,o ,s1 ,,viii1 #bgd4 #fb ,this belief is taken from ,mohammedanism4 #fc ,the ,arabs worshiped a deity under the form of a nasr 7eagle71 ,a-ahrastn1 ,,ii1 #dcd2 ,yaut1 ,,iv1 #ghj2 ,the ,syriac ,doctrine of ,addai 7ed4 ,george ,philips71 p4 #bd4 #fd ,cf4 ,gen4 ,i3 #b1 and the ,babylonian ,creation ,epic4 #fe ,that is the spring of ei #8,ad4 #ff ,the reference is to ,jabal ,malb1 which1 according to the ,yezidi belief1 moved from its place near ,lali to enable every ,yezidi1 wherever he may be1 to direct his morning prayers toward the tomb of #8,ad4 #fg ,the ,moslem begins his prayer by cursing the devil4 #fh ,that is a person of the same faith1 a ,yezidi4 #fi ,a ,nuairi1 on the contrary1 may become a ,mohammedan with a ,mohammedan1 a ,christian with a ,christian1 and a ,jew with a ,jew2 cf4 ,j ,a ,o ,s1 ,,vii1 #bih4 #gj ,the ,sabians did not eat purslane1 garlic1 beans1 cauliflower1 cabbage1 and lentils2 cf4 ,bar4 ,hebraeus1 ,at-,tr1 ed4 ,a4 alani1 ,beirut1 #ahij1 #bff4 ,,part ,,ii ,,the ,,critical ,,discussion ,,of ,,yezidism ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,religious ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,yezidis ,the origin of the devil-worshippers has been the subject of much controversy2 but aside from an expression of views1 no satisfactory solution of the problem has as yet been reached4 ,the different theories which have been advanced may be classified under four general heads3 ,the ,myth of the ,yezidis themselves2 the tradition of ,eastern ,christians2 the dogmatic idea of the ,mohammedan scholars2 and the speculative theory of the western orientalists4 ,i ,,the ,,yezidi ,,myth ,the ,myth of the ,yezidis concerning their origin may be derived from three different sources3 from their sacred book1 from the appendix of the manuscript1 and from actual conversation of travellers with them or with natives dwelling among them4 ,one noticeable fact is that this tradition assumes the religion of the sect as existing long before the time of their chief saint1 ei #8,ad4 ,al-,jilwah begins with the statement that ,melek s sent his servant1 i4 e41 the ,yezidis1 that they might not go astray4 ,starting from this assumption1 the writer of the revealed book goes on to trace the origin of the 8elect0 to the very beginning of human history4 ,he asserts that from the start ,god created them as a peculiar people of #8,azazil1 i4 e41 ,melek-s4 ,in the main1 this idea finds expression in the oral traditions4 ,but here we have a mass of material so clouded by superstition and ignorance that it is next to impossible to come to any conclusion as to the history of this interesting people4 ,one point the myth repeatedly emphasizes1 as an explanation of the origin of the sect1 is that it was descended from ,adam alone2 while the other sects were descended from ,adam and ,eve4 ,for this reason1 the same tradition implies1 the ,yezidis are nobler than the others4 ,but how they have come to be such unique descendants is a question not easily answered4 ,one account has it that when ,adam and ,eve disputed as to the generation of the human race1 each claiming to be the sole begetter of the race1 they finally agreed to put their seed in separate jars and seal them with their own seals4 ,after nine months they opened the jars1 and in ,adam's jar they found two children1 a male and a female4 ,from these two the ,yezidis were descended4 ,another explanation is that from ,adam's essence was born eher bn ,jebr1 of whom nothing is known2 and of him1 a separate community1 which is the sect of ,melek s4 ,we have1 moreover1 the tradition that the ,yezidis are descendants of a son born to ,adam of his spittle4 ,now whether this son be identical with eher bn ,jebr is not certain4 ,writing in one of the oriental periodicals1 an eastern scholar quotes a ,yezidi ei in a statement which seems to corroborate the tradition that the ,yezidis are a noble progeny of ,adam2 but the quotation differs from the instance previously cited in stating that the quarrel which took place between ,adam and ,eve led to their separation to places distant from each other a journey of forty days4#ga ,there1 it is said1 ,adam miraculously gave birth to a son4 ,distressed by this incident1 ,eve asked ,god that she might find favor in her husband's eyes by giving birth to a child4 ,thereupon1 it continues1 she begot a very pretty daughter4 ,attracted by her beauty1 ,adam married her to his son4 ,now1 the ,yezidis1 we are told1 are the blessed seed of these two children4#gb ,not only when the tradition1 tracing the origin of the ,yezidis as a race1 asserts that1 as a religious body1 they come from a very ancient time2 but also when it speaks of them as a nation1 it points out their antiquity4 ,on this latter1 as well as on the former point1 their book and their oral tradition agree4 ,the ,yezidis are said to have sprung from a noble personage1 the ,king of ,peace1 whose name was ,na-#8umi1 but whom they now call ,melek-,miran4#gc ,the rest of mankind1 however1 are from the seed of ,ham1 who mocked his father4 ,whom they signified by ,na-#8umi or ,miran it is hard to say2 but it is likely that they regard him as one of the other two sons of ,noah4 ,they claim also that the ancient ,assyrian kings were members of their race1 and that some of the ,persian1 ,roman and ,jewish kings were appointed for them by ,melek s4 ,they likewise seem to trace their origin to the prophets and other personages of the ,old ,testament2 as ,seth1 ,enoch1 ,noah1 etc4 ,their religion furthermore1 they assert1 antedates ,christ4#gd ,there is still another tradition that traces the devil-worshippers to a different origin4 ,i refer to the statement which ,masehaf ,re makes regarding ,mu#8awiya1 ,mohammed's servant4#ge ,mu#8awiya was asked by his master to shave his head4 ,while performing the duty1 he cut the prophet's scalp1 and began to lick the bleeding spot4 ,when he was told that this act would result in his giving birth to a nation which would oppose the followers of his master1 ,mu#8awiya declared that he would not marry4 ,he was afterwards1 however1 bitten by a serpent1 and was told that he would die unless he married4 ,he therefore consented to marry1 but chose an old woman in order not to have children4 ,but she miraculously became a young woman of twenty-five4 ,and from her the ,god ,yezid was born4 ,the story1 of course1 is a myth1 and it is of such a nature that no historic fact can be derived from it4 ,it is further complicated by the fact that this ,yezid is identified with ,melek s2 and1 in another myth1 is represented in form as being half angel and half man and as remaining a bachelor long after the marriage of ,adam4 ,he was1 however1 finally possessed of a desire to marry1 and1 unable to marry a mortal's daughter1 being himself half angel1 sought the assistance of ,melek s1 who presented to him an ouri1 and from this union there sprang a pious people1 the ,yezidis4 ,but the devil-worshippers have still another story1 which goes to show that ,yezid bn ,mu#8awiya is not their founder4 ,this myth asserts that they are the progeny of ,adam's son who was married to ,eve's daughter2 that the descendants continued worshipping ,god and ,melek s without bringing a foreign element into their religion2 and that1 at first1 the sect did not bear the name ,yezidis1 which1 in their own opinion1 is a comparatively new appellative4 ,as to how they came to be called by this new name1 it is explained that when1 in the course of time1 some corruption entered the ,yezidi religion1 there arose a certain ,calif by the name of ,yezid who wrought miracles4 ,since then1 his followers have been called ,yezidis4 ,this ,yezid1 it is said1 is the son of ,mu#8awiya bn ,sufian1 and his mother was of ,christian origin4 ,to accomplish his desire1 bn ,mu#8awiya went to ei #8,adi1 who was a learned and devout but cunning person1 and had instituted a religious innovation4 ,yezid1 the tradition continues1 learned #8,adi's religion and taught it to his followers2 and1 from that time on1 the sect came to be called after him4#gf ,but while some1 considering this legend as authoritative1 venerate the man bearing the name1 others deny all connection with him4#gg ,the testimony of some travellers offers another explanation of the origin of the sect in question1 an account which has perhaps more historical significance than the preceding theories4 ,it is stated that the ,yezidis have a tradition to the effect that they came from ,barah and from the country watered by the lower part of the ,euphrates2 that after their emigration they first settled in ,syria1 and subsequently took possession of the ,sinjar ,hill and the district now inhabited in ,kurdistan4 ,as to the date of their settlement in ,mesopotamia1 no positive information can be obtained4 ,some scholars infer that it took place about the time of ,tamerlane1 toward the end of the fourteenth century4#gh ,it is related that the devil-worshippers hold that1 among their own number1 the ancient name for ,god is ,azd1 and from it the name of the sect is derived2#gi that the conviction that they are ,yezidis1 i4 e41 ,god's people1 has been their consolation and comfort through the ages in their tribulations2#hj and that they have taken many religious observances from different bodies--,mohammedans1 ,christians1 ,jews1 ,pagan ,arabs1 ,shiites1 and ,sabaians4 ,besides these different explanations of the origin of the devil-worshippers as descendants of ,adam1 of ,yezid bn ,mu#8awiya1 as being of the colony from the north1 as taking their name from ,azd1 ,god1 there is another account4 ,i refer to a myth which is current among the people of ,seistan1 an eastern province of ,persia1 where there are a considerable number of these ,shaitan parasts 7devil worshippers73 8,in former times there existed a prophet named analalah1 whose life was prolonged to the measure of a thousand years4 ,he was their ruler and benefactor2 and as by his agency1 their flocks gave birth to lambs and kids miraculously once a week1 though ignorant of the use of money1 they1 with much gratitude to him1 procured all the comforts of life4 ,at length1 however1 he died1 and was succeeded by his son1 whom atan1 presuming on his inexperience1 tempted to sin by entering a large mulberry tree1 when he addressed the successor of analalah1 and called on him to worship the prince of darkness4 ,astonished1 yet unshaken1 the youth resisted the temptation4 ,but the miracle proved too much for the constancy of his flock1 who now began to turn to the worship of the devil4 ,the young prophet1 enraged at this1 seized an axe and a saw1 and prepared to cut down the tree4 ,he was arrested in this by the appearance of a human being1 who exclaimed1 #8,rash boy1 desist6 ,turn to me and let us wrestle for the victory4 ,if you conquer1 then fell the tree4' 8,the prophet contended and vanquished his opponent1 who1 however1 bought his own safety and that of the tree by the promise of a large weekly treasure4 ,after seven days the holy victor again visited the tree to claim the gold or fell it to the ground2 but ,satan persuaded him to hazard another struggle on the promise that1 if he conquered again1 the amount should be doubled4 ,this second encounter proved fatal to the youth4 ,he was put to death by his spiritual antagonist1 and the result confirmed the tribes over whom he had ruled in their worship of the tree and its tutelary demon40#ha ,according to this legend1 the atan parasts are the victims of their young prophet who1 as long as he was actuated by a disinterested zeal for religion1 was victorious over the principle of evil2 but failed as soon as that zeal gave place to a sordid cupidity for earthly treasure4 ,i have dwelt upon the superstitious theories of the ,yezidis themselves regarding their religious origin1 not because these theories have an importance in themselves1 but because of their bearing upon the views advanced by modern scholars4 ,the scholars have based their theories on some of these conflicting stories without sufficient criticism4 ,i shall dwell upon this more at length later on4 ,,ii ,,the ,,christian ,,tradition ,but the myth of the ,yezidis is not the only account that attempts to trace their religious origin2 the eastern ,christians have a tradition that gives a different interpretation4 ,it is to the effect that the people in question were originally ,christians1 but that ignorance brought them into their present condition4 ,the tradition runs that the shrine of ei #8,adi was formerly a ,nestorian monastery which was noted for the devotion of its monks1 but that these were tempted by the devil and left their convent4 ,the ,church of the ,monastery was dedicated to ,st4 ,thaddeus or ,addai1#hb one of the seventy-two disciples who1 after the ascension of our ,lord1 was sent to ,king ,abgar of ,edessa4 ,it is said that the temple of #8,adi has a conventicle resembling that at ,jerusalem4#hc ,the story of how the cloister was deserted is as follows3 ,on a great feast day1 while the hermits bearing the cross went in procession around the church1 they saw1 hanging on a tree1 a piece of paper with this inscription3 8,o ye devout monks6 ,let it be known to you that ,god has forgiven all your sins1 great and small2 cease to undergo religious exercises2 leave your hermitage2 disperse1 marry and rear children4 ,peace be unto you60 ,on the second day they observed the same thing1 and were led to dispute among themselves whether this were a device of ,god or of a devil4 ,when on the third day the same incident was repeated1 they agreed to leave the abbey and follow what seemed to them a divine order4 ei #8,adi1 the legend goes on1 had foretold to the ,yezidis of that district that the monks of this monastery would desert their place1 would become ,yezidis1 would marry and beget children2 that he would die during that time2 and that he wishes his followers to pull down the altar of the church in that priory and bury him there4 ,shortly after the fulfilment of his prophecy1 the ei died1 and was entombed in the place of the altar4 ,and since that time1 it is asserted1 the spot has become the sanctuary of the devil-worshippers4 ,in support of this statement1 it is argued1 that there was a ,syriac inscription in the temple mentioning the name of the founder of the monastery and the patriarch in whose time it was built2 that some of the ,yezidis themselves bear testimony to this fact1 and say they have removed the writing from its former place and have hidden it at the entrance to #8,adi's temple1 a spot the whereabouts of which only a few of them know4 ,the reason why this record is hidden1 it is explained1 is the fear that the ,nestorians may see it and reclaim the church4#hd ,such is the eastern ,christian's tradition relative to the origin of the ,yezidis4 ,it is1 of course1 merely a legend2 but its character is such as to require careful examination and critical study4 ,it may embody a measure of truth that will indirectly throw some light on the subject in hand4 ,one noticeable thing regarding this current view is that it is not a recent invention2 else it might be said to be the creation of ignorance at a time far removed from the event which it records4 ,assemani1 himself an oriental of distinguished scholarship1 in that part of his book wherein he treats of the religion of ,mesopotamia1 according to the natives of the country1 says that the ,yezidis were at one time ,christians1 who1 however1 in the course of time1 had forgotten the fundamental principles of their faith4#he ,this statement is incorporated in the writings of all western orientals that have travelled in the ,east4#hf ,another thing worthy of notice is that the ,christians should have such a sacred regard for his tradition as to hand it down to posterity at the risk of their own reputation4 ,certainly the ,christians are not cherishing this theory with any expectation of receiving honor by assuming relation with the ,yezidis4 ,the devil-worshippers are utterly despised by all their neighbors4 ,nor do they do it out of love1 that they may arouse the sympathy of the dominating race for this degraded people4 ,oriental ,christians themselves despise the ,yezidi sect4 ,they would not1 and could not1 help them4 ,there must then be some truth in a legend that leads the church to regard a despised people as having been at one time co-religionists4 ,were the antiquity of the tradition1 and the unfavorable result which its entertainment causes1 the only two reasons for its consideration1 we might just as well dismiss it4 ,but there are other things which go to point out some historic facts underlying the current theory4 ,one such fact is that the family name of the ,yezidis around ,mosul is ,daseni1 plur ,dawasen4 ,the ,christians and the ,mohammedans know them by this name1 and they themselves also use it1 and say it is the ancient name of their race1 existing from time immemorial4#hg ,now ,daseni1 or ,dasaniyat1 was the name of a ,nestorian ,diocese1 the disappearance of which is simultaneous with the appearance of the ,yezidis in these places4#hh ,it is stated1 moreover1 that all the people of ,sinjar were formerly ,christians1 belonging to the ancient ,syriac ,church and having a very prominent diocese1 which was called the diocese of aki1 i4 e41 ,sinjar2 and that the diocese continued to exist till the middle of the eighteenth century3 ,what goes to verify this tradition is that1 at present1 there is a library at ,jabal ,sinjar1 under the control of the ,yezidis1 that consists of ancient ,syriac books4 ,they are kept in a small room guarded by a ,yezidi4 ,on ,sunday and ,friday of every week they burn incense and light lamps in honor of the manuscripts2 and once a month they take them out in the sun to dust and to preserve them from destruction by dampness4 ,after the door is locked1 the key is kept by the ei1 besides whom and his son no one else is allowed to touch the books4 ,what is more interesting1 the people of ,sinjar say they have inherited the library from their forefathers1 who were ,christians4#hi ,it is pointed out1 furthermore1 that the names of the principal towns of the ,yezidis are ,syriac4 ,ba#8ika comes from 8the house of the falsely accused1 or oppressed02 ,ba#8adrie from 8the place of help or refuge02 ,bazanie from 8the house of visions or inspiration02 ,talas from 8the hill of suffering10 where many ,christians were martyred by ,persians4 ,these are a few of many ,yezidi villages having ,syriac names4 ,the ,yezidis have religious practices which are to be found only in the ,christian ,church4 ,i mean the rites of baptism and the ,eucharist4 ,it is true that the use of water as a rite is practised by other non-,christian sects1 such as the ,mandeans2 but it is argued that this ordinance as observed by the ,yezidis is so similar to that of the ,christians that its origin is to be traced back to ,christianity1 rather than to any other system4 ,like their neighbors1 the ,dawaseni must if possible baptize their children at the earliest age4 ,in performing the rite1 the ei1 like the ,christian priest1 puts his hand upon the child's head4 ,in regard to the sacrament of the ,lord's supper1 it is strictly ,christian in character4 ,the ,yezidis call the cup the cup of ,isa 7,jesus72 and when a couple marry1 they go to a ,christian town to partake of ,al-iddas 7the ,eucharist7 from the hand of a priest1 a custom which prevails among eastern ,christians4 ,what requires special note is that this practice is observed where the ,yezidi influence is not very strong1 a fact which seems to indicate that the ,apostate ,nasara1 who lived remote from strongly ,yezidising influences1 were able to retain some of their originally much favored practices1 and vice versa4#ij ,finally1 the ,dawaseni entertain great reverence for ,christianity and the ,christian saints4 ,they respect the churches and tombs of the ,christians1 and kiss the doors and walls when they enter them2 but they never visit a ,mohammedan mosque4 ,in the ,black ,book a statement is made that on her way to the house of her bridegroom1 a bride should visit the temple of every idol she passes by1 even if it be a ,christian ,church4#ia ,they have also professed reverence for #8,isa 7,jesus74 ,they affect more attachment to ,an-,naara than to ,mohammedans4 ,such a religious affinity cannot be fully accounted for on any other ground than that of their sincere respect for ,christianity1 a feeling which clearly indicates that these people must at one time have had a very close connection with ,christianity4 ,this intimate relation cannot be explained by their ignorance1 or by kindred experiences1 as some scholars seem to think4#ib ,it is true the ,christians have been co-sufferers with them2 both have lived for generations under the same yoke of bondage and oppression and under similar circumstances4 ,but this alone could not create sympathy between them4 ,such an assumption cannot be verified by the facts collected through our observation of the ,yezidis' character as a religious body4 ,they are sincere in their beliefs1 and never compromise in religious matters4 ,history has shown again and again that they have suffered martyrdom for their faith1 in which they have been as sincere and unshaken as have been the heroes of any religion4 ,no matter how uneducated they may be1 they are not hypocrites in their faith4 ,the theory is also refuted by our understanding of the nature of the affinity in question between the ,yezidis and the ,christians4 ,it is not a matter of sympathy but of religion4 ,they believe in some forms of ,christianity2 and when they visit a church1 they want to exercise their faith and not to express their sympathy4 ,what is more1 the eastern ,christians have no sympathy for the devil worshippers1 at least1 not more than they have for any other religious body4 ,such an affinity is wanting between the ,jews and the ,christians or the ,yezidis1 yet they all live under the same conditions4 ,i am not here advocating the theory1 or implying1 that the ,yezidi sect is a corrupt form of ,christianity1 but am simply aiming to show that if the similarity of a certain religion with another in some phases be taken as a ground for the explanation of its origin1 the ,christian tradition can be regarded as a more probable theory to account for the rise of ,yezidism than any other view3 ,and1 hence1 to point out1 what seems to me to be the best position1 that the explanation must be found ultimately in some historical document which will give us a reasonable clew in the tracing of the sect in question to its founder4 ,,iii ,,the ,,speculative ,,theories ,,of ,,western ,,orientalists ,thus far we have been dealing with the different theories regarding the origin of the ,yezidis held in the ,east3 the myth of the devil-worshippers themselves1 the ,christian tradition4 ,now we turn our attention to the ,west1 which also has expressed itself on this subject4 ,the degree of interest shown in this particular case1 however1 differs with different nationalities4 ,the ,english-speaking scholars come first2 next come the ,french2 then the ,russians2 and finally the ,italians4 ,the ,german scholars seem to be interested mainly in certain words and festive events4 ,and1 in the discussion of these1 they go so far in their unbounded speculation that one cannot tell whether the people they deal with are the ,yezidis in question1 ,assyrians1 ,babylonians1 ,canaanites1 ,greeks1 ,romans or ,jews4 ,the ,german writers do not seem to be interested so much in the problem of the origin of this people as a sect1 unless they regard the question as settled on the ground of the ,yezidis' own statement that they are the descendants of ,yezid bn ,mu#8awiya4 ,to tell the truth1 the rise of the interest in the inquiry about the founder of this sect on a scientific basis1 is due1 without question1 to the scholarship of the ,west4 ,and any solution of the problem 7and it does not matter who does the work71 in the last analysis1 must be accredited to the influences emanating from these scholars and these scholars only4 ,nevertheless modern orientalists have been far from approaching the solution of the question4 ,this may be due in part to the extreme interest which they have taken in the matter1 an interest which led them to accept the phenomena without critical examination4 ,but the inductive study of their respective writings tends to show that this is due to their method of procedure rather than to anything else4 ,they have employed the philosophical and not the historical method4#ic ,i do not mean to deny the value of such a course of investigation in questions pertaining to religion1 but what ,i do mean to say is that the method of the scholars in question is almost purely speculative1 and they do not seem to appeal to historical facts in support of their assumptions4 ,the inevitable consequence has been1 therefore1 that in their theories there exists an uncertainty and indefiniteness that puzzles the student of history4 ,another fact which the inductive study of the views of the western scholars reveals is that their theories are nothing more nor less than the expression of the ,yezidis' tradition in terms of modern scholarship1 without1 however1 the showing of reasons for so doing4 ,this fact will be proved presently when we shall examine their respective writings4 ,western orientalists are divided into three schools of opinion on the question of the religious origin of the ,yezidis4 ,there are those who hold that the sect takes its rise from ,yezid bn ,mu#8awiya4 ,this view is advocated by a modern writer1 who says1 8,the ,arabs who accepted ,mohammed called those who did not ,al-jahaleen1 i4 e41 the ignorant ones4 ,among the latter was ,yezid bn ,mu#8awiya who refused to accompany ,mu#8awiya1 his father1 as an attendant upon his person4 ,many of the ignorant ones rallied around ,yezid1 and he became the nucleus of the sect that appropriated his name4 ,the ,yezidis possess a genealogical tree by means of which they trace their religious origin back to him40#id ,now1 the ground for this assertion1 the writer does not give2 he is entirely silent as to the source of his information4 ,it is evident1 therefore1 that he is regarding the superstitious theory of the ,yezidis as a fact without making any reflection upon it4 ,he also seems to be confusing this ,yezid with his uncle of the same name1 who1 with ,mu#8awiya his brother came in company with their father ,abu ,sofian1 to ,mohammed to receive presents from the ,prophet4 ,but the ,arab historians tell us that not only ,abu ,sofian and each of his two sons received a hundred camels but that they were each presented with forty ounces of silver4#ie ,then1 too1 many scholars deny that the name ,yezidis is the original appellation4 ,some assert it was put upon them by the ,mohammedans as a term of reproach4#if ,others maintain that the sect adopted the name ,yezid1 son of ,mu#8awiya to secure toleration at the hands of the ,mohammedans4#ig ,but the scholar quoted may entertain the view of those who say that the ,yezidis are really the followers of ,ibn ,mu#8awiya2 but that they deny it for fear of persecution on the part of ,shiites4 ,these latter hate ,yezid1 because he murdered #8,ali's son1 ,husein1 who is regarded by them as their true ,imam4 ,this inference is founded on the theory that the ,mohammedans of ,persia consider the people in question as descendants of the ,calif whose name is odious to them4#ih ,but it is not certain that the followers of #8,ali entertain such a view regarding the origin of the ,yezidis4 ,and1 if they do1 they have no historical facts to justify them in their opinion4 ,their hatred of the sect can be better explained on the basis of the relation of the devil-worshippers to ,yezid bn ,unaisa4 ,for he was one of those who most bitterly hated #8,ali2 see pp4 #aba1 #abb1 #abh of this book4 ,furthermore1 the theory of this school is neutralized by the fact that none of the ,arab historians mentions the son of the first ,calif in the ,omayyid dynasty as a founder of any heretical sect4 ,on the contrary1 they all agree that he was not only a ,mohammedan but a successor of the prophet1 being the second calif in the ,omayyid dynasty4 ,ibn allikan mentions his name two or three times1 and says that his works were collected4 ,he says nothing1 however1 as to his founding any religious schism4 ,there is still another school among the western orientalists4 ,i mean those who hold that the religion of the devil-worshippers is of ,persian origin4 ,they are of two wings4 ,there are those who take their method of procedure from the name ,yezid or ,yazd4 ,they argue that this term in ,persian1 ,yazd 7pla ,yazdn71 ,avestan ,yezata1 #8worthy of worship'1 means ,god1 or good spirit1 over against ,ahriman1 the evil principle4 ,hence1 the name ,yezid1 according to them1 indicates the people that believe in this good god4 ,to the objection that the ,yezidis worship the evil spirit1 answer is made that ,yezid ,ferfer is the name of the attendant of the evil spirit among the ,parsees4#ii ,others believe that the word 8,yezid0 signifies ,god4 ,it indicates in the plural the observers of superstitious doctrines as may be seen by the idol ,yezid1 which the ,bishop of ,nagham overthrew4#ajj ,still others say that in the tradition of these people ,yezid must have been an abbreviated form of ,aez-da-,khuda1 that is1 created of ,god4 ,in support of this theory1 it is claimed that in reality the ,yezidis worship ,god and not the devil4 ,it is thought by many1 too1 that the ,yezidis derive their name from ,yazd1 or ,yezid1 a name of a town in ,central ,persia1 of which the ,parsees form the principal part of the inhabitants4#aja ,the other wing of the second school attempts to trace the origin of the devil-worshippers to a ,persian source on the basis of certain resemblances between the two religions4 ,conspicuous among the representatives of this school is ,professor ,a4 ,v4 ,jackson1 of ,columbia ,university4 ,this distinguished scholar is considered an eminent authority on ,iranian religions1 and particularly an eye-witness authority on the ,yezidi question4 ,his views1 therefore1 not only deserve careful consideration1 but they demand their full share in solving such an important problem as the one under discussion4 ,i have preferred his discussion of this theory to that of others because he has expressed himself clearly and consistently and without rendering himself liable to misapprehension on the part of the reader4 ,briefly stated1 ,dr4 ,jackson's position is as follows3 8,the ,yezidis may actually show some surviving traces of old devil-worship in ,mazandaran1 which ,zoroaster anathematized so bitterly10 and 8some old reminiscences of common ,iranian faith40 ,to verify this hypothesis1 he proceeds to point out many instances4 ,one example he cites is that 8the ,yezidis are shocked if one spits upon the earth1 because they interpret this as an insult to the devil40 ,he traces this abhorrence to 8,zoroastrian prescription1 forbidding the earth in any way to be defiled40 8,the ,daevayasna or devil-worshippers in ,avesta10 he goes on to say1 8may indirectly have had a kindred notion1 i4 e41 not mentioning the name of ,satan40 ,moreover this ,american critic is informed that the ,yezidis 8believe in a father primeval1 that lived before ,adam1 and did not fall into sin40 ,and this information leads him to think that such a notion helps 8the ,zoroastrian student to recognize at once a far-off reminiscence of ,avestan ,gaya-,mashai1 the ,iranian ,adam and ,eve40#aja ,one noticeable thing in favor of the two schools is that their method is strictly scientific1 in the modern sense of the term4 ,it is a posteriori and not a priori2 it is inductive4 ,yet however scientific their method may seem to be their conclusions cannot be accepted as final4 ,for the inductive method1 according to the great ,french scientist1 ,poincar1 cannot give us exact knowledge because its experiments do not cover all the instances in a given case4 ,there can be only a partial verification4 ,there will always remain some phenomena that cannot be brought within the sphere of a particular observation4#ajb ,now1 this is exactly the case in the subject under consideration4 ,only in some phases does the ,yezidi religion resemble that of the old ,persians4 ,there are other beliefs which do not come under this category1 and which seem to bear the traces of some other religions4 ,what are we to do with these8#ajc ,the advocates of the theory in question admit that such is the case1 but they assert that 8the resemblances of the ,yezidi religion to ,christianity and ,islam are accidental02 that 8owing to the residence of the ,yezidis among the ,mohammedans1 the sect naturally has much in common with ,islam40#ajd ,but why are the resemblances to ,iranism not to be accounted for in the same way as those to other religions8 ,why may not equally strong inference be made from the likeness to ,christianity8 ,and what is the basis of such a discrimination8 ,on these questions we are left entirely in the dark4 ,now1 it is this lack of ground for their method of procedure that leads one to seek the solution of the problem on some other verifiable hypothesis4 ,there is still another school among the western orientalists4 ,i refer to those who maintain that the ,yezidi sect was founded by ei #8,adi4 ,a modern writer who holds this theory1 after critically reviewing the views held by the different scholars1 proceeds to advance his own idea4 ,to emphasize it1 and leave no room for further criticism1 he claims that the theory has been 8generally0 accepted4 ,to quote3 8,it is generally agreed upon that the sect of the ,yezidis was founded by ei #8,adi4 ,he is a historical personage1 but it is exceedingly difficult1 and almost impossible1 to establish any historical facts out of the mist of very fantastic stories current about him40#aje ,he supports his notion by an appeal to an ,arab author1 ,kasi ,ahmad ibn-allikan1 from whom1 according to this writer1 an extract relating to ei #8,adi was published by one who for years was a resident of the city of ,mosul4#ajf ,this statement that ,ibn allikan gives the biography of #8,adi is a fact that cannot be questioned2 but that #8,adi founded the ,yezidi sect is a theory that is by no means 8generally agreed upon40 ,nor can it be substantiated4 ,to justify this position1 let me quote in full what the ,arab biographer and two other ,mohammedan scholars have to say on the problem4 #a ,what ,ibn allikan has to say on ei #8,adi3 8,the ei #8,adi ,ibn ,masafir ,al-,hakkari was an ascetic1 celebrated for the holiness of his life1 and the founder of a religious order called after him ,al-#8,adawiah4 ,his reputation spread to distant countries1 and the number of his followers increased to a great multitude4 ,their belief in his sanctity was so excessive that1 in saying their prayers1 they took him for their ibla2 and imagined that in the next life they would have in him their most precious treasure and their best support4 ,before this1 he had as a disciple a great number of eminent eis and men remarkable for their holiness4 ,he then retired from the world and fixed his residence among the mountains of the ,hakkari1 near ,mosul1 where he built a cell 7or a monastery7 and gained the favor of the people in that country to a degree unexampled in the history of the anchorites4 ,it is said that the place of his birth was a village called ,bait ,far1 situated in the province of ,baalbek1 and that the house in which he was born is still visited 7as a place of sanctity74 ,he died ,a4 ,h4 #eeg 7,a4 ,d4 #aafb71 or as some say ,a4 ,h4 #eee1 in the town where he resided 7in the ,hakkari region74 ,he was interred in the monastery that he had erected4 ,his tomb is much frequented1 being considered by his followers one of the most sacred spots to which a pilgrimage can be made4 ,his descendants continue to wear the same distinctive attire as he did and to walk in his footsteps4 ,the confidence placed in their merits is equal to that formerly shown to their ancestor1 and like him they are treated with profound respect4 ,abu ,ibarakat ibn ,al-,mustawfi notices the ei #8,adi in his history of ,arbela1 and places him in the list of those persons who visited that city4 ,muzaffar ,ad-,din1 the sovereign of ,arbela1 said that when a boy he saw the ei #8,adi at ,mosul4 ,according to him1 he was a man of medium size and tawny complexion2 he related also many circumstances indicative of his great sanctity4 ,the ei died at the age of ninety years40#ajg #b ,what ,mohammed-,amin-,al-#8,omari has to say on ei #8,adi3 8,they say that the ei #8,adi was one of the inhabitants of ,ba#8albek2 that he transported himself to ,mosul1 and from thence to ,jabal ,la1 a dependency of this city 7,mosul71 where he resided until his death4 ,they also say that he was from awran1 and that his lineage goes back as far as ,marwan bn al-akam1 also that he is araf ad ,din ,aboul ,faail #8,adi bn ,masafir bn ,isma#8il bn ,mousa bn ,marwan bn al asan bn ,marwan bn ,mohammed bn ,marwan bn al akam1 who died in the year #eeh4 ,his grave1 which is well known1 is the object of pious pilgrimages40 8,god tried him by a calamity1 to wit1 the appearance of a sect of apostates1 called the ,yezidis1 because they claim to be descended from ,yezid4 ,they adore the sun and render worship to the devil4 ,the following are some of the precepts of their faith that ,i found in a small tract made by one of the inhabitants of ,aleppo1 who knows their religion3 ,i4 ,adultery becomes lawful when committed by 7mutual7 consent4 ,,ii4 ,they pretend that when the day of judgment comes1 the ei #8,adi will put them into a wooden basin which he will place on his head in order to cause them to enter into ,paradise while uttering these contemptuous words3 #8,i do this 7or1 ,i make them do this7 by compelling ,god or in spite of him4' ,,iii4 ,the visit which they pay to the tomb of ei #8,adi is for them a pilgrimage which the devotees accomplished no matter how far distant the country is that they inhabit1 and without being concerned about the expenses that the journey carries with it40#ajh #c ,what ,yasin ,al-,hatib-al-,omari-,al-,mausili has to say on ei #8,adi3 8,in this year #eeg died the saint and the pious devotee #8,adi bn ,musafir1 who performed miracles4 ,his death took place in the city ,hakkariya1 one of the dependencies of ,mosul4 ,his origin is from ,ba#8albek1 which he left in order to come to ,mosul1 that he might consecrate himself to ,god4 ,he passed a solitary life on the mountains and in caverns where lions and other wild beasts visited him often40 8,it is said that he was descended from the family of ,omayyids1 and this is the lineage which he attributed to himself3 #8,adi bn ,musafir bn ,isma#8il bn ,mousa bn ,marwan bn al-asan bn ,marwan bn al-akam bn ,al-#8,ass bn ,omayya40 8,he was versed in the knowledge of the divine law4 ,god tried him by a calamity by raising the ,yezidis1 who pretended that this ei is ,god1 and who have made his tomb the object of their pilgrimage4 ,they arrive there every year at the sound of drums in order to give themselves to games and debauchery40 8,the ,christians of the land1 and especially the partisans of the ,nestorians are far from having the same opinion of the ei #8,adi as have the ,moslems or the ,yezidis4 ,the following passage which one reads in a ,chaldean manuscript entitled #8,awarda'#aji and which ,i saw some time ago in the ,church of ,karmalis1#aaj proves this sufficiently4 ,this is the translation of the passage which ,i have extracted from a song composed by a bishop of ,arbil1 in honor of ,rabban ,hormuzd#aaa and other saints1 and in which the author makes mention of #8,adi in these terms3 8#8,great misfortunes have followed1 falling upon us2 a formidable enemy came to torment us4 ,he was a descendant of ,hagar1 the slave of our mother4 ,this enemy who made our life unfortunate was a ,mohammedan1 called #8,adi4 ,he deceived us by vile tricks1 and has finished by taking possession of our riches and of our convent1 which he consecrated to things that are illicit 7to have a strange worship74 ,an innumerable multitude of ,mussulmen have attached themselves to him and have vowed to him a blind submission4 ,the renown of his name1 which is ei #8,adi1 has spread down to our days in all the cities of all the countries4'0#aab ,these are the accounts which we have of ei #8,adi in his relation to the ,yezidis1 and they deserve our special attention4 ,for not only are the writers scholars of the highest authority1 but they are to a certain extent eye-witness authorities4 ,the last two are from the city of ,mosul1 which is the only city in the ,mohammedan world whose widely spreading scholarship has acquired for it the name 8,dar-al-#8,ulum10 i4 e41 the home of sciences4 ,moreover1 they come from a family whose members are known as #8,olama1 highly intellectual1 broad-minded ,mohammedan gentlemen4 ,while at ,mosul1 ,i had the honor of calling often on asan ,efendi al #8,omari1 and especially on ,suleiman ,efendi al #8,omari4 ,ibn allikan as a trustworthy biographer needs no further introduction than the mere mentioning of his name4 ,what adds to his reputation as a scholar is the fact that1 being a resident of ,arbila in the province of ,mosul1 he had at his command firsthand information4 ,another noteworthy fact is that all three of these scholars agree in their account of ei #8,adi1 in their tracing of his genealogy1 in describing him as the most perfect model of hermits1 in praising him for his manner of life1 which they regard as a life of holiness4 ,they agree also in their definition of the common people's attitude toward the ei3 that he was deified and that his tomb has been made the object of pilgrimage4 ,and finally they are silent about his supposed founding of the sect in question4 ,there is no intimation that he was a heretic1 or that he established such a schism4 ,to be sure1 ,ibn allikan makes mention of a religious order which was called after the ei's name1 but he designates them as #8,adawia and not as ,yezidis4 ,this might have been such an order as the ,brotherhood of ,assanusi1 called after ,mohammed ibn #8,ali as-,sanusi1 or as many other orders of dervishes and eis of mystical type1 that have taken rise from time to time in the religious history of ,islam4 ,the other two speak of the appearance of the ,yezidis1 but they look at the incident as a calamity to the ei because they deified him and worshipped at his tomb4 ,their remarks tend to show that the ,yezidi sect were known as such before the time of #8,adi2 that their appellation was based on the pretension that they were descendants of ,yesid2 that they were apostates from ,islam2 that they were some of those who were attached to #8,adi by reason of his wide reputation as a saint1 and were led by their ignorance to take him for a god2 and that they were worshippers of the sun and the devil4 ,it is inconceivable to us1 if we apply the principles of modern criticism to what we know of the character of the ,mohammedan historians1 that they should write the life of one who is responsible for the rise of a sect1 the foundation of whose religion is the devil1 and not curse him and the devil with him a hundred million times4 ,such are the theories that have been advanced in the discussion relating to the religious origin of the ,yezidi sect1 and we have found not only that they are far from reaching the solution of the problem1 but also that the method that they employ does not seem to be the proper one for solving such a question4 ,the tradition of the ,yezidis that they are descended from ,yezid bn ,mu#8,awiya which has been accepted as the fact by some western scholars is only a myth1 without historical justification4 ,as to the ,christian tradition1 all that can tell us is that some ,yezidis might have been at one time ,christians2 but as to who was the founder of the sect it gives us no light4 ,likewise1 all that we can learn from the theory advocated by the second school is that some phases of the ,persian religion might have survived with that of the devil-worshippers4 ,we may admit1 ,i think1 that some ,yezidis are ,persian in their origin4 ,but as to who was the originator of their religion this theory helps us not a whit4 ,so also we have found that the relation of ei #8,adi to this sect is not that of a founder4 ,he is only one of many whom their ignorance led to class as deities4 ,,iv ,,the ,,dogmatic ,,view ,,of ,,mohammedan ,,scholars ,while the ,yezidi myth regards the sect as descendants of ,adam1 of ,yezid bn ,mu awiya1 or of a colony from the north1 while the ,christian tradition of the ,east traces them to a ,christian origin1 while among the western orientalists some say that they were founded by ,yezid bn ,mu awiya1 others that they are of ,persian origin1 etc41 the ,mohammedan dogmatics1 on the other hand1 assert that they are ,murtaddoon1 that is1 apostates from ,islam4 ,to understand the significance of this term1 ,i must mention the several words used for those who are considered as infidels according to ,mohammedan theology4 ,kafir is one who hides or denies the truth2 ,mushrik is one who ascribes companions to ,god2 ,mulhid is one who has deviated from the truth2 ,zandik is one who asserts his belief in the doctrine of dualism2 ,munafik is one who secretly disbelieves in the mission of ,mohammed2 ,dahri is an atheist2 ,watani is a pagan or idolator2 and finally ,murtadd is one who apostasizes from ,islam4 ,the ,yezidis are put in the category of those who1 after once accepting the religion of ,islam1 later rejected it4 ,one author1 of those to whose writings ,i had access1 in an explicit statement regards these people as apostates4 ,i refer to ,amin-al-#8,omari-al ,mausili 7of ,mosul74 ,after praising ei #8,adi1 the ,mosulian goes on to say1 8,god tried him 7i4 e41 #8,adi7 by a calamity1 to wit1 the appearance of ,al-,murtaddoon1 called the ,yezidis because they pretended to have been descended from ,yezid4#aac ,another ,mohammedan scholar that mentions these people is ,yasin ,al-atib-al-#8,omari-al ,mausili4 ,writing on ei #8,adi1 and praising him as the former writer does1 he says1 8,he was versed in the knowledge of the divine law4 ,god tried him by a calamity by raising up the ,yezidis1 who pretend that this ei is ,god1 and who have made his tomb the object of their pilgrimage4#aad ,while these authors throw some light on the subject that the sect in question derives its appellation from a historic person1 they leave us entirely in the dark as to who that person was1 as the ,arab historians mention many prominent men who bore the name ,yezid4 ,this obscurity regarding the person of the founder of the sect is made clear by one whose work is equally1 if not more1 authoritative than that of any other ,mohammedan scholar on matters pertaining to religious and philosophical sects4 ,this authority is ,mohammed ,a-ahrastani4 ,he is the only ,mohammedan writer that ,i could reach that1 in a clear language1 traces this most interesting sect to its founder4 8,the ,yezidis are the followers of ,yezid bn ,unaisa1 who said that he kept friendship with the first ,muhakkama before the ,azaria1 and he separated himself from those who followed after them with the exception of ,al-,abaia1 for with these he kept friendship4 ,he believed that ,god would send an apostle from among the ,persians and would reveal to him a book that is already written in heaven1 and would reveal the whole 7book7 to him at one time1#aae and as a result he would leave the law of ,mohammed1 the ,chosen ,one1 may ,god bless and save him6--and follow the religion of the ,sabians mentioned in the ,koran4 ,but these are not the ,sabians who are found in aran and ,wasit4 ,but ,yezid kept friendship with the people of the book who recognized the ,chosen ,one as a prophet1 even though they did not accept his 7,mohammed's7 religion4 ,and he said that the followers of the ordinances are among those who agree with him2 but that others are hiding the truth and give companions to ,god and that every sin1 small or great1 is idolatry40#aaf ,it is clear1 then1 that ,a-ahrastani finds the religious origin of this interesting people in the person of ,yezid bn ,unaisa4 ,he calls them his ,aseab1 i4 e41 his followers1 a term by which he designates the relation between a sect and its originator4 ,al-araiyah he describes as 8,aseab al-are10 and 8,al afeziyah ,aseab ,hafez10 and so on4 ,we are to understand1 therefore1 that to the knowledge of the writer1 bn ,unaisa is the founder of the ,yezidi sect1 which took its name from him4 ,mohammed ,a-ahrastani states also1 in a logical way1 the theological views of the head of the ,yezidis4 ,yezid1 he says1 is on the positive side1 in sympathy with the first ,muakkamah before the ,azaria4 ,now1 the first ,muhakkamah is an appellative applied to the ,muslim schismatics called ,al-awarij1 because they disallowed the judgment of the ,hakaman1 i4 e41 the two judges1 namely #8,abd ,mousa al-,a-#8,aree and ,am ibn-al-#8,as2 and said that judgment belongs only to ,god4 ,and ,al-,azaria were a heretical ,muslim sect called ,al-awarij or eroriyah1 so named in relation to ,nafi#8 ibn-,al-,azra4 ,they asserted that #8,ali committed an act of infidelity by submitting his case to arbitration1 and that the slaying of him by ,ibn ,muljama was just2 and they declare that the companions 7of the ,prophet7 were guilty of infidelity4 ,yezid moreover1 is said to have been in sympathy with ,al-,abaiyah1 a sect founded by #8,abd-,allah ibn ,ibad1 who taught that if a man commits a kabirah or great sin he is an infidel and not a believer4 ,it is evident1 therefore1 that according to this exposition the ,yezid in question was one of ,al-awarij1 and their principle is expressly attributed to him3 every sin1 small or great1 is idolatry4 ,according to this it might be inferred that the ,yezidis were originally a arijite sub-sect4 ,they still hold to the arijite principle4 7,cf4 their position to the ,ottoman ,government1 pp4 #ga-gd74 ,as we said some ,mohammedan writers other than ,ashahr-,astani also 7pp4 #aah-aai7 regard them as apostate ,moslems1 ,a-ahrastani himself classes them with the ,moslem heretics4 ,now ,al-awarij were the first to rebel against #8,ali at aroora1 a certain suburb of ,al-,koofa1 from which it is distant two miles4 ,they are called also ,al-eroriyah1 because they first assembled there and accepted the doctrine that government belongs only to ,god4 ,and one sect of ,al-awarij was ,an-,nibiyah who made it a matter of religious obligation to bear a violent hatred to #8,ali4 ,such is the place of bn ,unaisa among the ,moslem heretics1 but this is only one side of his religious system4#aag ,there is another side to ,yezid's doctrine4 ,he held that ,god would send an apostle from ,persia1 to whom he would reveal a book already written in heaven4 ,this apostle was to be an opponent of the prophet of ,islam in that he would leave ,mohammed's religion and follow that of the abians mentioned in the ,koran4 ,these are referred to by ,mohammed1 together with the ,christians and the ,jews1 in three different places in the ,book4 ,one such reference is in ,surah #b1 #ei3 8,they who believe as well as ,jews1 ,christians and ,sabeans1 whoever believeth in ,god and in the ,last ,day1 and do that which is right1 shall have their reward with their ,lord40 ,surah #e1 #gc1 also3 8,they who believe as well as ,jews1 ,christians and ,sabeans1 whoever of them believe in ,god and the ,last ,day1 and do what is right1 on them shall no fear come2 neither shall they be put to grief40 ,and ,surah #bb1 #ag3 8,they who believe as well as ,jews1 ,sabeans and ,christians and the ,magians1 and those who join gods with ,god1 verily ,god shall decide between them on the ,day of ,resurrection40 99 99 99 99 99 ,in these passages ,mohammed seems to regard the ,sabians of the ,koran as believers in the true ,god and in the resurrection4 ,and in ,surah #bb1 #ag1 he seems to distinguish them from ,magians and polytheists4 ,hence1 we are to infer that the ,apostle of whom ,yezid bn ,unaisa says that he will come from the land of the ,ajam 7,persian71 will identify himself with the religion of the abians4 ,this implies that he will believe in the true ,god and in the ,day of ,resurrection4 ,but from some ,arab writers we learn more of these abian beliefs than the ,prophet of ,islam has mentioned4 ,according to some the abians were a sect of unbelievers who worshipped the stars secretly1 and openly professed to be ,christians4 ,according to others1 they were of the religion of abi1 the son of ,seth1 the son of ,adam2 while others said they resembled the ,christians1 except that their iblah was toward the ,south1 from whence the wind blows4 ,in the ,kams it is said that they were of the religion of ,noah4 ,al-,baiawi says that some assert that they were worshippers of angels1 and that others say that they are the worshippers of stars4 ,al-,bertuni calls the ,manichaeans of ,samarand ,sabians4 ,bar ,hebraeus#aah asserts that the religion of the ,sabians is the same as that of the ancient ,chaldeans4 ,in commenting on ,surah #b1 #ei1 ,zamaari 7,al-,keaf7 says that the name abian comes from a root meaning one who has departed from one religion to another religion1 and that the abians were those who departed from ,judaism and ,christianity and worshipped angels4 ,on this same verse1 ams ,ad-,din ,mohammed ,al-arrani 7,jami ,al-,bijan fi ,tafsir ,al-,koran7 says3 8,the abians1 i4 e41 those who departed from one religion to another religion1 stood between the ,magians and the ,jews and the ,christians without having any revealed religion of their own4 ,according to some they were people of the ,book2 according to others they were worshippers of angels2 while others say1 they believed in one ,god but followed no ,prophet40 ,this same commentator on ,surah #e1 #gc1 says3 8,the abians were a ,christian sect2 some say that they were worshippers of angels2 others assert that they worshipped ,god alone1 but had no revealed religion40 ,on this same verse ,zamaari remarks1 8,the abians were those who departed from all religions40 ,now what ,mohammed ,a-ahrastani really means by the abians of the ,koran1 ,i am unable to state4 ,in his general discussion of abianism however 7vol4 #b1 pp4 #bja-bej71 he seems to speak of two main abian sects4 ,he refers to one together with the ancient philosophers2 and declares that the abians followed rational ordinances and judgments which originally they may have derived from some prophetic authority1 but that they denied all prophecy4 ,the philosophers followed their own devices and took their system from no prophetic source4 ,the authority we are quoting calls this sect 8the original abian sect10 and says that it followed ,seth and ,enoch4 ,in another place 7vol4 #a1 p4 #bd7 he writes1 8,the ,jews and the ,christians follow a revealed ,book2 the ,magians and the ,manichans1 a like ,book2 the original abian sect1 ordinances and judgments1 but accepts no ,book2 the original philosophers1 the atheists1 the star-worshippers1 the idol-worshippers1 and the ,brahmans believe in none of these40 ,the other main abian sect is mentioned together with the ,jews1 the ,christians1 and the ,moslems4 ,the difference between these religious bodies1 according to ,a-ahrastani1 is that 8the abians do not follow the ,law 7of ,god7 or ,islam2 the ,christians and the ,jews believe in these1 but do not accept the ,law 7religion7 of ,mohammed2 while the ,moslems believe in them all4 ,a-ahrastani1 moreover1 derives the name abian 7p4 #bjc7 from a root meaning one who turns aside1 deviates2 and declares that the abians were those who turned aside from the statutes of ,god1 and deviated from the path of the prophets4 ,he seems to regard the notion that man is incapable of approaching ,god1 and that therefore he is in constant need of intercessors and mediators1 as a controlling idea in abianism4 ,this belief1 the writer points out1 has manifested itself in three different forms3 in the veneration of angels among what he calls the followers of angels2 the adoration of stars among the followers of stars2 and in the worship of idols among the followers of idols1 heathens 7pp4 #bjc1 #bdd74 ,the last two1 we are told1 are polytheists1 and referred to in the ,koranic statement3 78,when ,abraham said to his father1 ,azar1 #8,dost thou take idols for gods8'--,surah #f1 #gd4 ,said he--,abraham--#8,do ye serve what ye hew out8'--,surah #cg1 #ic4 ,when he--,abraham--said to his father1 #8,oh my sir6 why dost thou worship what can neither hear nor see nor avail thee aught8'--,surah #ai1 #dc407 ,and in the following references3 78,and when the night overshadowed him he saw a star and said1 #8,this is my ,lord4' ,and when he saw the moon beginning to rise he said1 #8,this is my ,lord4' ,and when he saw the sun beginning to rise he said1 #8,this is my ,lord1 this is greatest of all4'07--,surah #f1 #gf1 #gg1 #gh4 ,but ,mohammed ,a-ahrastani makes mention of another abian sect which he names ,al-arbniyah 7pp4 #bdh-bej74 ,its distinctive feature1 he says1 is the belief that the ,creator indwelleth in other beings4 ,they held that ,god is one in his essence1 but many in his appearances4 ,he dwells in the seven planets1 and in the earthly beings that are rational1 good1 and excellent in righteousness4 ,human body is his temple2 he may abide within it and live and move as a man4 ,he is too good1 we read1 to create anything evil4 ,god is the source of good1 and evil is either an accidental and necessary thing1 or related to the evil source4 ,they believed also1 our authority informs us1 in the transmigration of souls1 and taught that the ,resurrection of which the prophets had spoken was only the end of one generation and the beginning of another here on earth4 ,this doctrine1 the ,mohammedan critics affirm1 is alluded to in the passages3 78,does he promise you that when ye are dead1 and have become dust and bones1 that then ye will be brought forth8 ,away1 away with what ye are promised1--there is only our life in the world6 ,we die and we live and we shall not be raised407--,surah #bc1 #cg-ci4 ,now ,i cannot say which of the abian sects are those that 8are mentioned in the ,koran10 which ,yezid bn ,unaisa says1 the ,persian ,apostle will follow2 nor can ,i say which are those that 8are found in arran and ,wasit40 ,one thing1 however1 is clear3 according to ,a-ahrastani the abians of the ,koran differ in their faith from those of arran4 ,the arranians were remnants of the old heathen of ,mesopotamia2 they were polytheistic1 and star-worship had the chief place in their religion1 as in the worship of the older ,babylonian and ,syrian faiths4 ,they were regarded as such by the ,mohammedans1 so that under ,al-,mamn1 they sheltered themselves under the name1 abians1 that they might be entitled to the toleration which the abians of the ,koran have because they were considered among the people of the ,book4#aai ,another thing to be noticed is that there is a close resemblance between the belief of the abian sect which ,a-ahrastani calls ,al-arbniyah and that of the ,yezidi sect4 ,such is1 in the main1 the religion of the ,persian ,apostle and is logically the religion of ,yezid bn ,unaisa which announces the coming of such a messenger4 ,we may conclude1 therefore1 that the founder of the ,yezidi sect believed in ,god and in the ,day of ,resurrection2 that he1 perhaps1 honored the angels and the stars1 and that he was neither polytheistic nor a true believer in the ,prophet of ,islam4 ,this last point is referred to also explicitly in the statement quoted1 that ,yezid associated himself with those of the people of the ,book who recognized ,mohammed as a prophet though they did not become his followers4 ,this is the negative aspect1 so to speak1 of bn ,unaisa's religious views4 ,he is also said to have claimed that the followers of the ordinances#abj agreed with him4 ,this statement tends to indicate that he might have accepted some phases of the ,muslim faith4 ,and the fact that he belonged to ,al-awarij implies that he was one of those who were 8condemning and rejecting #8,ali for his scandalous crime of parleying with ,mu#8awiya1 the first of the ,omayyid line1 and submitting his claims to arbitration40 ,such are in brief the fundamental elements in the religious system of one who may be held responsible for the rise of the sect in question4 ,there can be no doubt1 it seems to me1 that the ,yezidis are the followers of ,yezid bn ,unaisa4 ,the statement of our authority1 ,mohammed ,a-ahrastani 7see pp4 #aai-abj71 is so clear that it can bear no other interpretation4 ,and what is far more important1 it comes from the pen of one who is considered of the highest authority among the ,arab scholars on questions relating to philosophical and religious sects4 ,in his bibliographical work ,ibn allikan speaks of his profound scholarship in the highest terms3 8,a-ahrastani1 a dogmatic theologian of the #8,aarite sect1 was distinguished as an ,imam and a doctor of the law4 ,he displayed the highest abilities as a jurisconsult4 ,the ,kitab al-,milal wa n-,nial 7treatise on religions and sects7 is one of his works on scholastic theology4 ,he remained without an equal in that branch of science40 ,now1 ,mohammed ,a-ahrastani 7,a4 ,h4 #dfg-edi7 ,a4 ,d4 #ajgd-aacc was a contemporary of #8,adi 7,a4 ,h4 #dfe-eee7 ,a4 ,d4 #ajgb-aafb1 yet he makes no allusion to him when he refers to the rise of this most interesting sect2 nor does he make mention of any other supposed founder except the one he records4 ,for these reasons ,i accept the historical assertion of this distinguished author4 ,i am of the opinion1 therefore1 that the ,yezidis received their name from ,yezid bn ,unaisa1 their founder as a kharijite sub sect in the early period of ,islam2 that1 attracted by ei #8,adi's reputation1 they joined his movement and took him for their chief religious teacher2 that in the early history of the sect and of #8,adi many ,christians1 ,persians1 and ,moslems united with it2 and that large survivals or absorptions of pagan beliefs or customs are to be found in modern ,yezidism4 ,in other words the actual religion of the ,yezidis is syncretism in which it is easy to recognize ,yezidi1 ,christian1 ,moslem1 especially sufism and pagan elements4 ,like the master they believe in the true ,god and in the ,resurrection1 honor the angels and the stars1 disbelieve in the mission of ,mohammed and ignore #8,ali1 regard every sin1 small or great1 as idolatry or infidelity1 and expect the appearance of a prophet from ,persia4 ,the fact of their connection with such a religious leader explains the reason why they are hated by both the ,sunnites and the ,shiites4 ,the followers of bn ,my#8awiya can only be despised by the latter2 but the believer such a heretical one as the son of ,unaisa are necessarily condemned by the former also4 ,for he was1 as ,i have already stated1 anti-,mohammed and anti-#8,ali4 ,and it is worth remembering also that the fourth ,calif is more honored among the ,moslems of ,persia than his son usein is2 and consequently any contemptuous attitude toward the father will give rise to more bitter feeling on the part of his followers than the murder of the son would occasion4 ,there is one question1 however1 which does not appear to be very easy to answer2 namely1 how the ,yezidis came to trace their origin to ,yezid bn ,mu#8awiya and not to ,yezid bn ,unaisa4 ,three explanations may be given4 ,one is that their ignorance led them to mistake the former for the latter1 as they have identified many of their eis with angels and deities4 ,among ignorant people1 as these are1 without record and without any one who can read1 the occasion of such an error is not strange4 ,another answer is that they intentionally made the identification in order to escape the persecution of the ,sunnites1 among whom most of them lived4 ,though specious1 this idea is not tenable1 for it is not their habit to deny their origin for the sake of safety4 ,even in that case1 they would still be hated by the ,shiites4 ,the third theory is that they have a notion that they are descended from a noble personage1 and the second ,calif being such a personage1 their ignorance led them to take him for their founder4 ,and the identity of the two names1 of course1 helped much toward the formation of the legend4 ,it is to be noticed that the religion of this ,yezid contained1 from its inception1 a fundamental doctrine which appealed to the pagans of ,persia more than it did to ,al-jahaleen of ,arabia4 ,in its very structure it insulted the latter country by despising its prophet4 ,on the other hand1 it expressed its sympathy with a prophet from ,persia and with his religion4 ,this declaration magnified ,persia and its inhabitants and gave them preminence1 thereby making an impression on the attitude of the people toward ,yezidism4 ,therefore they looked on it not as a foreign but as a native cult4 ,the entertaining of such a view1 consequently1 led many fire1 or devil-worshippers and the followers of ,zoroastrianism to embrace the new religion 7,al-marik1 vol4 #b1 p4 #ce74 ,and if the predicted teacher arose1 we can imagine the great success which he must have had among his countrymen4 ,this fact not only accounts for the existence of traces of old ,persian religion1 but it gives the reason why the ,kurdish predominates over the ,arab element in ,yezidism4 ,the new sect appears to have existed as a very loose organization after the death of its founder3 this looseness put them in a condition to follow any one who would exhibit some qualifications for leadership4 ,therefore1 when they heard about #8,adi they naturally flocked to him4 ,and it is very likely that1 entertaining the idea of a coming prophet as they still do1 they might have thought him the promised one4 ,what might have added to the confirmation of this notion was his fame as a saint1 to whom a number of miracles were attributed4 ,even the lions and the serpents which lived in his neighborhood and paid him frequent visits were endowed1 it is said1 with supernatural sweetness4 ,from what we know of #8,adi's movement1 we have sufficient reason to conclude that many ,moslems and ,christians followed him4 ,the historians of both faiths bear witness to the fact that #8,adi's reputation was widespread1 and that people of every condition followed him 7see pp4 #aaa-aae74 ,the ,nestorian bishop of ,arbela1 whom ,yasin ,al-#8,omari quotes 7see p4 #aad71 asserts that innumerable multitudes flocked to him1 deplores the situation of the ,christian church resulting from this uprising1 and complains of the possession by the ei of a monastery belonging to his denomination4 ,moreover1 as has been shown1 there exist among the ,yezidis certain ,moslem and ,christian practices which cannot be accounted for on any other ground1 since1 so far as we know their character1 they make no compromise in matters of religion4 ,not only ,yezidi1 ,persian1 ,moslem1 and ,christian elements are to be found in modern ,yezidism1 but there are many remains of the old pagan religions which find expression in the devil-worshippers of to-day4 ,such is the notion of the sacredness of the number seven1 an idea which belongs to the common stock of the ancient inhabitants of ,mesopotamia4 ,the ,yezidis have seven sanjaks1 each has seven burners2 their cosmogony shows that ,god created seven angels or gods2 their principal prayer is the appeal to ,god through seven eis2 the sceptre engraved on the front of the temple of their great saint has seven branches4 ,this reminds us at once of the abians who adored seven gods or angels who directed the course of seven planets2 the seven days of the week were dedicated to their respective deities4 ,moreover1 we note in the ,babylonian-,assyrian poem1 the seven gates through which ,itar descended to the land without return4 ,likewise1 the number seven played an important part in the religious system of ,israel4 ,further1 like the arranians1 the modern atan-parast worship the sun and the moon at their rising and setting4 ,the sun was worshipped also in ,canaan1 ,i ,sam4 #f3 #i4 ,the horses of the sun were worshipped in the temple at ,jerusalem1 ,,ii ,kings #be3 #e1 #aa4 ,the worship of the host of heaven 7the sun1 the moon1 the planets71 were found in ,judea4 ,in ,babylon1 there were at least two shrines to sun-god amas1 one at ,sippar1 and the other at ,larsa4 ,other survivals of the ancient religions found in ,yezidism are the worship of birds 7see p4 #aej72 the special importance attached to the ,new ,year because of its bearing on individual welfare by reason of the good or evil decision of the gods rendered them 7see pp4 #df1 #agd72 and the belief in occurrences of nuptials in the heavens 7see p4 #agd74 ,moreover1 many religious beliefs of the ,pre-,islamic ,arabs survive among the modern ,yezidis4 ,such is the belief in sacred wells in connection with sanctuaries found in all parts of the ,semitic region1 the most conspicuous of which is that of ,mecca4 ,gifts were cast into this holy water of ,zamzam1 as they were cast into the sacred wells of other places4 ,when the grandfather of ,mohammed #8,abd ,al-,muttalib cleaned out the well1 he found two golden gazelles and a number of swords4 ,the water of such holy springs was believed to possess healing power1 and was carried home by pilgrims1 as the water of ,zamzam now is 7,yaut ,i1 #dcd74aba ,an impure person1 furthermore1 dared not approach the sacred waters4 ,a woman in her uncleanness was afraid for her children's sake to bathe in the holy water at the sanctuary of ,dusares4 ,according to ,ibn ,hiam 8,a woman who adopts ,islam breaks with the heathen god by purifying herself in this pool40 ,this was taken to mean that her act was a breach of the ritual of the spot4 ,and all the pilgrims changed their clothes when they entered the sacred precinct4#abb ,another common heathen practice in the time of ,al-jahliya was the worship of holy trees4 ,according to ,tabari there was a date-palm tree at ,nejran4 ,it was adored at an annual feast1 when it was hung all around with fine clothes and women's ornaments4 ,a similar tree to which the people of ,mecca resorted annually1 and hung upon it weapons1 garments1 ostriches' eggs1 and other things1 is spoken of in the tradition of the prophet under the name of 8dhat anwat10 or 8tree to hang things on40#abc ,the ,goddess ,al-#8,ozza was believed to reside in a tree4 ,according to ,yaut 7,,iii1 #bfa71 the tree at ,hadaibiya1 mentioned in the ,koran 7sura ,,xlviii1 #ah7 was visited by pilgrims who expected to derive a blessing from it1 till it was cut down by the ,calif ,omar lest it should be worshipped like ,al-,lat and ,al-#8,ozza4 ,it was considered deadly to pluck a twig from such sacred trees4 ,the prevalence of stone-worship is another sign of paganism existing before ,islam1 and noteworthy is the theory advanced by the ,mohammedan writers to account for its origin4 ,according to ,ibn ,hiam#abd the beginning of this idolatry was that 8the ,meccans when their land became too narrow for them spread abroad over the country1 and all took stones from their sanctuary1 the ,kaaba1 out of reverence for their temple1 and they set them up whenever they formed a settlement2 and they walked around them as they used to go about the ,holy ,house4 ,this led them at last to worship every stone that pleased their fancy40 ,it is to be noticed1 furthermore1 that poly-demonism1 i4 e41 the belief in divine powers1 in spirits1 is the most characteristic feature of the old nomad religions4 ,many traces of this belief have been preserved in the ,old ,testament1 and also in the popular religion of the ,syria and ,palestine of to-day4 ,there are many instances in the ,old ,testament of the belief in divine powers inhabiting springs1 trees1 stones4 ,we may refer to the sacred wells at ade 7,gen4 #ad3 #g7 and at ,beereba 7,gen4 #ba1 #bh1 #cj1 #ca72 to the sacred oracular tree at ,shekem 7,gen4 #ab1 #f2 ,deut4 #aa1 #c72 to the sacred stone of ,bethel1 which gave the place its name1 as it is called 8a house of ,god0 7,gen4 #bh1 #bb74abe ,now1 the traces of all these religious beliefs are found in modern ,yezidism4 ,in connection with the temple of ei #8,adi1 there is a sacred spring1 and there are similar ones in different parts of the ,yezidi districts4 ,the water of these springs is held to have healing power1 and is carried by pilgrims to their homes4 ,in these pools1 especially in that of #8,adi's1 the ,yezidis cast coins1 jewelry1 and other presents1 which1 they think1 the chief saint takes from time to time2 and to this day no one may enter the holy valley with its sacred fountain1 unless he first purify his body and clothes4#abf ,the devil-worshippers adore1 likewise1 sacred trees4 ,they make pilgrimages to them1 hang things on them1 and entertain the belief that whoever unties or shakes off a shred of cloth will be afflicted with disease4 ,again1 the ,yezidis kiss the stones that satisfy their imagination1 and make vows to them 7see pp4 #da1 #ej74 ,nor is this all4 ,the shouting of the ,yezidi pilgrims1 as they reach the sacred territory1 and the noisy ceremony of their ajj1 with its dancing#abg and its excitement--a rite which has brought against them all sorts of accusations#abh--;are nothing but the remnants of ,pre-,islamic paganism4#abi ,such1 then1 are the steps which the religion of ,yezid took before it came to shape itself into its present form4 ,it is made up of five different elements1 pagan1 that contributed by the founder1 ,persian1 ,mohammedan1 and ,christian4 ,does not such a state of affairs find a historical parallel in some other religions8 ,take1 for example1 ,christianity4 ,in it we find that the distinctive characteristics of the founder have been wrapped up in many foreign elements brought in by those who came from other religions4 ,,notes ,,on ,,chapter ,i #ga ,this may be traced to the ,mohammedan myth that when the primal pair fell from their estate of bliss in the heavenly ,paradise1 ,adam landed on a mountain in ,ceylon and ,eve fell at ,jiddah1 on the western coast of ,arabia4 ,after a hundred years of wandering1 they met near ,meccah1 and here ,allah constructed for them a tabernacle1 on the site of the present ,kaaba4 ,s4 ,m4 ,zwemer1 ,arabia1 p4 #ag2 ,a-ahrastani1 ,,ii1 #dcj4 #gb ,anistase3 ,al-,marik1 vol4 #b1 p4 #cc4 #gc ,cf4 p4 #ce4 #gd ,cf4 p4 #cd4 #ge ,cf4 p4 #cg4 #gf ,al-,marik1 vol4 #b1 p4 #cc4 #gg ,scottish ,geog4 ,mag41 vol4 #ad1 p4 #bie4 #gh ,layard3 ,nineveh and ,its ,remains1 vol4 #aa1 p4 #bed4 #gi ,layard3 ,nineveh and ,babylon1 p4 #id4 #hj ,s4 ,g4 ,m41 vol4 #ad1 p4 #cjj4 #ha ,fraser3 ,mesopotamia and ,persia1 p4 #bhg4 #hb ,fraser3 ,ibid41 p4 #adg4 #hc ,rich3 ,residence in ,kurdistan1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #fi4 #hd ,al-,marik1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cif4 #he ,ibid1 vol4 ,,iii1 p4 #dic4 #hf ,fraser3 ,ibid2 ,rich1 ibid4 #hg ,badger3 ,nestorians and ,their ,rituals1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #aaa2 ,fraser1 ibid41 p4 #bhe4 #hh ,al-,marik1 ibid1 p4 #cf4 #8,abdi was at one time bishop of ,sinjar2 cf4 ,fardaisa de #8,eden1 ed4 by ,b4 ,cardai1 ,beirut1 #ahhi1 p4 #e4 #hi ,ibid1 pp4 #ef1 #aaj1 #hcb4 #ij ,ibid4 ,this rite is practiced by the ,yezidis of alitiyeh1 a dependency of ,diarbeker1 where the ,yezidis are few in number4 #ia ,southgate3 ,a ,tour ,through ,armenia1 etc41 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #agi4 #ib ,see p4 #db of this book4 ,badger1 ibid1 p4 #abh4 #ic ,i mean by the philosophical method the attempt to prove certain assumption by theorizing1 and by the historical method the endeavor to verify a theory by obtaining data from historical sources4 ,the former method is based on speculation2 the latter on historical inquiry4 #id ,the ,enc4 of ,mission1 p4 #gig4 ,in his letter to me of date ,august #f1 #aijg1 the ,rev4 ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus1 of ,mardin1 says3 8,the ,yezidis may be related in religious cult with the ,guebres of ,india40 #ie ,muir3 ,life of ,mohammed1 vol4 ,,iv1 p4 #aea4 #if ,fraser3 ibid1 p4 #bje4 #ig ,badger1 ibid1 p4 #abi4 #ih ,s4 ,g4 ,m41 vol4 #ad4 #ii ,eugene ,bore3 ,dict4 des ,religions1 ,t4 ,,iv1 ,art4 ,yezidis1 ,southgate1 ibid1 p4 #cag4 #ajj ,fraser1 ibid1 p4 #bhi4 #aja ,jackson3 ,persia1 ,past and ,present1 p4 #aj2 ,j4 ,a4 ,o4 ,s41 #be1 p4 #agh1 ,new ,int4 ,enc4 8,yezidis40 #ajb ,h4 ,poincar3 ,science and ,hypothesis4 ,trans41 ,g4 ,b4 ,halsted1 p4 #e seq4 #ajc ,the fact that the importance of the method of comparative religion has been generally recognized in the scientific world has led to the danger of rushing into the other extreme of paying attention exclusively to points of similarity and resemblance1 and of entirely disregarding1 or at any rate thrusting into the background as unimportant that which is dissimilar4 #ajd ,southgate1 ibid1 p4 #cag2 ,jackson1 ,j4 ,a4 ,o4 ,s41 vol4 ,,xxv1 p4 #aga4 #aje ,victor ,dingelstedt1 ,s4 ,g4 ,m41 vol4 ,,xiv1 p4 #bie4 #ajf ,siouffi1 who was for about twenty years a ,french vice-consul in ,mosul4 #ajg ,ibn allikan1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #caf4 #ajh ,manhal ,al-,uliya wa ,marab-ul-,afia1 8ei #8,adi10 quoted by ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 ,journal ,asiatique1 #ahhe1 p4 #hj4 #aji ,warda1 8the rose10 is the name of a collection of hymns composed by ,george ,warda 7#abbd ,a4 ,d471 ,bishop of ,arbila2 cf4 ,bar ,hebraeus1 ,chron4 ,eccl41 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #djb4 ,warda is one of the most conspicuous writers of hymns in the thirteenth century which was the age of song with the ,nestorian church4 ,his poems have entered so largely into the use of the ,nestorian church that one of their service books is to this day called the ,warda2 ,badger1 ,the ,nestorians1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #be4 ,some of his hymns speak of the calamities of the years #abbd-abbg4 ,a few specimens are given by ,cardai in ,liber ,thesauri1 p4 #ea4 ,badger has translated one in his ,nestorians1 vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #ea-eg4 ,warda's poems have been edited by ,heinrich ,hilgenfeld1 ,ausgewhlte ,gesnge des ,giworgis ,warda von ,arbil1 ,leipzig1 #aijd1 and by ,manna1 ,mosul1 #aija4 #aaj ,the village ,karmalis is about twelve miles distant from ,mosul1 and is inhabited by ,chaldeans1 that is1 ,romanized ,nestorians4 #aaa ,rabban ,hormuzd is a ,chaldean monastery at ,alko1 a village about twenty miles north of ,mosul4 #aab ,al-,der-,al-,makn#8un fi-l-,miater ,al-,maiyat min ,al-erun1 8ei #8,adi10 quoted by ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 ,journal ,asiatique1 #ahhe1 p4 #ha4 ,yaut 7vol4 ,,iv1 p4 #cgd7 also regards ei #8,adi an orthodox ,mohammedan2 8ei #8,adi bn ,musafir ,a-afe#8e1 ei of the ,kurds and their ,imam40 #8,adi's orthodoxy is seen also in his writing4 ,he wrote #8,itiad ,ahl ,al-,sunna 8,belief of the ,sunnites10 the ,wasaya 8,consuls to the ,cailifs10 and two odds both of them mystic in their conception4 ,they are all preserved in the ,berlin ,library2 cf4 ,clement ,huart1 ,history of ,arabic ,literature1 p4 #bgc4 #aac ,manhal-al-,uliya wa ,marab ul ,afiya1 8ei #8,adi10 quoted by ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 ,journal ,asiatique1 #ahhe1 p4 #hj4 #aad ,al-,der-,al-,makn#8un fi-l-,miater ,al-,maiyat min ,al-ern1 8ei #8,adi10 quoted by ,m4 ,n4 ,siouffi1 ,journal ,asiatique1 #ahhe1 p4 #ha4 #aae ,contrary to ,mohammed to whom1 according to ,moslem belief1 the ,koran was revealed at intervals4 #aaf ,kitab ,al-,milal wa n-,nihal1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #aja seq4 arran was a city in the north of ,mesopotamia1 and southeast of ,edessa1 at the junction of the ,damascus road with the highway from ,nineveh to ,carchamish4 ,the moon-god had a temple in arran1 which enjoyed a high reputation as a place of pilgrimage4 ,the city retained its importance down to the time of the ,arab ascendency1 but it is now in ruins4 ,yaut 7vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cca7 says3 8,it was the home of abians2 that is1 the arranians who are mentioned by the authors of ,kutub ,al-,milal wa n-,nihal40 ,as to ,wasit this same ,yaut 7vol4 ,,iv1 p4 #hha7 mentions about twenty different places bearing this name4 ,the most prominent one is that built by ,al-,hajjaj in #hc ,a4 ,h4 ,it is called ,wasit 8the intermediate0 because it was situated midway between ,kufa and ,basrah4 ,another place ,yaut 7p4 #hhi7 mentions is ,wasit ul-,raat1 a town on the western side of the ,euphrates1 and about two days' journey from arran4 ,perhaps this is the ,wasit that ,a-ahrastan means4 #aag ,on these sects1 see ,a-ahrastan1 ibid1 vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #he1 #hg1 #hi1 #ajj 7#db74 ,his history1 ed4 ,sachau1 ,leipzig1 #ahgh1 p4 #bjg4 #aah ,at-,tarih1 ed4 ,alton ,salhan1 ,berut1 p4 #bff4 #aai ,fihrist1 p4 #cbj4 ,the ,arabs used to call the ,prophet ,a-abi1 because he departed from the religion of the ,koreish to ,al-,islam2 cf4 ,al-,keaf on ,surah ,,xxii1 #ag4 #abj ,hudud1 pl4 of ,hadad1 restrictive ordinances1 or statutes1 of ,god respecting things lawful and things unlawful4 ,the ,hudud of ,god are of two kinds3 ,first1 those ordinances respecting eatables1 drinkables1 marriage1 etc41 what are lawful thereof and what are unlawful4 ,second1 castigations1 or punishments1 prescribed1 or appointed1 to be inflicted upon him who does that which he has been forbidden to do4 ,the first kind are called ,hudud because they denote limits which ,god has forbidden to transgress2 the second1 because they prevent one's committing again those acts for which they are appointed as punishments1 or because the limits thereof are determined4 ,see ,lane's ,arabic ,dictionary in ,loco4 #aba ,cf4 also ,w4 ,r4 ,smith1 ,religion of the ,semites1 p4 #afg1 and ,d4 ,b4 ,stade's ,biblische ,theologie des ,alten ,testaments1 pp4 #aaa and #bij4 #abb ,r4 ,smith1 ibid1 p4 #di2 cf4 ,ex4 #c3 #e1 8,and he said1 ,draw not nigh hither2 put off thy shoes from off thy feet1 for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground02 and ,josh4 #e3 #ae1 8,and the captain of the ,lord's host said unto ,joshua3 ,loose thy shoe from off thy feet1 for the place whereon thou standest is holy4 ,and ,joshua did so40 ,in idolatrous days the ,arabs did not wear any clothing in making the circuit of the ,kaaba4 ,in ,islam1 the orthodox way is as follows3 ,arrived within a short distance of ,mecca1 the pilgrims put off their ordinary clothing and assume the garb of a hajjee4 ,sandals may be worn but not shoes1 and the head must be left uncovered4 ,in ,mandeanism1 each person as he or she enters the ,mikana1 or tabernacle1 disrobes1 and bathes in the little circular reservoir4 ,on emerging from the water1 each one robes him or herself in the rasta1 the ceremonial white garment4--,the ,london ,standard1 ,oct4 #ai1 #ahid4 ,prayer ,meeting of the ,starworshippers4 #abc ,cf4 ,r4 ,smith1 ibid1 p4 #ahe1 and ,stade1 ibid1 p4 #aaa seq4 #abd ,weil's translation1 p4 #ci4 #abe ,cf4 ,r4 ,smith1 ibid1 pp4 #bjc-bab2 ,s4 ,i4 ,curtiss' ,primitive ,semitic ,religion ,to-day1 pp4 #hd-hi2 ,stade1 ibid1 p4 #aad1 seq42 see also ,,ii ,sam4 #e3 #bd1 and ,john #e3 #b1 #c4 ,the original idea might have been that the waters1 the stones1 and the trees themselves were divinities4 ,in ,jud4 #e3 #ba1 we have the statement3 8,the river ,kishon swept them away1 that ancient river1 the river ,kishon40 ,now ,kais was the name of an ,arabian god in ,pre-,islamic time4 ,in ,num4 #e3 #ag seq41 an accused woman is tested by a sacred water4 ,in ,deut4 #cb3 #d1 8,he is the rock10 8rock0 is as much a term for ,god as ,el1 or elohim2 cf4 verses #ae1 #ah1 #cj1 #ca2 ,,ii ,sam4 #bc3 #c4 ,in ,ps4 #ah3 #b1 the word rock is used of ,god1 8the ,lord is my rock40 ,jacob took the stone which he had put under his head as a pillow1 and raised it up as a pillar1 poured oil upon it and called it the 8house of ,god10 ,gen4 #bh3 #ah1 #ai1 #bb4 8,the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees0 7,,ii ,sam4 #e3 #bd71 for which ,david was to wait1 was nothing less than the divine voice speaking to ,david in accordance with ancient conceptions4 #abf ,layard3 ,nineveh and ,its ,remains1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #bhj4 #abg ,dancing might have been also a religious ceremony in the ,pre-,kanaanitic religion of ,israel4 #abh ,the people in the ,east are under the impression that the ,yezidis violate the law of morality during their festivals4 ,according to ,hurgronje 7vol4 #b1 pp4 #fa-fd71 immorality is practised also in the sacred mosque of ,mecca4 ,this practice may be a survival of the institution of ,kadeshes1 who offered themselves in honor of the ,deity in the sacred places where license usually prevailed during the festivals 7,gen4 #ch3 #ba1 and ,deut4 #bc3 #ah74 #abi ,cf4 ,r4 ,w4 ,smith1 ibid1 p4 #dcb4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,essential ,,elements ,,in ,,yezidism ,although comparatively few in number1 ignorant1 and practically without a literature of any sort1 the followers of ,yezid are not without definitely formulated doctrines of faith which bind them together as a sect1 and distinguish them from every other religious body4 ,they cherish two fundamental beliefs4 ,they believe in a deity of the first degree1 ,god2 and in a deity of the second degree1 who1 they seem to think1 is composed of three persons in one1 ,melek s1 ei #8,adi and ,yezid4#acj ,i ,,the ,,yezidi ,,view ,,of ,,god ,it is not easy to discover whether the conception of ,god1 which exists to-day among the ,yezidis1 however shadowy1 has come from ,mohammedan or ,christian sources1 or whether it comes from that primitive stage where the worship of ,god and of inferior deities exists side by side4 ,one thing1 however1 is apparent1 and that is that the ,yezidi notion of ,god does not seem to be influenced by any 8positive religion0 which traces its origin to the teachings of a great religious founder1 who spoke as the organ of a divine revelation1 and deliberately departed from the traditional religion4 ,the ,yezidis' idea of ,god is rather an image left on their mind than the result of any reflection4 ,hence1 simple as it is1 this conception is not so easy to define4 ,the notion1 so prominent in ,greek philosophy1 of ,god as an existence absolute and complete in himself1 unchangeable1 outside of time and space1 etc41 is unknown in ,yezidi theology4 ,so also the theocratic conception of ,jehovah in ,judaism is foreign to the dogma of this sect4 ,not even the ,mohammedan idea of ,god as an absolute ruler1 and the distinctive notion which the ,christians have of ,god as ,christ-like in character1 are to be found in the religion of the devil-worshippers4 ,and we have accustomed ourselves to think of the ,supreme ,being in these conventional terms4 ,there is one element1 however1 which may be traced to ,judaism1 ,christianity and ,islam1 namely1 the belief in a personal ,god4 ,but ,yezidism holds that this deity is only the creator of the universe and not its sustainer4 ,its maintenance1 according to this system1 is left to the seven gods4 ,another element which may be said to be a remnant of some other religions is the idea of a transcendent ,god4 ,but in this point1 as in the other1 the notion of transcendentalism in the religion of the devil-worshippers is not of the same degree as that of the other religions4 ,the former conceives of the ,almighty as retiring far away1 and as having nothing to do with the affairs of the world1 except once a year1 on ,new ,year's day1 when he sits on his throne1 calls the gods unto him1 and delivers the power into the hands of the god who is to descend to the earth4 ,to sum up1 the ,yezidis' conception of a personal ,god is transcendental and static of the extreme type4 ,in this it resembles somewhat the ,platonic idea of the absolute4 ,they call ,god in the ,kurdish ,khuda1 and believe that he manifested himself in three different forms2 in the form of a bird1 ,melek s2 in the form of an old man1 ei #8,adi2 and in the form of a young man1 ,yezid4 ,they do not seem to offer him a direct prayer or sacrifice4 ,,ii ,,the ,,deity ,,of ,,the ,,second ,,degree #a4 ,,melek ,s ,a distinguished modern scholar 7see the printed text1 p4 #hj1 lines #ab-ce7 argues that s is the god ,tammuz4 ,his argument is that the word s must embody an ancient god1 but owing to the obscurity in which the origin of ,yezidism and the being of ,melek s are wrapped1 it is very difficult to say which god is meant4 ,and to determine this1 he assumes that the term does not come from the ,arabic word s1 but was occasioned by some 8folk-etymology10 and that we must look1 therefore1 for some god-name which resembles the word s4 ,taking this as a starting point1 the critic calls attention to the fact that in ,fihrist1 p4 #cbb1 l4 #bg;f1 which treats of the feasts and gods of the arranians1 we read that the god ,tauz had a feast in middle of ,tammuz4 ,he infers from this that the god ,tauz is identical with ,melek s4 ,and to the question who this god ,tauz is1 he answers it is ,tammuz4 ,to justify his explanation1 the writer contends that the ,yezidis speak in ,kurdish1 and according to ,justi's ,kurdische ,grammatik1 p4 #hb;ff1 the change of meem to waw in this language is frequent4#aca ,however plausible this process may seem to be1 philologically it cannot here yield a satisfactory conclusion4 ,for it is based on wrong premises4 ,it is not true that the word s signifies an ancient deity4 ,it denotes the devil and nothing else4 ,this is so clear to the ,yezidis1 or to anyone acquainted with their religion1 as to leave no need for further discussion4 ,and to question the religious consciousness of a sect is to engage in pure speculation4 ,likewise1 the method of determining this supposed god by the name of some deity resembling it is objectionable4 ,there are many such names4 ,one might also infer that the sect worship ,christ under the form of the devil4 ,this theory has actually been advanced4--,theatre de la ,turquie1 #cfd4 ,the statement that in ,kurdish the letter meem is changed to waw frequently is untenable1 if one would set it up as a grammatical rule to explain such phenomena4 ,what is more1 the ,kurds pronounce the name tammuz1 and nothing else1 unless some one has a physiological difficulty which will not permit him to close his lips1 so that instead of saying tammuz1 he would mutter taouz4 ,the following are a few of many instances to show that meem is not changed to waw in ,kurdish1 even in words of ,arabic origin3 #8,amelie ali 7good works71 zamanie aerat 7the last day71 the well of ,zamsam1 ,mohammed1 and ,mustafa 7the chosen one71 when applied to the prophet1 ,melek 7king71 when applied to s4 ,further the assumption that s does not come from the ,arabic s is unverifiable4 ,unquestionably the attempt to trace this term to tauz1 then to ,tammuz1 was suggested to ,professor ,lidzbarski by the fact that ammuz was the name of an ancient ,babylonian god1 and that ,abu ,sayyid ,wahb ibn ,ibrahim1 quoted by an-,nedim1 an ,arab author of the tenth century1 states that the god ,tauz has a feast in his honor on the fifteenth of ,tammuz 7,fihrist1 p4 #cbb74 ,but according to the author of 8,die ,sabier und ,sabismus0 7p4 #bjb7 the original form of this word is unknown4 ,not only the inference which identifies s with ,tammuz is based on wrong premises2 but1 in the ,yezidi conception of ,melek s1 there are no traces of the notion which is held respecting ,tammuz4 ,the latter was originally a sun-god1 and son of ,ea and the goddess ,sirdu1 and the bridegroom of the goddess ,itar4 ,the legendary poems of ,babylonia described him as a shepherd1 cut off in the beauty of youth1 or slain by the boar's tusk in winter1 and mourned for long and vainly by the goddess ,itar4 ,the god ,tammuz made his way to ,canaan1 ,cyprus1 and thence to ,greece4 8,he had ceased to be the young and beautiful sun-god1 and had become the representative of the vegetation of spring1 growing by the side of the canals of ,babylonia1 but parched and destroyed by the fierce heat of the summer4 ,hence in ,babylonia his funeral festival came to be observed in the month of ,june1 and in ,palestine two months later4 ,tammuz had changed his character in passing from country to country1 but the idea of him as a slain god1 and of his festival as the idealization of human sorrow1 a kind of 8,all ,souls ,day10 was never altered wherever he was adored40#acb ,such beliefs are not found in the ,yezidi view of their ,king ,peacock4 ,on the contrary his festival is for them the occasion of joy and pleasure4 ,i conclude1 then1 that s is the ,arabic word meaning peacock1 just as ,melek is the ,arabic word meaning king or angel4 ,the sect write it1 pronounce it1 and believe it to be so4 ,the faith of the sect finds expression in the fact that they represent their angel ,azazil in the form of the peacock4 ,it seems to me that the real question is not what ,melek s is1 but how the devil-god came to be symbolized by the image of a bird4 ,this question finds an answer in the fact that the worship of a bird appears to have been the most ancient of idolatry4 ,it is condemned especially in ,deut4 #d3 #af1 #ag3 8,lest ye corrupt yourselves and make a graven image1 the similitude of any figure1 the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air40 ,and ,layard1 in his ,nineveh and ,its ,remains1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #dfb1 gives the sketch of a bird from one of the slabs dug up at ,nimrud4 ,he remarks that the ,iyuges1 or sacred birds1 belonged to the ,babylonian and probably also to the ,assyrian religion4 ,they were a kind of demons1 who exercised a peculiar influence over mankind1 resembling the feroher of ,zoroastrianism4 ,the oracles attributed to ,zoroaster describe them as powers anointed by ,god4 ,their images1 made of gold1 were in the palace of the king of ,babylonia4 ,according to ,philostratus they were connected with magic4 ,in ,palestine the dove was sacred for the ,phoenicians and ,philistines4 ,the ,jews brought accusation against the ,samaritans that they were worshippers of the dove4 ,sacred doves were found also at ,mecca4 ,nasar 7eagle7 was a deity of the tribe of amyar4#acc ,a question suggesting itself is how the ,yezidi god came to be designated by the form of a peacock4 ,this bird is a native of ,ceylon1 and not of ,mesopotamia or ,kurdistan where the ,yezidis live4#acd ,the answer may be found in the ,muslim tradition#ace that when the first parents forfeited heaven for eating wheat1 they were cast down upon earth4 ,eve descended upon #8,arafat2 ,adam at ,ceylon2 the peacock at ,gabul1 and ,satan at ,bilbays4 ,in this myth the devil and the peacock are figured as sharing the same penalty at the same time4 ,according to ,surah #b1 #bh-ca1 the crime of the former was pride1 but nothing is said about the guilt of the latter4 ,we learn1 however1 from other sources1 that the bird in question is thought of as a symbol of pride4 ,in his article 8,peacock10 in the ,enc4 ,brit41 vol4 #ah1 p4 #ddc1 ,professor ,a4 ,newton says3 8,the bird is well known as the proverbial personification of pride4 ,it is seldom kept in large numbers for it has a bad reputation for doing mischief in gardens40 ,hence we may infer that the notion of the peacock as a symbol of pride together with the ,koranic idea of ,satan's sin led to the formation of the myth2 that this story was current among the followers of ,yezid bn ,unaisa2 and that1 under the influence of the devil-worshippers of ,persia the old tradition lost its original significance1 and came to be understood to represent the peacock as a symbol of the god-devil4 ,among the three branches of the deity in the second degree1 ,melek s holds an important place in the theology of the ,yezidis4 ,the language used in his praise is so elevated that one is led to think that he is identical with ,god4 ,some scholars deny this theory on the ground that the principal prayer of these people is directed to ,god and no mention is made of ,king ,peacock4 ,hence they contend also that no direct worship is offered to the latter deity4#acf ,it seems to me that such a contention is not justifiable4 ,in the first place1 the people themselves confess their loyalty to the chief angels4 ,moreover1 the expression in this prayer1 8,thou hast neither feather1 nor wings1 nor arms1 nor voice0 7see p4 #gd7 is more applicable to the symbol ,peacock than to ,god4 ,there can be no doubt1 ,i think1 that in the conception of the sect #8,azazil appears to be identical with ,god4 ,this fact finds definite expression in the ,book of ,jilwah4 ,in ,chapter ,i he is represented as being from eternity to eternity1 as having absolute control of the world1 as being omnipresent and omnipotent and unchangeable4 ,in ,chapter ,,ii he is said to appear in divers manners to the faithful ones2 and life and death are determined by him4 ,and in ,chapter ,,iii he is declared to be the source of revelation4 ,while this is true1 there are other phrases which refer to s as being inferior to the great ,god1 but superior to all other gods4 ,he was created1 and is under the command of ,god2 but he is made the chief of all4 ,it is not quite easy to understand the underlying idea in worshipping the devil4 ,some#acg explain this by supposing he is so bad that he requires constant propitiation2 otherwise he will take revenge and cause great misery4 ,for this reason1 it is claimed1#ach they do not worship ,god1 because he is so good that he cannot but forgive4 ,this is the usual interpretation1 and it is confirmed by the nature of the religious service rendered4 ,it seems to partake much more of a propitiatory than of a eucharistic character1 not as the natural expression of love but of fear4 ,this reminds us at once of the ,babylonian religion4 ,according to this religion1 when any misfortune overtook the worshippers1 they regarded it as a sign that their deity was angry1 and had therefore left them to their own resources or had become their enemy4 ,to be thus deserted was accounted a calamity because of the innumerable dangers to which the soul was exposed from the action of the powers seen and unseen4 ,so that as a matter of precaution1 it was well to maintain a propitiatory attitude4 ,hence the great object of worship was to secure and retain the somewhat capricious favor of the deity4#aci ,this is in accord with the natural feeling of man in his primitive state1 which leads him rather to dread punishment for his sin than to be thankful for blessings received4 ,others#adj hold that the ,devil-worshippers believe that their ,lord is a fallen angel1 now suffering a temporary punishment for his rebellion against the divine will because he deceived ,adam1 or because he did not recognize the superiority of ,adam as commanded by ,god4 ,but it is not for man to interfere in the relations of ,god with his angels1 whether they be fallen or not2 on the contrary man's duty is to venerate them all alike4 ,the great ,god will be finally reconciled to s1 and will restore him to his high place in the celestial hierarchy4 ,still others#ada assert that the sect does not believe in an evil spirit but as a true divinity4 ,this theory is not generally accepted1 but seems more probable than the preceding ones4 ,for there is nothing in the sacred book to indicate that ,melek s is an evil spirit or a fallen angel4 ,on the contrary the charge that he was rejected and driven from heaven is repudiated4 ,the mentioning of his name is looked upon as an insult to and blasphemy against him because it is based1 the ,yezidis think1 on the assumption that he is degraded4 ,finally1 he is declared to be one of the seven gods1 who is now ruling the world for a period of #aj1jjj years4 ,it is interesting to note that1 in the history of religion1 the god of one people is the devil of another4 ,in the ,avesta1 the evil spirits are called daeva 7,persian ,div72 the ,aryans of ,india1 in common with the ,romans1 ,celts1 and ,slavs gave the name of dev 7devin1 divine1 divny7 to their good or god-like spirits4 ,asura is a deity in the ,rig ,veda1 and an evil spirit only in later ,brahman theology4 ,zoroaster thought that the beings whom his opponents worshipped as gods1 under the name of daeva1 were in reality powers by whom mankind are unwittingly led to their destruction4 8,in ,islam the gods of heathenism are degraded into jinn1 just as the gods of north semitic heathenism are called irim 7hairy demons7 in ,lev4 #ag3 #g1 or as the gods of ,greece and ,rome became devils to the early ,christians40#adb ,the ,yezidis' veneration for the devil in their assemblies is paid to his symbol1 the sanja4 ,it is the figure of a peacock with a swelling breast1 diminutive head1 and widespread tail4 ,the body is full but the tail is flat and fluted4 ,this figure is fixed on the top of a candlestick around which two lamps are placed1 one above the other1 and containing seven burners4 ,the stand has a bag1 and is taken to pieces when carried from place to place4 ,close by the stand they put water jugs filled with water1 to be drunk as a charm by the sick and afflicted4 ,they set the sanja at the end of a room and cover it with a cloth4 ,underneath is a plate to receive the contributions4 ,the awwal 7sacred musician7 kisses the corner of the cloth when he uncovers ,melek-s4 ,at a given signal1 all arise1 then each approaches the sanja1 bows before it and puts his contribution into the plate4 ,on returning to their places1 they bow to the image several times and strike their breasts as a token of their desire to propitiate the evil principle4 ,the ,yezidis have seven sanjas1 but the ,fari 7,lieut4-,gen4 of the ,turkish ,army71 who tried to convert them to ,mohammedanism in #ahib1 took five of them4 ,some deny1 however1 that they were real ones2 they say they were imitations4 ,each sanja is given a special place in the ,emir's palace1 where it is furnished with a small brazen bed and a vessel in the form of a mortar placed before it4 ,they burn candles and incense before it day and night4 ,each sanja is assigned a special district1 the name of which is written on a piece of paper and placed on its shoulder4 ,on the shoulder of the first the district of eian1 which comprises the villages around ,mosul1 is indicated2 on the second ,jabal ,sinjar2 in the third the district of alitiyah1 which is one of the dependencies of ,diarbeker2 on the fourth the district of awariyah1 i4 e41 the ,kocers2 on the fifth the district of ,malliah1 the villages around ,aleppo2 on the sixth the district of ,saridar1 which is in ,russia2 and the seventh remains at the tomb of ei #8,adi4 ,when sent from village to village of its respective district1 a sanja is put in a hagibah#adc 7saddle-bag7 and carried on a horse that belongs to a pir 7religious teacher74 ,on nearing a certain place1 a messenger is sent to announce in ,kurdish 8,sanja hat10 8the ,sanja has come40 ,then all the people don their fineries and go out to welcome it with tambourines4 ,as the representative of ,melek s reaches the town1 the pir cries out in ,kurdish language1 8,sanja mevan ki sawa80 7literally3 8,whose guest shall the sanja be8074 ,on hearing this1 each person makes a bid for the privilege of entertaining it4 ,finally he who bids the highest receives the image4 ,at that moment the accompanying pir takes the hagibah off the horse's back and hangs it on the neck of the person who is to keep the symbol of the devil over night4 ,the ,yezidis say1 that in spite of the frequent wars and massacres to which the sect has been exposed1 and the plunder and murder of the priests during their journeys1 no ,melek s has ever fallen into the hands of the ,mohammedans4 ,when a awwal sees danger ahead of him1 he buries the ,melek s and afterwards comes himself1 or sends some one to dig up the brazen peacock1 and carries it forward in safety4 ,besides revering the devil by adoring his symbol1 the ,yezidis venerate him by speaking with great respect of his name4 ,they refer to him as ,melek s1 ,king ,peacock1 or ,melek al-awwat1 the ,mighty ,king4 ,they never mention his name2 and any allusion to it by others so irritates and vexes them that they put to death persons who have intentionally outraged their feelings by its use4 ,they carefully avoid every expression that resembles in sound the name of ,satan4 ,in speaking of shatt 7river7 they use the common ,kurdish word ,ave1 or the ,arabic ma 7water74 ,in speaking of the ,euphrates1 they call it ,ave #8,azim1 or ma al-kabir1 i4 e41 the great river1 or simply al-,frat4 #b4 ei #8,ad ,next to the devil in rank comes ei #8,adi4 ,but he is not the historical person whose biography is given by the ,mohammedan authors4 ,he is identified with deity and looked upon as a second person in a divine trinity4 ,he is sent by ,melek s to teach and to warn his chosen people lest they go astray4 ,he is conceived to be everywhere1 to be greater than ,christ2 and1 like ,melek-edek1 has neither father nor mother4 ,he has not died and will never die4 ,in verse ten of the poems in his praise1 he is distinctly said to be the only ,god4 ,his name is associated with all the myth that human imagination can possibly create about a deity4 ,to express the ,yezidi dogma in terms of ,christian formula1 ei #8,adi is the ,holy ,spirit1 who dwells in their prophets1 who are called kochaks4 ,he also reveals to them truth and the mysteries of heaven4 ,the entertaining of such views has led some modern critics to think #8,adi the good and ,melek s the evil principle4 ,in the poem 7#cj-cb71 he is represented as the good deity and the source of all good4 ,others identify him with ,adde or ,adi1 a disciple of ,manes or ,mani4 ,still others regard his name as one of the names of the deity4 ,in this case1 his tomb is a myth and the prefix 8ei0 is added to deceive the ,mohammedans1 and thus to prevent them from desecrating the sacred shrine1 just as the ,christians call ,mar ,mattie1 ,sheikh ,mattie1 and the convent of ,mar ,behnan1 uder ,elias4#add ,but the most ingenious theory is that advanced by the ,rev4 ,g4 ,p4 ,badger4 ,he queries whether the ,yezidi #8,adi be not cognate with the ,hebrew ,ad1 the two first letters in the original of ,adonai1 the ,lord1 and its compounds1 ,adonijah1 ,adonibezek4 ,the writer is aware1 however1 that 8,this derivative is open to objection on the ground that the ,yezidis write the word with #8ain and not with alif40 ,but he explains3 8,they write so only in ,arabic1 of which they know but very little1 and not in their own language 7,kurdish7 in which they do not write it at all4 ,moreover1 they may have assimilated the mode of expressing the title of their deity in bygone days to that of #8,adi1 one of the descendants of the ,merawian ,califs1 with whom1 from fear of being persecuted by the ,mohammedans1 they sometimes identified him40 ,having thus expounded his own view1 this ,english scholar proceeds to repudiate the suggestion that ei #8,adi 8is the same ,adi10 one of the disciples of ,mani1 since there is no proof1 according to him1 that ,mani himself was deified by his followers4 ,so far as the application of the method of comparative philology is concerned1 ,badger's theory is more reasonable and tenable than that of ,lidzbarski1 who1 by the same method1 attempts to identify ,melek s with ,tammuz4 ,nevertheless1 the inference of the former is beyond any possible justification4 ,for such a starting-point is misleading when it is not supported by historical proof4 ,a failure to support it thus cannot be regarded as other than deficiency in treatment4 ,now1 while one may be misguided by the ,yezidi myth surrounding the personality of ei #8,adi1 the critical mind can find much in it to aid him in his efforts to discover the true identity of the man4 ,in verse fifty of his poem1 for our critic draws his conclusions in the light of this poem1 the ei receives his authority from ,god who is his lord2 in verse fifty-seven he is a man1 #8,adi of ,damascus1 son of ,musafir2 in verse eighty he declares that the high place which he had attained is attainable by all who1 like him1 shall find the truth4 ,to justify my criticism1 ,i need only ask the reader to recall the description by the ,mohammedan biographers of the person in question4 ,the ,yezidis offer their worship to ei #8,adi1 usually when they assemble at his shrine4 ,this is his tomb within a temple4 ,the latter lies in a narrow valley which has only one outlet1 as the rock rises on all sides except where a small stream forces its way into a large valley beyond4 ,the tomb stands in a courtyard1 and is surrounded by a few buildings in which the guardians and the servants of the sanctuary live4 ,in the vicinity are scattered a number of shacks1 each named after a ei1 and supposed to be his tomb4 ,toward sunset these sacred places are illuminated by burning sesame oil lamps1 putting one at the entrance to each tomb in token of their respect2 the light lasts but a short time4 ,there are also a few edifices1 each belonging to a ,yezidi district1 in which the pilgrims reside during the time of the feast2 so that each portion of the valley is known by the name of the country of those who resort thither4 ,on the lintel of the doorway of the temple1 various symbols are engraved1--a lion1 a snake1 a hatchet1 a man and a comb4#ade ,their mystical meaning is unknown4 ,they are regarded as mere ornaments placed there at the request of those who furnished money for building the temple4 ,the interior of the temple is made up of an oblong apartment which is divided into three compartments1 and a large hall in the centre which is divided by a row of columns2 and arches support the roof4 ,to the right of the entrance are a platform1 and a spring of water coming from the rock4 ,the latter is regarded with great veneration1 and is believed to be derived from the holy well of ,zamzam at ,mecca4 ,it is used for the baptism of children and for other sacred purposes4 ,close by there are two small apartments in which are tombs of the saints and of some inferior personage4 ,in the principal halls a few lamps are usually burning1 and at sunset lights are scattered over the walls4 ,the tomb of ei #8,adi lies in the inner room1 which is dimly lighted4 ,the tomb has a large square cover1 upon which is written ,ayat al-,kursi1 that is1 the verse of the throne1 which is the #befth verse of surat-al-,baarah1 or ,chapter ,,ii of the ,koran4 8,god4 ,there is no ,god but ,he1 the ,living1 the ,abiding4 ,neither slumber nor sleep seizeth ,him4 ,to ,him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and whatsoever is on earth4 ,who is he that can intercede with ,him but by ,his own permission8 ,he knoweth what has been before them and what shall be after them2 yet naught of ,his knowledge do they comprehend1 save what he willeth to reveal4 ,his throne reacheth over the heavens and the earth1 and the upholding of both burdeneth ,him not4 ,he is the ,high1 the ,great40 ,it is related 7in the ,mishkat1 ,book ,,iv1 #a4 #ai1 ,part ,,iii7 that #8,ali heard ,mohammed say in the pulpit1 8,that person who repeats the ,ayat al-,kursi after every prayer shall in no wise be prevented from entering into ,paradise1 except by life2 and whoever says it when he goes to his bedchamber will be kept by ,god in safety together with his house and the house of his neighbor40 ei #8,adi might have been in the habit of repeating this verse2 and this1 perhaps1 led to its inscription on the tomb4 ,in the center of the inner room1 close by the tomb1 there is a square plaster case1 in which are small balls of clay taken from the tomb4 ,these are sold or distributed to the pilgrims1 and regarded as sacred relics1 useful against disease and evil spirits4 ,it is said that there are three hundred and sixty lamps in the shrine of #8,adi1 which are lit every night4 ,the whole valley in which the shrine lies is held sacred4 ,no impure thing is permitted within its holy bounds4 ,no other than the high priest and the chiefs of the sect are buried near the tomb4 ,many pilgrims take off their shoes on approaching it1 and go barefooted as long as they remain in its vicinity4 ,such is the sanctuary of #8,adi1 where they offer him their homage4 ,their worship may be divided into two kinds1 direct and indirect4 ,the former consists of traditional hymns sung by the awwals1 the sacred musicians of the sect4 ,they are chanted to the sound of flutes and tambourines4 ,the tunes are monotonous and generally loud and harsh4 ,the latter kind consists in celebrating their religious rites with great rejoicing on the feast day of their great saint4 ,and their ubla1 the place to which they look while performing their holy ceremonies1 is that part of the heaven in which the sun rises4 ,the great feast of ei #8,adi is held yearly on ,april fifteenth to twentieth1 ,roman calendar1 when the ,yezidis from all their districts come to attend the festival celebration4 ,before entering the valley1 men and women perform their ablutions1 for no one can enter the sacred valley without having first purified his body and his clothes4 ,the people of the villages are gathered and start together1 forming a long procession1 preceded by musicians1 who play the tambourine and the pipe4 ,they load the donkeys with necessary carpets and domestic utensils4 ,while marching they discharge their guns into the air and sing their war cry4 ,as soon as they see the tower of the tomb1 they all together discharge their arms4 ,the eis and the principal members of the priesthood are dressed in pure white linen1 and all are venerable men with long beards4 ,only the chief and the awwals and two of the order of the priesthood enter the inner court of the temple1 and they always go in barefooted4 ,they start an hour after sunset4#adf ,the ceremony begins with the exhibition of the holy symbol of ,melek s to the priests4 ,no stranger is allowed to witness this ceremony or to know the nature of it4 ,this being done1 they begin the rite4 ,the awwals stand against the wall on one side of the court and commence a chant4 ,some play on the flute1 others on the tambourine2 and they follow the measure with their voices4 ,the eis and the chiefs form a procession1 walking two by two2 the chief priest walks ahead4 ,a fair holds in one hand a lighted torch1 and in another a large vessel of oil1 from which he pours into the lamp from time to time4 ,all are in white apparel except the fairs1 who are dressed in black4 ,as they walk in a circle1 they sing in honor of ei #8,adi4 ,afterward1 they sing in honor of #8,isa 7,jesus74 ,as they proceed the excitement increases1 the chants quicken1 the tambourines are beaten more frequently1 the fairs move faster1 the women make tahlil with a great shouting1 and the ceremony comes to an end with great noise and excitement4 ,when the chanting is ended1 those who were marching in procession kiss1 as they pass by1 the right side of the temple entrance1 where the serpent is figured on the wall4 ,then the emir stands at this entrance to receive the homage of the eis and elders who kiss his hand4 ,afterward all that are present give one another the kiss of peace4#adg ,after the ceremony the young men and women dance in the outer court until early in the morning4 ,in the morning the eis and the awwals offer a short prayer in the temple without any ceremony and some kiss the holy places in the vicinity4 ,when they end1 they take the green#adh cover of the tomb of ei #8,adi and march with it around the outer court with music4 ,the people rush to them and reverently kiss the corner of the cloth1 offering money4 ,after taking the cover back to its place1 the chiefs and priests sit around the inner court4 ,kochaks at this time bring food and call the people to eat of the hospitality of ei #8,adi4#adi ,after they have finished their meal1 a collection is taken for the support of the temple and tomb of their saint4 ,all people that come to the annual festival bring dishes as offerings to their living ei4 ,after he has indicated his acceptance of them by tasting1 these are given to the servants of the sanctuary4 ,when the feast comes to an end1 the people return to their several abodes4 7#c47 ,,yezid ,the third essential element in the religion of the devil-worshippers is the belief that their sect has taken its origin from ,yezid1 whom frequently they call ,god and regard as their ancestral father1 to whom they trace their descent4 ,no other worship is offered him4 ,he is given1 however1 a place of honor in the court of the temple1 where1 on one side1 there is the inscription 8,melek ,yezid1 the mercy of ,god be upon him02 on the other side 8ei #8,adi1 the mercy of ,god be upon him40 ,in the corner of this court a lamp is kept burning all night in honor of the two4 ,,notes ,,on ,,chapter ,,ii #acj ,p4 ,anastase3 ,al-,marik1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #aea2 ,bedrus ,efendi ,ar-,riwani1 his letter to ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus1 ,april #bb1 #ahhg4 #aca ,lidzbarski1 ,z4 ,d4 ,m4 ,g41 vol4 ,,li1 p4 #eib2 he is followed by ,makas1 ,kurdische ,studien1 p4 #ce4 #acb ,see 8,tammuz0 in ,jastrow's ,religion of ,babylonia and ,assyria1 and ,cheney's ,dictionary of the ,bible4 #acc ,r4 ,w4 ,smith3 ,religion of the ,semites1 p4 #bai2 ,a-ahrastan1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #dcd4 ,yaut 7vol4 ,,iv1 p4 #ghj7 says3 ,originally nasr was worshipped by the people of ,noah1 and from them was brought to the tribe of amyar4 ,according to the ,syriac doctrine of ,addai 7,ed4 ,george ,philips1 p4 #bd7 the people of ,edessa worshipped 8the eagle as the ,arabians40 #acd ,so far as ,i am aware no writer on the ,yezidis has ever raised this question4 #ace ,hughes3 ,dictionary of ,islam1 p4 #ba4 #acf ,victor ,dingelstedt1 ,,sgm1 vol4 ,,xiv4 #acg ,badger3 ,the ,nestorians1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #abe2 ,layard1 ,nineveh1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #big4 #ach ,p4 ,anastase3 ,al-,marik1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #aeb4 #aci ,the ,hibbert ,journal1 vol4 ,v1 ,no4 #b1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #ccg4 #adj ,layard3 ,ibid2 ,victor ,dingelstedt1 ,ibid1 p4 #bii4 #ada ,dingelstedt3 ,ibid4 #adb ,r4 ,w4 ,smith3 ,religion of the ,semites1 p4 #abj2 ,fihrist1 p4 #cbb1 #cbf1 calls the gods of the arranians devils4 #adc ,hagibah is a ,turkish word1 meaning a saddleback4 #add ,badger3 ,ibid1 p4 #bdg4 7#acg7 ,ibid1 p4 #aab4 ,mr4 ,badger seems to contend that the ,kurdish-speaking people do not pronounce the letter #8ain4 ,this is not true1 the ,kurds pronounce this letter as well as other gutturals4 ,they sometimes even change the ,arabic ,alif to #8ain4 ,this is to be said1 however1 that in some localities the #8ain is pronounced alif1 just as the af is changed to alif1 but this is not confined to the ,kurds1 such changes are made by the ,arabic-and the ,syriac-speaking people also4 #ade ,the figures of the bull and of the serpent1 or of the bull and of the lion were placed at the right and left of the palaces of the ,assyrian kings to protect their path4 ,layard1 ,nineveh and ,babylon1 p4 #afb2 ,nineveh1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cae2 ,b4 ,f4 ,harper1 ,assyrian and ,babylonian ,literature1 pp4 #aci1 #adh1 #aec4 ,the lion was both an ornament and support in the throne of ,solomon1 ,layard1 ,nineveh1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cja4 ,the hatchet was among the weapons of those who fought in chariots1 and carried in the quiver1 with the arrows and short angular bow1 ,nineveh1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cdc4 #adf ,the ,mandeans1 the star-worshippers1 also begin their rasta ceremony after the sunset1 and continue it through the night4--,london ,standard1 ,october #ai1 #ahid1 ,al-,mutatataf1 #bc1 #hh4 #adg ,the kiss of the peace is a regular part of the church service in the ,east4 #adh ,in ,mohammedanism1 green is the color of eis4 #adi ,this is a communal meal4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,other ,,deities ,,and ,,festivals ,i ,,the ,,so-,,called ,,seven ,,divinities ,besides their great saint1 the ,yezidis believe in seven other eis through whose intermediation they invoke ,god4 ,these are also deified and assigned places of honor at ei #8,adi's side4 ,in their case as in that of their chief1 the tradition has led some critics to believe that they are archangels2 others1 different attributes of ,god2 and still others1 the seven ,amshaps of ,zoroaster1 or immortal spirits of the ,avesta4 ,the last conjecture is made by ,victor ,dingelstadt4#aej ,cholsohn goes a step further in making the assertion1 8,der ,tempel des sheikh ,shams ist ohne allen ,zweifel ein ,sonnentempel der so gebaut ist1 dass die ernsten ,strahlen der ,sonne so hufig als mglich auf ihn fallen40 ,the ground for this positive statement is1 we are told 8,layard berichtet40#aea ,now1 the ,english scholar seems to base his contention on the fact that the building is called the sanctuary of ei ams2 that the herd of white oxen which are slain on great festivals at ei #8,adi's are dedicated to ams2 8that the dedication of the bull to the sun0 was generally recognized in the religious system of the ancients1 which probably originated in ,assyria2 and that the ,yezidis may have unconsciously preserved a myth of their ancestors4#aeb ,to my mind the ground for such a view is the apriori assumption that the religion of the devil-worshippers is the remnant of an ancient cult1 and that every phenomenon in it is to be regarded1 therefore1 a survival of the past system4 ,for certain reasons ,i hold that such is not the case4 ,one reason1 as ,badger rightly remarks1 the ,yezidis so designate the place for the sake of brevity1 is the entablature over the doorway records the name in full1 8,sheikh ,shams ,ali ,beg and ,faris40 ,two persons are mentioned in the inscription4#aec ,in like manner1 the word ams frequently enters into the construction of ,mohammedan names4 ,the most celebrated one that bore this name was ams ud-,din of ,tabriz1 the friend and spiritual guide of ,jalal ad-,din1 who flourished during the first half of the #acth century of our era4 ,moreover1 round about the tomb of ei #8,adi are many such abandoned shrines1 each of which is dedicated to a similar deified ei4 ,many of these eis are known to be historical personages4 ,take for example1 ei #8,abd al-adir of ,gilan4 ,he is ei ,muiyy ud ,din #8,abd al adir of ,gilan in ,persia1 the founder of the adiri order of dervishes4 ,he was born in ,a4 ,h4 #dga 7,a4 ,d4 #ajgh-i7 and died ,a4 ,h4 #eaf 7,a4 ,d4 #aafd-e74 ,so also ei aib al-,ban4 ,he was from ,mosul1 and was a contemporary of ei #8,adi4 ,in giving the life of ,mui ad ,din a-harnozuri1 ,ibn allikan 7v4 #b1fea7 says1 8,his corpse was removed to a mausoleum built for its reception outside the ,maidan ,gate of ,mosul1 near the tomb of adib al-,ban1 the celebrated worker of miracles40 ,further1 ,manur al-allaj was a celebrated mystic1 revered as a saint by the more advanced sufis4 ,he was put to death with great cruelty at ,bagdad in ,a4 ,h4 #cji 7,a4 ,d4 #iba-b7 on a charge of heresy and blasphemy1 because he had said in one of his ecstacies1 8,ana-l-a1 ,i am the truth1 ,god40 ,all biographers of sufi saints speak of him with admiration4 ,there are still others who are mentioned even among the seven eis enumerated in the principal prayer4 ei asan 7written also eiisin7 was from ,barah4 ,he was a celebrated theologian and died in ,a4 ,d4 #gbh4 ,his life is given by ,ibn allikan4 ,he was noted for self-mortification1 fear of ,god and devotion4 ,and ,far ad-,din is ibn ,abd ,allah ,mohammed ,ibn ,amar al-uain ,ibn al-asan1 ,ibn #8,ali ,al-,taim al-,bakri al-,taberstani ar-kai-zi 7native of ,kai in ,tabarestan71 surnamed ,far ad-,din 7glory of faith74 ,he was a doctor of the ,shafite sect1 a pearl of his age1 a man without a peer4 ,he surpassed all his contemporaries in scholastic theology1 and preached both in ,arabic and ,persian4 ,he would draw floods of tears from his eyes4 ,his virtues and merits were boundless4 ,he was born at ,kai1 #beth of ,ramadan1 ,a4 ,h4 #edd 7,a4 ,d4 #aaej71 and died at erat1 the first of ,shawal1 ,a4 ,h4 #fjf 7,march ,a4 ,d4 #abaj74 7,see ibn allikan in loco47 ,in the light of these facts1 ,i conclude1 then1 that those who cannot be identified--for many bear the same name1 and we do not know which is which--are also historical personages4 ,this is what ,i mean by the statement that in order to yield satisfactory results the inductive method must be supported by historical investigations4 ,in a question like this1 however1 the philosophical method also1 when carried on critically1 may yield a satisfactory result4 ,accordingly1 observations should be made in the sphere of religious consciousness4 ,now one of the characteristics of the human mind is the tendency to defy man4 ,this is shown in the titles which men gave to their superiors4 ,in the ,tell-al-,amarna tablets1 we find various kinglets of ,syria1 in writing to the king of ,egypt1 address him as 8my gods0 7ilani-ia74 ,thus ,abimilki of ,tyre writes3 8,to my lord1 the king1 my son1 my god40 ,what is more1 a superhuman character is attributed to the dead4 ,this appears from the attitude which the primitive mind entertained towards the deceased4 ,at first1 the relation to the dead was hostile1 hence their spirits were feared4 ,gradually1 the relation became familiar1 so that their association was sought and sacrifices and gifts were offered to them4 ,they came to be looked upon as elohim1 who knew the future events4 ,thus we find that in the ,old ,testament1 worship was offered to the dead1 and that the tombs of ancestors and heroes frequently appear as places of worship1 as1 e4 g41 the grave of ,miriam at ,kadish 7,num4 #bf3 #a74 ,even to-day tombs of saints are common in ,arabia1 and thousands of people visit them annually to ask the intercession of the saints4 ,likewise1 the ,nuairiyeh of ,syria have deified #8,ali1 the ,drus their chief ,hakim1 the ,babis their ,beha1 and the ,christians their saints4#aed ,we cannot1 therefore1 be surprised that the ,yezidis have deified their eis and heroes4 ,they have only shown that common trait of the mind--the tendency to deify man4 ,it is to be noticed1 further1 that in the historical development of religions we find that when the stage of the mere belief in spirits is past1 individual deities stand out from the great mass of the spirits1 and these are plainly imagined to be personal gods1 such as ,astarte and ,ba#8al by the side of ,hadad and ,aschirat4#aee ,now this is practically what we find in the evolution of modern ,yezidism4 ,out of many eis and murids1 seven1 next to ei #8,adi1 stand out as individual divinities4 ,yearly festivals in honor of these eis are commemorated in ,april at different villages with the same rites as those observed at ei #8,adi's tomb4 ,lamps are nightly lighted and left to burn in the shacks called after the names of their respective eis2 and in those to which a room is attached1 awwals assemble at sunset every ,tuesday and ,thursday1 when they burn incense over each tomb2 and after watching a short time1 and smoking their pipes1 they return home4 ,an interesting festival is that of ei ,mohammed1 celebrated by the people of ,ba#8ia1 where his tomb exists4 ,they say that they are solemnizing the nuptials of ei ,mohammed1 whom they believe to be married once a year4 ,the men and women dance together while the awwals play on their flutes and tambourines4 ,they bring ,melek s in procession from ,baazanie to ,ba#8ia amid rejoicing and sound of music4 ,two pirs precede the bearer of the sacred peacock1 carrying in their hands lighted candles which they move to and fro4 ,as they pass along the bystanders bow in adoration and1 immersing their hands in the smoke1 perfume with it their arms and faces4 ,they carry the image of ,melek s to the house of the one who is the highest bidder for the honor of entertaining it4 ,here it remains two days1 during which all profane festivals are suspended and visits are paid to it4 ,,ii ,,the ,,day ,,of ,,sarsal ,in addition to the festivals mentioned above is the one observed on ,new ,year's day1 the first ,wednesday in ,april4 ,on this day1 the ,yezidis say1 no drums are to be beaten1 for ,god sits on the throne1 holding a conference at which he decrees the events of the year4 ,they also stick wild scarlet anemones to the entrance of their houses4 ,the refraining from the sound of instruments of pleasure on the part of orientals signifies a state of contrition4 ,hence1 it is very likely that the ,yezidis entertain the view that on this day ,god is decreeing their destiny for the coming year2 that they must now1 therefore1 adjust their relation to him with sincere sorrow for sin4 ,if this is so1 the significance of the hanging of the flowers at the entrance of their houses can be taken as intended to propitiate the ,evil ,principle1 and to ward off calamity during the coming year4 ,such a belief has a parallel in many religions4 ,according to ,babylonian mythology human destiny was decreed on ,new ,year's day and sealed on the tenth day thereafter4 ,it was therefore necessary to placate the deity1 or at least to make sure of one's relation to him1 before this particular day4 ,the ,new ,year period was held1 therefore1 to be of special importance because of the bearing on individual welfare by reason of the good or the evil decision of the gods4 ,our modern custom of wishing our friends a ,happy ,new ,year has perhaps some connection with this idea4#aef ,the ,day of ,atonement 7,lev4 #bc3 #bg2 #be3 #bi7 had a most important place in the ,jewish ecclesiastical year4 ,this was the occasion of a thorough purification of the whole nation and of every individual member thereof in their relation to ,yahweh4 ,it was designed to deepen afresh the national and individual sense of sin and dread of the judgment of ,god4 ,according to ,talmud 7,mina1 ,ro haana1 vol4 ,i1 #b7 ,ro haana is the most important judgment day1 on which all creatures pass for judgment before the ,creator4 ,on this day1 three books are opened wherein the fate of the wicked1 the righteous and those of the intermediate class are recorded4 ,hence prayer and works of repentance are performed on the ,new ,year from the first to the tenth that an unfavorable decision might be averted 7,jewish ,ency41 art4 ,penitential ,day74 ,r4 ,akiba says3 8,on ,new ,year ,day all men are judged2 and the degree is sealed on the ,day of ,atonement 7,ibid1 art4 ,day of ,judgment74 ,moreover1 the red lilies of the doors of the ,yezidis remind us at once of the blood sprinkled on the doorposts of the dwellings of the ,israelites in ,egypt as a sign for the ,destroying ,angel to pass over4 ,this notion is found also in a similar practice among the ,parsees of ,india1 who hang a string of leaves across the entrances to their houses at the beginning of every new year4 ,in the light of what has been said1 the ,yezidis' idea in giving food to the poor at the grave on the day of ,sarsal 7,new ,year day71 is to propitiate ,god on behalf of the dead1 who are1 according to their belief1 reincarnated in some form or other4#aeg ,,notes ,,on ,,chapter ,,iii #aej ,s4 ,g4 ,m41 ibid4 #aea ,die ,sabien1 ,i1 #bif4 #aeb ,nineveh and ,its ,remains1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #bci4 #aec ,nestorians and ,their ,rituals1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #aag4 #aed ,s4 ,j4 ,curtis3 ,primitive ,semitic ,religion ,to-day1 p4 #if2 ,j4 ,a4 ,o4 ,s41 vol4 #h1 #bbc4 #aee ,cf4 ,marti's ,die ,religion des ,a4 ,t41 pp4 #bh-bi4 #aef ,the ,hibbert ,journal1 ibid4 #aeg ,for different interpretation of the ,yezidi ,new ,year1 see ,brockelmann in ,z4 ,d4 ,m4 ,g41 vol4 #ee1 p4 #chh4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,sacraments1 ,,religious ,,observances ,,and ,,sacerdotal ,,system ,i ,,sacraments ,circumcision1 the ,eucharist and baptism are the three religious rites administered by the followers of ,yezid4 ,the first rite is optional4 ,but with baptism the case is different2 it is a matter of obligation4 ,when a child is born near enough to the tomb of ei #8,adi to be taken there without great inconvenience or danger1 it should be baptized as early as possible after birth4 ,the awwals in their periodical visitations carry a bottle or skin filled with holy water to baptize those children who cannot be brought to the shrine4 ,the mode of baptism is as follows3 ,a ei carries the baby into the water1 takes off his clothes1 and immerses him three times4 ,after the second time1 putting his hand on the child's head1 he mutters1 8,hol hola soultanie ,azid1 tou bouia bere ,azid1 saraka rea ,azid40 78,hol hola6#aeh ,yezid is a sultan4 ,thou hast become a lamb of ,yezid2 thou mayest be a martyr for the religion of ,yezid407 ,the parents are not admitted to the domed shack of the spring2 they remain outside4 ,the ei is paid for his services by the father of the child4 ,if the baby be a male1 the gift must be more valuable than if it be a female4 ,within twenty days from the time of baptism1 a male child is circumcised4 ,to perform the rite1 two eis are employed4 ,one holds the child in his lap1 the other performs the operation4 ,before starting1 he asks the child to say3 8,as bere ,azide ,sarum40 78,i am the lamb of illuminating ,yezid407 ,if he be too small to repeat1 the ei who holds him repeats the sentence for him4 ,all this is done in the presence of the parents1 the relatives and the friends1 amid rejoicing with the sound of the flute and the tambourine4 ,when the ceremony is ended1 the father of the child entertains all those present for seven successive days1 during which period they dance1 sing and eat the food sent to them by the friends and neighbors of the circumcised child4 ,when this comes to an end1 the two eis are presented with gifts4 ,then every one returns home4 ,the reason why they observe the two rites1 they say1 is that if one does not work the other may1 and neither is harmful4 ,as to the ,eucharist1#aei its observance is local4 ,it is usually administered by the ,yezidis of a place called alitiyeh1 a dependency of ,diarbeker4 ,it is observed in the following manner3 ,they sit around a table4 ,the chief among them holding a cup of wine1 asks in ,kurdish1 8,ave ,chia40 78,what is this807 ,then he himself answers1 8,ave ,kasie #8,isaya40 78,this is the cup of ,jesus407 ,he continues1 8,ave #8,isa naf rounishtiya40 78,jesus is sitting and present in it407 ,having first partaken himself1 he passes the cup around4 ,the last person drinks all that is left in the cup4 ,there is another sacrament among the ,yezidis4 ,i refer to the rite of repentance4 ,when persons quarrel1 the guilty one1 covering his face with his hands1 betakes himself to the most venerable ei to confess his sin4 ,the latter1 giving the penitent instructions1 enjoins him to kiss the hands of his enemy and those of the members of the priesthood4 ,this having been done1 if still no reconciliation be effected1 the offending person1 whoever he may be1 must undergo again the same exercises4 ,when peace is established1 the penitent one slaughters a sheep and offers wine to the reconciled one and the clerical body4 ,this rite of repentance1 however1 is not obligatory4#afj ,,ii ,,some ,,other ,,religious ,,practices ,fasting is one of the religious observances4 ,it is kept for three successive days in the month of ,december1 when they profess to commemorate the death of ,yezid4 ,some observe also the forty days' fast in the spring of the year1 when the ,eastern ,christians celebrate the memory of ,christ's abstinence from food at the time of his temptation in the wilderness4 ,one person in a family may fast for the rest4 ,during this period fasters abstain from animal food4 ,the chief ei fasts rigidly one month in the year1 eating only once in twenty-four hours and immediately after sunset4 ,prayer is not considered a religious duty4 ,they never pray2 they do not even have a form of prayer1 and acknowledge that they do not pray4 ,it is said that when ei #8,adi came from ,mecca1 he told his followers in one of his sermons3 8,god commanded me to tell you that there is no need of prayer2 believe in the power of ,melek s and ye shall be saved48 ,they have1 however1 what is called morning recital1 which the devout among them mutters in ,kurdish as he rises up from his bed4 ,it is as follows3 0,chand-il-manhatie sobayaka roh halatie4 ,hatna mesarmen dou jaladie1 meskino raba4 ,beda ade ada dina mine eik ,allah melek eih-sin ,habib ,allah malub al-mergie ala malub w-mergie al-jems ala ,al-bani ma-ieh al-jemsieh wal jot uobaieh ,kwa-amsi ,tauris wal-,fahra-,dinn1 washeikho ,pir4 ,kawata deira sor1 hanpouteka deira chankulie wa-,kabri ,zaman wa-ahro douni1 ,amin40#afa 8,how often two executioners came upon me as the morning sun arose4 ,o poor man1 stand up and bear witness6 ,witness for my religion4 ,god is one2 the angel ei #8,adi and upon his congregation2 upon the great shack and the shack of ei ,tauris and ,far ad-,din and to every ei and pir1 and the power of ,deir ,zor and ,deir ,chankalie 7two ,christian monasteries71 and the grave of time 7mysterious power71 and the ,last ,day40 ,,iii ,,the ,,sacerdotal ,,orders ,the hierarchical orders of the ,yezidi sect are four4 ,the head ei is the patriarch of the sect4 ,he directs all the religious affairs of the community and leads them in their rites4 ,he is also the principal interpreter of their religion1 the chief spiritual judge1 a sacred person1 whose hearth is regarded as a sanctuary1 only second in importance to ei #8,adi's temple1 and whose will must be obeyed4 ,his powerful weapon is excommunication4 ,he presides over a tribunal composed of ecclesiastical superiors1 which has jurisdiction in religious offences1 in questions relating to marriage1 and in disputes between the clergy4 ,his charge is hereditary1 in direct succession2 but if his eldest son be considered unworthy1 he may appoint another to succeed him4 ,he is said to be descended from ei #8,adi1 and is believed to be endowed with supernatural power for healing diseases1 and for blessing cattle and crops4 ,twice a year he visits the neighboring villages to collect contributions1 and sends his awwals to far distant districts for the same purpose4 ,occasionally he takes part in celebrating the marriage of persons of distinction in his community4 ,he is also at times solicited to preside over funeral rites1 which are generally conducted by the awwals and eis4 ,the chief ei wears a black turban and white garments4 ,besides the head ei1 the ,yezidis have many other eis4 ,each has a parish to look after4 ,twice a year he visits his parishioners to receive their free-will offerings4 ,if a member of a congregation does not satisfy his ei1 he is anathematized by his spiritual leader1 and no one will speak to him or eat with him4 ,every one of these eis is supposed to possess a special power1 such as the power to drive scorpions away by praying over water and sprinkling it in the corners of the house4 ,they have one called ei ,deklie1 that is1 ei of the ,cocks4 ,his office is to go from village to village to collect chickens4 ,several of these eis always reside at ei #8,adi's4 ,the next in dignity are pirs1 from the ,persian meaning an old man4 ,they wear red turbans and black garments4 ,then come the awwals1 from the ,arabic1 meaning one who speaks fluently1 an orator4 ,and lastly1 the fakirs1 from the ,arabic poor4 ,these are the lowest order in the ,yezidi priesthood4 7,for the different offices of the last three orders1 7see p4 #fi47 ,the clergy of all ranks enjoy particular respect4 ,their persons and homes are held inviolate4 ,they take precedence at public gatherings4 ,and the eis and pirs possess the much dreaded power of excommunication4 ,besides the above1 the ,yezidis have a temporal chief1 who is called amir4 ,his dignity is also hereditary and confined to one family4 ,he is believed to be a descendant of ,yezid4 ,he exercises a secondary authority over the ,yezidis4 ,he is a mediator between his sect and the ,turkish government4 ,he has the power to cut off any refractory member from the community4 ,he has charge of fifty awwals who try to collect for him at their annual visits to each ,yezidi district a certain amount of money4 ,the money received by them is divided into two equal parts1 one of which goes to the support of the tomb of ei #8,adi1 and the second part is divided1 one-half being for the amir1 the other half being shared equally by the awwals4 ,the name of the present amir is #8,ali1 and he resides in ,ba#8adrie4 ,,notes ,,on ,,chapter ,,iv #aeh ,hol ,hola is an interjection1 or exclamation1 expressing sudden emotion1 excitement1 or feeling1 as 8,oh60 8,alas60 8,hurrah60 8,hark60 in ,english4 #aei ,p4 ,anastase3 ,al-,marik1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cji4 #afj ,ibid1 p4 #caa4 #afa ,ibid1 p4 #cac4 ,,chapter ,v ,,their ,,customs ,i ,,marriage ,the ,yezidis are endogamic4 ,they forbid union between the secular and the religious classes1 as also within certain degrees of relationship4 ,a ei's son marries only a ei's daughter2 so pirs' sons1 pirs' daughters4 ,a layman cannot marry a ei's or a pir's daughter1 but he may take for a wife a awwal's or a kochak's daughter2 and awwals' or kochaks' sons may marry laymen's daughters4 ,but if a layman marries a ei's or a pir's daughter1 he must be killed4 ,marriage is for life1 but it is frequently dissolved1 divorce being as easy to obtain among them as among ,moslems4 ,when a man wants to get rid of his wife1 he simply lets her go4 ,polygamy is allowed1 but usually confined to rich men1 who generally have two wives4 ,the number of wives is limited to six1 except for the amir4 ,a man must have money or cattle in order to be able to get married4 ,the price is called alam4 ,a respectable girl will not sell herself at a low price4 ,parents get rich if they have several pretty girls2 they are the father's property4 ,the alam1 dowry1 is usually thirty sheep or goats1 or the price of them4 ,the man must give presents to the relatives of his bride1 parents1 brothers1 etc4 ,if a couple love each other and cannot marry because the man has no money to pay his sweetheart's father1 then they elope4 ,they usually make arrangements before elopement as to where they will stay for a few weeks to escape detection4 ,some strong men accompany them when they elope4 ,the father of the girl with his relatives follow4 ,if they catch the fugitives1 bloodshed may ensue4 ,but if they succeed in escaping1 they return after some time and are then forgiven4 ,according to a ,kurdish proverb everything is pardoned the brave4 ,the couple choose one another4 ,the girl informs her mother that she loves so and so4 ,the latter informs her husband4 ,the father acquaints the father of the young man with the fact4 ,when they agree1 and the daughter is given to the young man1 his kindred come to the house of the bride's father on an appointed day1 and give the girl a ring2 then they dance1 rejoice all night1 play1 wrestle1 and eat black raisins4 ,after that the young couple are allowed to arrange nuptial meetings in the company of a matron1 who is presented with a gift4 ,when the time of marriage comes1 the family of the bridegroom invites the relatives4 ,each takes with him a silk handkerchief as a present for the bride4 ,for three days they drink 8rak10 sing and dance to the sound of flutes and drums at the house of the young man4 ,after that1 the women1 two by two1 ride on horseback together1 and likewise the men4 ,the men take with them their children1 who ride behind them4 ,in this manner they go to the bride's house1 discharging their guns as they proceed4 ,when they reach the house they all discharge their guns together4 ,hearing the sound1 the father comes out and according to the custom1 asks the visitors what they want4 ,they respond 8,your daughter10 all answering at once4 ,then he goes in and tells his wife4 ,after putting upon their daughter a scarlet ailiyah 7veil71 which covers her from head to foot1 they bring her out4 ,everyone of the children takes a spoon from the bride's house and sticks it in his turban4 ,after being brought to the house of the bridegroom1 the bride is kept behind a curtain in the corner of a darkened room for three days1 and the young man is not allowed to see her during this period4 ,on the third day1 the bridegroom is sought early in the morning1 and led in triumph by his friends from house to house1 receiving at each a small present4 ,he is then placed within a circle of dancers1 and the guests and bystanders wetting small coins stick them to his forehead4 ,the money is collected as it falls in an open handkerchief held by his companions4 ,after this ceremony a number of the young men1 who have attached themselves to the bridegroom1 lock the most wealthy of their companions in a dark room until they are willing to pay a ransom for their release4 ,the money thus taken is added to the dowry of the newly married couple4 ,on the evening of the third day the ei takes the bridegroom to the bride4 ,putting the hand of one in that of the other1 and covering the couple with a ailiyah1 he asks the bride1 8,who are you80 8,i am the daughter of so and so10 responds she4 ,then he asks the bridegroom the same question4 ,after receiving an answer1 the ei asks1 8,will you take this young woman as a wife10 and 8,do you want this young man as a husband80 ,after hearing each say 8,yes10 the ei marks their shoulders and foreheads with red ink1 and hands them a stick4 ,as each holds one end of it1 he asks them to break it in the middle1 leaving one-half in the hand of each4 ,then the ei says1 8,so you remain one until death breaks you asunder40 ,when this is done1 he takes the couple to a room and locks them in1 waiting at the door4 ,after a while the bridegroom knocks at the door three times4 ,understanding the signal1 the priest discharges his gun1 and all the bystanders outside follow his example4 ,after shouting and dancing for some time1 the ei sends them home4 ,when they first meet1 the newly wedded husband strikes his young wife with a small stone as a token of his superiority over her4 ,for seven days1 they stay at home and do no work4 ,now1 if the husband dies first1 the wife goes to her father's house4 ,with the ,yezidis1 the family bonds are stronger than those of the tribe4 ,the family proper consists of parents and their children1 married1 and unmarried1 living in the same house4 ,respect for parents and elder persons is considered a virtue1 as it is among all the eastern people4 ,the head of the family is the sole proprietor of the possessions of the family1 and holds full control over his wife and children1 who are bound to obey him4 ,only personal objects and dress are the property of the wife4 ,he can punish his wife and the children4 ,if a son leaves his father's house1 he is beyond the father's authority1 but not beyond his moral influence4 ,a father is to maintain his family1 defend it1 and answer charges brought against its members4 ,next to the father in authority stands the eldest son4 ,women are inferior to men2 married women must obey their husbands4 ,they work like men2 they till the ground1 take care of cattle1 fight the enemy and are courageous and very independent4 ,this enables the young women to choose their sweethearts and run away with them4 ,they converse with men freely4 ,a woman does not conceal her face unless she is stared at1 when she draws a corner of her mantle over her face4 ,married women are dressed entirely in white1 and their shirt is of the same cut as the man's1 with a white kerchief under their chin1 and another over their heads1 held by the #8agal or woollen cord of the ,bedouins4 ,the girls wear white skirts and drawers1 and over them colored zabouns1 long dresses open in front and confined at the waist by a girdle ornamented with pieces of silver4 ,they bind fancy kerchiefs around their heads and adorn themselves with coins as well as with glass and amber beads4 ,the men wear shirts closed up to the neck1 and their religious law forbids them to wear the common eastern shirts open in front4 ,their shirt is the distinctive mark by which the ,yezidi sect is recognized at once4 ,they are clothed besides with loose trousers and cloaks1 both of white1 and with a black turban1 from beneath which their hair falls in ringlets4 ,they usually carry long rifles in their hands1 pistols in their girdles1 and a sword at their side4 ,in their physical characteristics they are like the ,kurds1 wild1 rough1 uncultured4 ,they are muscular1 active1 and capable of bearing great hardship4 ,in general1 they are a fine1 manly race3 tall or of medium stature1 with large chest2 strong deep voice1 audible afar2 clear1 keen eye2 frank and confident1 or fierce and angry2 nose of moderate length1 and fairly small head4 ,their legs are rather short1 but the soles of their feet are large4 ,their complexion is usually dark and their eyes are black4 ,but there are different types4 ,the predominant type is tall1 with black hair1 fine regular nose1 and bluish brown eyes4 ,the rest are of shorter stature1 with longer features2 light1 bright eyes2 and large1 irregular nose4 ,the ,yezidis sometime shave the hair off their head1 leaving only a long1 thin forelock4 ,,ii ,,funerals ,if a young or well-known man dies1 they make in his likeness a wooden form and clothe it in the dead man's clothes4 ,then the musicians play mourning tunes1 while the relatives stand round the model4 ,after wailing for a while1 they walk in procession in a circle around the form1 and now and then kneel down to receive a blessing from it4 ,those who come to the scene1 according to their custom1 ask the parents of the dead man1 8,what have you80 ,they reply1 8,we have the wedding of our son40 ,they continue wailing for three days4 ,afterward they distribute food on behalf of the dead4 ,for a year they give a plate of food with a loaf of bread daily to some person1 thinking that thereby they are feeding their own dead4 ,on the seventh and fortieth day from the time of death1 they visit the grave to mourn over their lost one4 ,now1 if the dead be a common man1 he is not honored with such a ceremony4 ,he is usually buried an hour or two after his death4 ,the funeral rites are simple4 ,the body of the ,yezidi1 like that of a ,mohammedan1 is washed in running water4 ,after being laid on a flat board1 they dress him with his former clothes1 close the openings in his body with pieces of cotton1 place the sacred clay of ei #8,adi in his mouth1 on his face and forehead1 under his shoulders and eyes1 and on his stomach4 ,this done1 they carry the dead on the board to the cemetery4 ,the awwals1 burning incense1 lead the procession2 the immediate relatives1 especially the women1 following1 dressed in white and throwing dust over their heads1 and accompanied by male and female friends and neighbors4 ,if the dead be a man1 they then dance1 the mother or the wife holding in one hand the sword or shield of the dead1 and in the other1 long locks cut from her own hair4 ,they bury him with his face turned toward the north star4 ,everyone present throws a little dust over the grave while saying1 8,o man1 thou wert dust and hast returned to dust to-day40 ,then the ei says1 8,when we say1 #8,let us rise and go home1' then the dead man will say1 #8,i will not go home with the people4' ,and when he tries to get up1 his head will strike the stone1 when he will say1 #8,o1 ,i am among the dead4'0 ,when they return home1 the family slaughters oxen and sheep and gives meat to the poor4 ,the poor kill four or five sheep2 the rich1 a hundred4 ,the kochaks prophesy of the dead1 whether he will return to the earth or will go to another world4 ,they hold that some will be eternally condemned1 but that all will spend an expiatory period2 and that the dead have communion with the living1 in which the good souls dwelling in the heavens make revelations to their brethren on earth4 ,,iii ,,nationality ,four different theories have been advanced as to the race to which the ,yezidis belong4 ,there are those who think them to be of ,indo-,european origin1 for there is a type among them that has a white skin1 a round skull1 blue eyes and light hair4 ,and there are those who suppose them to be ,arabs on the ground that the color of skin of another type is brown1 their eyes are wide1 their lips are thick and their hair is dark4 ,the western writers1 moreover1 have in the past always taken them for ,kurds because of the close resemblance of the two in appearance and manners4 ,in his 8,la ,turquie d',asie10 ,vital ,cunet says that though the ,yezidis have been taken for ,kurds1 they can no longer be regarded as such1 for in many ways they resemble other nationalities4 ,on the other hand ,hormuzd ,rassam1 in his 8,asshur and the ,land of ,nimrud0 seems to agree with those who suppose them to be of ,assyrian origin4 ,he bases this inference on the independent and martial spirit which they possess1 and their tendency to rebel against their oppressors1 which1 according to him1 may be taken as an indication of ancestral inheritance4#afb ,,iv ,,locality ,the ,yezidis dwell principally in five districts1 the most prominent among these being that of eian4 ,this term is the ,persian plural of ei1 an old man2 and it signifies the country where eis dwell4 ,this district lies northeast of ,mosul1 covering a wide area in which are many villages4 ,it is their ,palestine4 ,in it lies their ,mecca1 ,lalish1 where their sacred shrine1 the tomb of ei #8,adi1 is4 ,lalih is the centre of their national and religious life4 ,it is situated in a deep1 picturesque valley4 ,its slopes are covered with a dense wood1 and at the bottom of it runs the sacred water4 ,other notable places here are the two adjoining villages1 ,ba#8aia and ,baazanie1 at the foot of the mountain of ,rabban ,hormuzd1 a six hours' ride from ,mosul4 ,the former is the center of the tombs of their eis2 the latter is their principal burial place1 to which bodies are carried from all the various districts4 ,it was formerly a ,christian village with a monastery4 ,and ,ba#8adrie1 northeast of the ,city of ,mosul1 about ten hours' ride away1 is the village where their amir resides4 ,it is close to ei #8,adi's4 ,next in importance is ,jabal ,sinjar4 ,the term 8,sinjar0 is ,persian1 meaning a bird1 perhaps an eagle4 ,it signifies that its inhabitants are1 like the eagle1 safe and cannot be caught4#afc ,sinjar is about three days' journey from ,mosul4 ,it is a solitary range1 fifty miles long and nine miles broad1 rising in the midst of the desert4 ,from its summit1 the eye ranges on one side over the vast level wilderness stretching to the ,euphrates1 and on the other over the plain bounded by the ,tigris and the lofty mountains of ,kurdistan4 ,nisibin and ,mardin are both visible in the distance4 ,one can see the hills of ,ba#8adrie and ei #8,adi4 ,among the sacred places of this district are two villages3 ,assofa1 where two ziarahs are found1 and distinguished from afar by their white spires1 and ,aldina1 where one ziarah exists4 ,in almost every ,sinjar village1 there is to be found a covered water which they use as a fortress during their fights with the ,kurds or with the ,turkish army4 ,the devil-worshippers of this locality are commonly called ,yezidis1 while those of eian are known both as ,yezidis and ,dawaseni4 ,another district is alitiyeh1 which includes all the territory north and northeast of the ,tigris in the province of ,diarbeker4 ,the ,malliyeh region includes all the territory west of the ,euphrates and ,aleppo4 ,and the ,saradar section includes the ,caucasus in southern ,russia4 ,some regard the ,lepchos of ,india also as ,yezidis1 who1 in the early appearance of the sect1 went there to proselyte the ,hindoos4#afd ,v ,,dwellings ,in regard to their dwellings1 the ,yezidis are divided into two classes3 ,ahl al-aar1 the people of the villages or cultivated land1 and ,ahl al ,wabar1 the people of the tents4 ,the villages are built of clay1 stone or mud1 and unburned brick4 ,a village consists of about sixty houses4 ,a house is divided into three principal rooms1 opening one into another4 ,these are separated by a wall about six feet high1 upon which are placed wooden pillars supporting the ceiling4 ,the roof rests on trunks of trees raised on rude stones in the centre chamber1 which is open on one side to the air4 ,the sides of the room are honeycombed with small recesses like pigeon-holes4 ,the whole is plastered with white plaster1 fancy designs in red being introduced here and there4 ,the houses are kept neat and clean4 ,they say that cleanliness is next to heaven4 ,now1 the people of the tents are1 like the ,arab ,bedouins1 nomadic1 having no houses and no permanent place of abode4 ,they form but a small portion of the ,yezidis1 and are called ,kotchar4 ,,vi ,,the ,,language ,the language of the ,yezidis1 in common with the ,kurds1 is ,kurdish1 which belongs to the ,iranian group of the ,indo-,european or ,indo-,germanic stock4 ,this ,kurmanji possesses a number of dialects not differing much from one another1 except the zaza dialect1 which is spoken in eastern ,mesopotamia by the ,kurds1 called ,ali ,alla4 ,the main characteristic of the ,kurmangi are the great brevity of its words and the simplicity of its grammatical forms4 ,it is fairly rich in vowels1 and richer in deep guttural sounds4 ,though ,kurdish is the general language of the ,yezidis1 their religious mysteries are in ,arabic4 ,both languages are spoken by those living in the ,sinjar hills and in eian4 ,,vii ,,occupation ,generally speaking1 the ,yezidis are an industrious people1 but they do not engage in business4 ,this is due to their belief that any form of business leads to cheating and lying1 and hence to cursing ,melek-s1 i4 e41 the devil4 ,their usual occupation is agriculture and cattle-raising4 ,the ,yezidis of ,sinjar1 who constitute almost the entire population1 raise fruit1 such as figs and grapes2 also almonds and nuts4 ,jabal ,sinjar is famous for its figs4 ,those who live in the ,russian territory1 like the sweeper class of ,india1 are mainly engaged in menial work4 ,but those in the districts of ,rewan and ,midyat are given to housebreaking and highway robbery2 they are the terror of those regions4 ,the ,yezidis seldom appear in the cities2 and when they do they conceal their peculiarities as much as possible1 for the ,christians and ,mohammedans are wont to seek amusement at their expense4 ,when they find a ,yezidi in their company1 they draw a circle about him on the ground1 from which he superstitiously believes he cannot get out1 until some one breaks it4 ,they annoy him by crying out1 ,na#8lat aitan1 i4 e41 ,satan be cursed4 ,moreover1 city people keep aloof from the habitations of these despised devil-worshippers4 ,accordingly the ,yezidis have little intercourse with their neighbors4 ,,notes ,,on ,,chapter ,v #afb ,in his letter to me1 of date ,august #f1 #aijg1 the ,rev4 ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus1 of ,mardin1 expresses the opinion that 8many of the ,yezidis around ,sinjar might have come from ,indian stock0 on the ground that 8they are darker and more lithe than the ,kurds around them40 #afc ,p4 ,anastase3 ,al-,marik1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #hca4 #afd ,cf4 ,al-,marik1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #gcd4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,list ,,of ,,the ,,yezidi ,,tribes 7,the materials were collected for me by ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus1 of ,mardin7 ,,the ,,tribes ,,across ,,the ,,river ,,from ,,mosul #a ,the tribe named eian lives in the mountains of ,al-1 and has sixteen villages4 ,they are all under the orders of ei #8,ali ,beg ,paa1 the ,amir1 or chief of the ,yezidis4 ,this tribe can furnish #a1fjj guns for war4 ,said #8,ali ,paa has received from the ,turkish government the order of ,amir ul-,umara 8the ,amir of ,amirs40 ,he has a brother who has received the order of ,miry ,miran1 8the ,amirs of ,amirs40 ,he has a second brother who has received the order of ,romeli ,beglar ,begi1 8the ,beg of ,begs40 ,these three are all sons of the former ,amir ,husein ,beg4 #b ,the ,dendi tribe lives in ,dakoke district4 ,it occupies fifteen villages1 and can bring #hjj guns to war4 #c ,the ,howari tribe lives in the region of ,zao4 ,this tribe is nomadic1 lives in tents1 and can furnish #bjj guns for war4 ,it has two chiefs1 ,bedri ,sohr and ,dar ,bazi usein4 ,they are all shepherds4 ,,the ,,tribes ,,at ,,sinjar ,,and ,,jezireh ,,districts ,tribes4 ,tents4 ,villages4 ,guns4 ,population4 ,district4 ,aldaghi #a #ajj #ejj ,sinjar ,bekura #a #ajj #ejj ,chalka #a #ajj #ejj ,dalka #a #ajj #ejj ,fakir #a #ajj #ejj ,gabara #b #aej #fej ,haska #a #bjj #a1jjj ,hubaba #f #ijj #d1ejj ,jabri #a #ej #bej ,jovana #f #ejj #b1jjj ,kiran #b #fjj #c1jjj ,menduka #b #cjj #a1ejj ,mihrka #b #bjj #a1jjj ,sumoka #f #a1bjj #f1jjj ,uleki #a #gj #cej --- --------- #cd #d1egj ,amoad #djj 444 #djj #b1jjj ,alo ,dunadi 444 #ae #hjj #d1hjj ,duhok ,havveri #ajj 444 #ajj #ejj ,zao ,shekan 444 #af #a1bjj #g1bjj ,alo ,rashukan #aej 444 #aej #gej ,jezireh ,samukie 444 #f #ejj #b1ejj ,midyat ,sohranie 444 #ae #cjj #a1ejj ----- --- --------- ------------ ,grand total #fej #hf #h1jbj #db1jjj ,,the ,,tribes ,,of ,,midyat ,,region1 ,,usually ,,called ,,jabal ,,tor ,,al-#8,,abedin 7,,mountain ,,of ,,the ,,worshipers7 ,this region lies one day's journey east of ,mardin4 ,there are three tribes here4 #a ,the tribe of emmike4 ,this tribe inhabits six villages and can produce1 when needed1 #ejj guns4 #b ,the tribe called ,sorani4 ,there are fifteen small villages to this tribe with #cjj guns4 ,these all have houses built of stone1 and till the ground4 #c ,the tribe called ,mamila4 ,this tribe has seven villages3 ,mazazah1 ,bajinne1 ,kochano1 ,keunos1 ,taka1 ,harobia1 and ,namirdani4 ,mr4 ,andrus writes me that he has learned of this tribe from as ,samuel1 a ,jacobite ,syrian priest of ,mazazeh near ,midyat4 ,the tribe of ,bereyeh1 northwest of ,jabal ,al-,tor4 ,there was only one tribe in this district2 it was called altah4 ,this tribe had five villages3 ,rewan1 ,dooshah1 ,selaar1 ,bimbarik1 and ooln4 ,on account of the oppression of the government on the one hand1 and of the ,kurdish tribes around them on the other1 this tribe has moved to the ,sinjar ,mountains4 ,the tribes around ,weran ahr or ,goran ahr1 8the destroyed or the sunken city10 because it was destroyed by earthquake or in war4 ,this district lies southwest of ,mardin4 #a ,the ,denodi tribe4 ,this is probably an offshoot of the ,dahoke tribe of the same name4 ,it occupies three villages1 and has asan anjo for the chief4 ,he is now the right arm of ,ibrahim ,paa of the amideyeh army4 ,the three villages are ,salmi1 ,payamlo and ,desi4 #b ,the tribe called erin4 ,this tribe has seven subdivisions3 a4 ,turnah lives in one village called ,laulanji4 b4 upan occupies four villages3 7#a7 ,amazut4 7#b7 ,nuti4 7#c7 ,al-,aean4 7#d7 hda ,auman4 c4 ,beleki has six villages3 7#a7 ,sahda ,nasu4 7#b7 ,mouzan ei ,bersef4 7#c7 ,mouzan ,auo4 7#d7 ,menkuri ,minet4 7#e7 ,al-aureyee4 7#f7 ,menmenik4 d4 ,adi has three villages3 7#a7 ,tal arik4 7#b7 ,karmi ,apo #8,alo ,reo4 7#c7 ,karmi ,sim1 u1 ,kor ,kahiah4 ,sim means hoof2 u1 and2 kor1 blind2 kahiah1 head man4 e4 ,mardanah occupies two villages3 7#a7 ,hajj ,zain4 7#b7 ara uzeye4 f4 ,malla achar has one village3 ,malla achar means the ,malla flees4 g4 ,maskan occupies two villages3 ,birj ,baluji4 h4 ,suan has one village1 ,kafar ,bali4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,persecution ,the history of the ,yezidis1 like that of the ,jews1 has been one of persecution4 ,the causes of their misfortune have been 7#a7 the fact that they are not regarded as the people of the ,book2 and with such the ,mohammedans have no treaty1 no binding oath1 as they do with the other non-,mohammedan bodies4 ,for this reason they have to make choice between conversion and the sword1 and it is unlawful even to take taxes from them4 ,consequently they must accept the faith or be killed4 7#b7 ,their ceremonies have given rise among their neighbors to fables confounding their practices with those of the ,nuairi of ,syria and ascribing to them certain midnight orgies1 which obtained for them the name of chera sandera1 i4 e41 the extinguishers of light4 7#c7 ,their determined refusal to enter the military service4 ,the ,yezidis with the ,christians have been exempt from the military service on the general law sanctioned by the ,koran2 namely1 that none but true believers can serve in the armies of the state4 ,but from time to time the ,turkish government has endeavored to raise recruits for the regular troops among the ,yezidis on the ground that1 being of no recognized infidel sect1 they must be included like the ,druses of ,mount ,lebanon among ,mohammedans4 ,but they have resisted the orders1 alleging that their religious law absolutely forbids them to take the oath to which the ,turkish soldiers are weekly subjected1 to wear the blue color and certain portions of the uniform1 and to eat several articles of food that are offered to the troops4 ,hence they have suffered severely at the hands of the local authorities4 ,one of the most cruel persecutions which the ,yezidis have suffered was that brought upon them in the eian district by the famous ,beg ,rawmanduz in #ahcb1 who had united most of the ,kurdish tribes of the surrounding mountains under his command4 ,his cry was to crush the hateful sect of the devil-worshippers4 ,the forces of #8,ali ,beg1 the then amir of the ,yezidis1 were much inferior in number to those of the ,kurdish ,beg4 ,the latter 7#8,ali ,beg7 was defeated1 therefore1 and fell into the hands of his enemy1 who put him to death4 ,the people of eian fled to ,mosul4 ,it was in the spring and the river had overflowed and carried the bridge away4 ,a few succeeded in crossing1 but the greater multitude of men1 women and children were left on the opposite side and crowded on tal #8,armus4 ,the hostile ,beg followed and butchered them indiscriminately1 showing no mercy1 while the people of ,mosul were witnessing the horrible massacre from the other side of the stream and hearing the cry of the unfortunate for their help1 unwilling to render any assistance4 ,for the ,christians were helpless and ,mohammedans rejoiced to see the devil-worshippers exterminated4 ,from this cruel action of the ,beg of ,rawmanduz1 the mounds of ,nineveh gained the name 8,kuyunjik10 i4 e41 8the slaughter of the sheep40 ,soon after this ,suleiman ,paa of ,bagdad sent a large army to ,sinjar under the command of ,lutfee ,effendi1 who set fire to the ,jabal ,sinjar and caused all the inhabitants to flee4 ,then afiz ,paa of ,diarbeker attempted the subjugation of the ,yezidis of ,sinjar1 on the ground that they were plunderers4 ,after meeting some resistance1 he accomplished his purpose in #ahcg1 and appointed a ,moslem to watch over them4 ,at another time ,mohammed ,raid ,pasha of ,mosul attacked ,sinjar4 ,on both occasions there was a massacre4 ,the ,yezidis took refuge in caves1 where they were either suffocated by smoke or killed by the discharge of cannon4 ,and thus the population was reduced by three-fourths4 ,these and other similar injustices at the hands of the ,paas of ,bagdad and ,mosul and the ,kurdish chiefs led the ,yezidis from time to time to send a deputation to lay their grievances before the agents of the ,european powers1 and they have even sent commissioners to the ,sultan4 ,they finally succeeded in enlisting the interest of ,lord ,stratford in #ahdg to obtain at ,constantinople a proper recognition of their religion and exemption from military service4 ,but the severest of all persecutions1 to which ,i was an eye-witness1 was perhaps the one which the ,yezidis of both eian and ,sinjar suffered in #ahib at the hands of ,fari #8,omar ,paa1 ,lieutenant-,general of the ,turkish ,army4 ,this ,fari was sent in the summer of #ahib as a special commissioner by the ,sultan to accomplish certain definite things in the states of ,mosul and ,bagdad3 to collect twenty years' unpaid taxes2 to induce the ,bedouins to exchange their nomadic life for village life2 to convert the ,yezidis of eian and ,jabal ,sinjar from their idolatry to the true faith4 ,he was a harsh man in his manners and methods4 ,he first invited some of their chiefs to ,mosul4 ,they came and listened to what the new ,paa had to say4 ,they met him when ,mijlis al-,edarah1 council of the state1 composed of #8,olama and a few ,christians1 was in session4 ,in the presence of these noblemen he began to tell them that if they would give up their devil-worship1 they would be rewarded with high place and rank1 and would please the great ,allah4 ,but they answered not4 ,when the ,fari saw that his words failed to persuade them1 he began to apply the weapon of cruelty4 ,he cast them into prison2 some died2 others fled2 and a few1 through the fear of torture and painful death1 pronounced al-ehdah#afe with their lips but not from their hearts4 ,then he sent an army to their villages1 and commanded them to choose between ,islam and the sword4 #8,omar ,beg1 his son1 who was commanding the soldiers1 directed them to slaughter the men1 and take captives the pretty women and girls and marry them4 ,he slew about five hundred men4 ,many became ,moslems from fear1 among these ,merza ,beg1 their civil chief4 ,then he placed mullas among them to teach the children the ,muslim faith1 and ordered the newly converted ,yezidis to pray five times every day and to perform all the religious rites4 ,to make them continue to be ,mohammedans1 he tore down their shrines1 especially those at ,bazanie and ,baaia4 ,such events encouraged the ,kurds to come down and add greater cruelty to what was already done4 ,but amir #8,ali ,beg1 their chief in civil and religious affairs1 after long imprisonment and torture1 did not change his religious belief4 ,that he might not be an example of firmness to the ,yezidis1 the ,fari banished him with soldiers to ,katamuni1 a place near ,constantinople4 ,as a consequence of these persecutions1 the number of the ,yezidis has been considerably decreased4 ,in the fifteenth century there were #bej1jjj4 ,at the beginning of the nineteenth century there were #bjj1jjj4 ,they are still declining and remaining under the clouds of misconception1 and are consequently objects of aversion and hatred4 ,but they console themselves with the idea that they suffer in the cause of their religious convictions4 ,,notes ,,on ,,chapter ,,vii 7,footnote not referenced in text4 ,cherog sonderan is ,turkish2 sonderan is the participle of the infinitive of to put out1 and cherag1 literally lamp1 is the object of sonderan4 ,in ,turkish the object precedes the verb2 cf4 ,yani sarfi ,otamani 8the ,new ,turkish ,grammar0 7in the ,turkish language1 ed4 ,ahmad ,jaudat ,co41 ,constantinople1 #acah ,a4 ,h471 p4 #gg47 #afe ,kalimatu1 -ehdah is as follows3 8,i testify that there is no deity but ,god and that ,mohammed is apostle of ,god40 ,,bibliography ,,arabic ,a manuscript containing the ,sacred ,book of the ,yezidis and their traditions4 ,two other manuscripts containing the history of the ,yezidis4 ,a-ahrastani3 ,kitab ,al-,milal wa1 n-,nial 7ed4 ,wm4 ,eureton1 ,london1 ,,mdcccxliii1 vol4 #a1 p4 #aja seq74 ,yasin ,al-atib ,al #8,omari ,al-,mauili3 ,al ,der al ,maknn fi-l-,mier ,al-,maiyat min ,al-ern1 8ei #8,adi40 ,mohammed ,al-#8,omari ,mauili3 ,manhal-al-,uliya wa ,masrab ul ,asfiya1 8ei #8,adi40 ,ibn allikan3 ,wafaiyat-el-#8,aiyan 7,cairo ,a4 ,h4 #acaj1 ,a4 ,d4 #ahid71 vol4 #a1 p4 #caf4 ,fihrist3 ed4 ,flgel3 ,the ,religion of auran1 p4 #aij seq4 ,yakout3 ,lali4 ,vol4 ,,iv1 p4 #cgc4 ,abu-l-asim ,ibn ,haual3 ,kitab ,al-,masalik ,wal-,mamalik 7ed4 ,m4 ,j4 ,de ,goeje1 #ahgc1 ,leyden7 ,hakkari1 p4 #add4 ,anistase3 ,al-,mari1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,tabari on ,sabeans3 ,the ,sixth ,session of the ,oriental ,congress4 ,leide1 #ahhc1 pp4 #cjj-cdj4 ,,syriac ,a manuscript containing an abstract about the ,history of the ,yezidis4 ,,kurdish ,yezidis ,songs and ,prayers1 in manuscript4 ,,turkish ,vital ,cunet3 ,translation of ,la ,turquie d',asie1 ,constantinople4 ,turkish ,reader 7,constantinople1 ,a4 ,h4 #acah71 ,second ,part1 p4 #bj seq4 ,,english ,g4 ,p4 ,badger3 ,the ,nestorians and ,their ,rituals1 vol4 ,i4 ,layard3 ,nineveh and ,its ,remains1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,layard3 ,nineveh and ,babylon4 ,ainsworth3 ,travels and ,researches in ,asia ,minor4 ,h4 ,southgate3 ,a ,tour ,through ,armenia1 ,persia1 and ,mesopotamia1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,j4 ,b4 ,fraser3 ,mesopotamia and ,persia4 ,g4 ,j4 ,rich3 ,residence in ,kurdistan1 vol4 ,,ii1 #ahcf4 ,fletcher3 ,notes ,from ,nineveh1 #ahej4 ,f4 ,parrot3 ,journey to ,ararat4 ,j4 ,s4 ,buckingham3 ,travels in ,assyria1 ,media1 and ,persia4 ,f4 ,millingen3 ,wild ,life ,among the ,kurds1 #ahgj4 ,hormuzd ,rassam3 ,asshur and the ,land of ,nimrod4 ,o4 ,f4 ,pary3 ,six ,months in a ,syrian ,monastery4 ,f4 ,d4 ,green3 ,the ,armenian ,crisis in ,turkey4 ,a4 ,v4 ,williams ,jackson3 ,persia1 ,past and ,present4 ,a4 ,v4 ,williams ,jackson3 ,j4 ,a4 ,o4 ,s41 #be1 #agh seq4 ,a4 ,v4 ,williams ,jackson3 ,the ,article1 8,yezidis10 in ,new ,inter4 ,enc41 vol4 #ag1 p4 #ici4 ,victor ,dingelstedt3 ,scottish ,geog4 ,mag41 vol4 #ad1 p4 #bie4 ,ainsworth3 ,transactions of the ,ethnographical ,society1 vol4 #a1 #ahfa4 ,forbes3 ,j4 ,r4 ,g4 ,sc41 vol4 ,,lx1 p4 #dji2 ,account of ,yezidis of ,jabal ,sinjar4 ,tylor3 ,journal of ,geographical ,society1 #ahfh4 ,hextheusen3 ,transcaucasia3 ,account of ,yezidis in ,russia4 ,ainsworth3 ,travels and ,researches in ,asia ,minor1 ,ch4 ,,xxxi4 ,transactions of the ,syro-,egyptian ,society1 #ahee1 the article1 8,yezidis40 ,a4 ,n4 ,andrus3 ,missionary ,ency4 ,art4 8,yezidis40 ,the ,independent1 ,january #ag1 #ahie4 ,r4 ,gottheil3 ,mandeans in ,j4 ,u4 ,cycl4 ,r4 ,gottheil3 ,sabeans in ,j4 ,u4 ,cycl4 ,k4 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