The Sanctuary of Shaykh ʿAdī at Lalish: Centre of Pilgrimage of the Yezidis

Author(s): Birgül Açikyildiz

Source: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London ,
2009, Vol. 72, No. 2 (2009), pp. 301-333
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of School of Oriental and African
Studies
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40379006

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
https://about.jstor.org/terms

School of Oriental and African Studies and Cambridge University Press are collaborating with
JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African
Studies, University of London

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
Bulletin ofSOAS, 72, 2 (2009), 301-333. © School of Oriental and African Studies.
Printed in the United Kingdom.

The sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI at Lalish: Centre

of pilgrimage of the Yezidis1
Birgiil Acikyildiz
The Oriental Institute, University of Oxford
[email protected]

Abstract
The sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI, the only monumental complex of the
Yezidis, lies at Lalish, 35 kilometres north of Mosul, in Iraqi Kurdistan.
It is dedicated to its founder, Shaykh cAdI (d. 1162). Although it has
been suggested that it was converted from a Christian monastery, Arabic
sources and architectural analysis indicate that it may originally have
been the zdwiya where Shaykh cAdI and his disciples retired to meditate.
After his death, the sanctuary grew up around his tomb and became a
centre of pilgrimage. It is a large complex containing buildings of different
sizes and functions. It was not conceived as a centrally planned structure
and its different parts were added progressively as and when circumstances
dictated. The dominant architectural style is derived from that which
characterizes the twelfth-thirteenth-century Shiite buildings of Mosul,
and was continued by the Yezidis until the present day.

The sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI2 is found at Lalish, in the region of Sheykhan

(Figures 1 and 2), 10 kilometres south-east of Dohuk and 35 kilometres north
of Mosul in Iraqi Kurdistan. Located in the middle of the Lalish valley,3 it is

1 This article originated in a somewhat different form as part of my doctoral dissertation:

Patrimoine des Yezidis: Architecture et "Sculptures Funeraires " au Kurdistan irakien,
en Turquie et en Armenie (Paris: Universite de Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne, 2006). I
wish to thank Jeremy Johns for his valuable comments on this article.
2 It is also known as Perestgaha Lalis in Kurdish ("The temple of Lalish"), and its twin
spires are considered by the Yezidis to be their qibla, as mentioned in the Declaration
of Faith in the oral tradition (Kreyenbroek 1995: 226-7):

Silaved mera Lilase Meqlubi Salutations to the holy men, to Lalish and to
Meqliib
Ben meye coted quba li wi 'erdi Our point of orientation on this earth are the
Twin spires.
'Erde ezidixane ser dikesine ber The Yezidi nation turns towards Shaykh Adi,
Sexadi
'Ebadete sucudehe. In the worship of prostration.

3 The entire Lalish valley is a reflection of the mystic, social and political life of Yezid
Every feature of this valley has symbolic meaning. Nothing is accidental: every tree
bush may hold an important meaning for pilgrims. Apart from the sanctuary of Sh
cAdI, several mausolea, shrines, and caves associated with Yezidi saints are located h
The Baptistry of Kaniya Spi, the Caravanserai of Ezi (Khana Ezi) and the Bridge of S
(Pira Silat) are also in this holy valley.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
302 BIRGULACIKYILDIZ

Figure 1 . Map of the expansion of Yezidism

Figure 2. Map of Lalish and its monuments

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 303

encircled by mountains on three sides, with Mount Hezret to the we

the north and Meshet to the south.
The sanctuary is dedicated to Shaykh cAdI (1073-1 162),4 its builder, whom
the Yezidis5 consider to be the reformer who established the main rules of
Yezidism. The present sanctuary (Figure 3) was created around his tomb and
has become a centre of pilgrimage.
On arrival, the pilgrim finds the sanctuary to the north of the road that rises
and bisects the narrow and uneven valley, which runs from east to west. It may
well have become a site of pilgrimage at the beginning of the twelfth century
while the Master lived there and dispensed his teachings and blessings to both
disciples and lay visitors. Following his death in 1162, the importance of
Shaykh cAdT's tomb as a holy place grew ever greater as Yezidism defined itself
and became increasingly distinct from Islam.
Yezidism is a monotheistic religion, founded in the twelfth century and based on
the teachings of the Sufi Shaykh cAdI. Originally it was a Sufi order known as the
cAdawiyya. However, the death of Shaykh cAdI was followed by a period of syn-
cretism between Islam and ancient Iranian religions, so that there developed a
kind of synthesis of belief, which distanced it definitively from Islamic orthodoxy.
From these origins, the Yezidi doctrine gradually became a religion in its own right.
One aspect of the development of Yezidism subsequent to the death of
Shaykh cAdI was that he himself gradually became the object of great veneration
and even worship. The teachings of Shaykh cAdI and veneration of his person in
the form of pilgrimage to his tomb gained importance, while "Yezid", "Ezid", or
"Izid", variously perceived as God, prophet or angel, came to be partially
eclipsed by the rising cult of the saint.

4 Shaykh cAdI, an Arab in origin, was born in Baalbek in Lebanon, a descendant of the
Umayyad caliph Marwan b. al-Hakam. He studied in Baghdad where he met famous
Sufi mystics of his day such as cAbd al-Qadir al-JIlanl, the two GhazalT brothers and
Abu'l-Najlb cAbd al-Qahir al-Suhrawardl. He received a Sufi education with Abu'l
Khayr Hammad al-Dabbas, cUqayl al-MandljI and Abu'l Wafa al-Hulwanl. Later, he
became a much-appreciated spiritual master and gathered a certain number of disciples,
withdrawing with them to the Kurdish mountains in the early years of the twelfth cen-
tury. He founded the cAdawiyya order with the help of his disciples and other
Kurdish masters of the region. Because of his ascetic life and his miracles, he was sought
after by both Muslim and non-Muslim Kurds. He died in 557/1161-2 at the age of
ninety. (See Al-Hafiz Al-DhahabI 1983: 20, 344; Ibn Khalikan 1978: 4, 163).
5 Yezidis are a heterodox Kurdish religious community living in Kurdistan (northern Iraq,
western Iran, eastern Turkey, northern Syria) as well as in Armenia and Georgia. The
Yezidi heartland is in northern Iraq and there are four regions: Sheykhan, Dohuk,
Behzani/Bashiqa and Jebel Sinjar. Their population is uncertain. According to a
Yezidi association in Dohuk, the Lalish Cultural Centre, there are around 600,000
Yezidis in the world. The Yezidis usually call themselves Ezdi, Ezidi, Izid and in
some areas Dasini. Some scholars derive the name Yezidi from Old Iranian Yazata
(divine being), or from the Zoroastrian city of Yazd in Iran (Empson 1928: 39;
Mingana 1916: 513). However, most contemporary Western academics believe that it
is derived from Yazid ibn Mucawiya (Kreyenbroek 2005: 3). They are commonly
known as the people of the peacock angel or the worshippers of Satan because of
their respect for the peacock angel (Tawuse Melek). In Yezidi dogma, God delegated
his powers to seven angels, "seven mysteries" {Haft surr\ his assistants. The peacock
angel, the most powerful of the seven, is the sole representative of God on earth.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
304 BIRGUL A C I K Y I L D I Z

Figure 3. General view of the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdi

Despite the fact that the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdi has attracted the attention
of a number of travellers6 and scholars,7 it has not as yet been the subject of a
comprehensive study. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the
uniqueness of this Yezidi monumental complex and to cast a light on questions
concerning its origins.

Description
The sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI is a large complex of buildings of different periods,
functions and dimensions. Irregular in shape, it is oriented east-west. This may
perhaps be explained by two factors: the narrowness of the east-west valley
makes this orientation most suitable from an architectural point of view, and the
Yezidis, during their prayers and ceremonies, turn to face the sun as it rises or sets.
The sanctuary, which covers an area of approximately 4,500 square metres
(including the forecourt), is delineated by three outer walls and, to the north, by
a rocky crag. The western wall measures 29.5 metres in length, the southern
wall 72 metres, and the eastern wall is 28 metres long (Figures 4 and 5).

6 Most of the travellers who visited Mesopotamia in the course of the nineteenth and the
beginning of the twentieth century visited the Yezidis and have left descriptions of the
sanctuary of Shaykh cAdT. (Ainsworth 1842: 183; Berezin 1951: 68-73; Bell 1924:
275-9; Wigram 1914: 94-7; Seabrook 1935: 316-21).
7 Badger 1852: 105-10; Layard 1854: 282-4; Bachmann 1913: 9-15; Empson 1928: 1 12-
16; Furlani 1940: 31-3; Drower 1941: 151-8; Fiey 1960: 205-11; Bois 1967: 88-101;
Kreyenbroek 1995: 80-83.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH <ADl 305

!
O

■s
o

Mex
8

o
I

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
306 BIRGULACIKYILDIZ

<

1
o

I
g

g
g

S3
i
I
o

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH <ADl 307

The main entrance is on the western side, with a secondary entrance

and a third entrance to the east. The sanctuary is built on uneven gr
buildings are at various levels and are linked by stairs or sloping cor
whole complex may be divided into two distinct parts: one religious,
secular.
The religious area comprises both interior and exterior courtyards
tains the mausolea of Shaykh cAdI and Shaykh Hasan, the Assem
Hall of Sharaf al-DIn, and the rooms of Hesin Dina, Heft Sivaran
and Shaykh Abu Bekir; in the basement of the complex, togeth
stables and stores, are the place of penitence or "Chilekhane", an
where the spring of Zemzem8 is located.
The secular buildings occupy the south-east part of the complex an
needs of the pilgrims and the religious officers who live in the sanc
for officials and the pilgrims, the kitchen, and the hypostyle cham
men and women meet separately following their pilgrimage, are arr
a courtyard in this secular space.
Approaching the complex from the south, the pilgrim first sees th
ical domes that cover the mausolea of Shaykh cAdI and Shaykh H
room of Hesin Dina. The forecourt lies to the west of the complex (
To the north of the forecourt are a series of low vaulted structures
al-Ma'rifa (Fig. 4, no. 2) which were once used as a market place
season of the pilgrimage9 but which today have no specific function
at times of pilgrimage they are used for the fire ritual. It cons
barrel vaults built against the natural rock, opening to the south and
sizes.10
In the same forecourt, there are also three "shrines" where the pilgrims light
their little oil wicks. These shrines11 are small constructions, different in shape,
around which pilgrims, individually or as a group, perform their devotions,
kissing them, burning oil wicks, and making wishes. Visitors may also make
donations of money at these shrines.12

8 This spring takes its name from the well of Zamzam in Mecca. After the death of Shaykh
cAdI his followers turned qibla from Mecca towards Lalish. Other features of the Meccan
religious landscape are also found in the valley: the bridge of Sirat (Pira Silat), the moun-
tain of cArarat (Chiyaye cErefat), and a black stone (Kevire resh).
9 Badger (1852: 105).
1 0 Berezin ( 1 95 1 : 7 1 ) was first to draw the ground plan of the sanctuary in 1 843 . According
to his plan, there is a second row of five vaults located in front of the outer wall, approxi-
mately at the centre of the courtyard. He also shows another vault next to the main north-
ern entrance. He calls these "open rooms". In Bachmann's plan (1913:9) open vaults are
shown on the northern and southern sides of the outer courtyard. He also shows a wall,
with a door in its centre, closing the western side of the courtyard.
1 1 No inscription or historical source dates these shrines, which appear only in me region oi
Sheykhan, the most ancient centre of Yezidi population. It is possible that the Yezidis
inherited these shrines from their ancestors, who may have practised a local cult based
upon ancient Iranian religion involving fire rituals. They are usually located in the
courtyard of mausolea or in the cemeteries as freestanding edifices.
12 During our second visit in 2004, we noticed that the torm ot two ot tnese snnnes naa
been completely altered; only the north-western shrine, a rectangular structure with a
niche in its east side where wicks are burned, was untouched. The shrine in the middle

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
308 BIRGUL AgiKYILDIZ

The outer wall of the sanctuary is formed by the eastern side of this courtya
through which opens the principal entrance. On either side of this door, t
medallions, a hooked stick or crook and a decorated stone are carved in lo
relief. One medallion is in the form of a six-pointed star reminiscent of t
seal of Solomon. Its hexagonal centre contains a small flower with eight petals
The other medallion is a circular flower with twelve petals arranged symmetr
cally and radiating from the centre. All these carvings seem to be spolia taken
from another structure and it seems improbable that they were carved for th
sanctuary itself. There are also three inscriptions on this facade.
On the western face of the main entrance are two inscriptions:

Right:

The door of Shaykh cAdI was built

by Feqlr Shemo bin Mir Yadkan,
the MatbakhchI and his children, Heel Faris, Murad and Mir Hasan.

Left:

f 1979 <!«,</

Baba Chawush, Pir Kemal

Pir MIrkan Sinjan,
rendered service to Shaykh cAdI
by the restoration of this holy door
in the year of 1979.
The inscription on the western face of the main entrance:

&&*

Bad? Beg.

of the east side of the courtyard, close to the principal entrance to the sanctuary, once had
an irregular conical form resembling a stalagmite made of clay, but in 2003 was covered
in cement, faced with stone, and transformed into a smaller version of the fluted conical
spires over the mausolea. The third shrine in the north-eastern corner of the courtyard,
near the vaults, once had a polygonal form but today is a rectangular block faced with
stone.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 309

Figure 6. Basement of the sanctuary of Shaykh cAd!

The large entrance or Deriye Mir13 is situated at the north end of

wall and serves as the main gateway (Figure 6). It is a semi-circu
engaged pillars, crowned by a simple entablature. The tympanu
symmetrical composition in low relief consisting of two elliptical pa
Arabic inscriptions giving the names of people who restored it. T
small birds and sprigs of foliage above the inscriptions.

Right:

TahsTn Beg14 bin Said Beg

the Emir al-Sheykhan, the vice-regent
of Shaykh 'Adi.

Left. tf Jl* fe^1 ^ ^^

13 Deriye Mir means the "Door of the Pr

98), Deriye Mir might mean "Door of M
Dar (b)-e Mehr, a place where important
14 Tahsin Beg (1931-) has been the MTr

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
310 BIRGUL ACIKYILDIZ

The door of Shaykh cAdT

was built by Mayan Khatun,15 daughter of Abdl Beg
with her own money.

Beyond this gate, one plunges into a dark corridor that widens at its far
leads to the interior of the sanctuary. Here, a series of loggias (Fig. 4, no.
to the clergy rooms.16 Two exterior staircases serve different levels of the
ing, while the main, fan-shaped, stairs lead to the inner courtyard.
The inner courtyard is roughly square in plan and paved with cobblesto
the north-west wing there is a modern open construction in concrete, sup
by five pillars, which serves as the place of meeting for religious men such
Mir, the Baba Shaykh, the Pesh Imam, Feqlrs and so on. Two low, irregula
tangular constructions stand immediately to the south and east of this m
place. The southern structure, where there is a vine, is called "The
Melik Fakhr al-DIn", and is reserved for the Baba Shaykh, the legitimate
dant and successor of Shaykh Fakhr al-DIn.
A tall rectangular shrine lies to the east of this structure and contains
for oil wicks which, as is usual in Lalish, is set in its eastern side. On the w
side of the shrine is an Arabic inscription, possibly reused.

...<>*• i jji-a*

In the name of God,

This door was built. . .
Famous. . .
May God make happy his days!

To the south of the courtyard are two buildings. In the west, the Xizna Nane is rec-
tangular in plan and is used to store the sacred bread made by the Feqreyas (or "nuns")
in the sanctuary and offered to pilgrims. The basin of Hewda Keloke lies in the
south-west of the courtyard and measures 1.30 x 1.20 m. Spring water drawn from
the basin is used during religious ceremonies and sprinkled over the congregation.
The four mulberry trees in this courtyard may have religious symbolism.
Yezidis venerate the mulberry tree as it is thought to have sacred qualities and
is regarded as having the power to cure disease.17

15 Mayan Khatun (1874-1957) was the wife of Mir Ah Beg and mother of Mir Said Beg
who had a very important position governing the Yezidi community during the first half
of the twentieth century. First, she became the guardian of Said Beg when he was the
Mir, and then of the Mir Tahsin. For more about her, see Guest (1993: 176-92).
16 A group of religious women, named Feqreya and the Baba Chawush, live in these rooms.
They are not allowed to marry and spend their lives engaged in religious tasks in the
sanctuary.
17 There are two mulberry trees in Bashiqa, called "Sitt Nafisa", one in Kabara, "Abdi
Resh", and one in Behzani, "Shaykh Baliko". The trees are visited by the sick seeking
healing, who tie rags to their branches and make vows.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 TH E SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 311

Figure 7. Portal of Deriye Kapi

In the north-east corner of the inner courtyard, the Deriye Kapi'18

leads to the Assembly Hall. Above this door is a semicircular arch
supports, crowned by a triangular pediment. The capitals of the t
columns are decorated with acanthus leaves in low relief. The architrave is
carved with Corinthian acanthus leaves, aligned with palmettes, and the archi-
volt is decorated by a row of aligned palmettes. The triangular pediment bears
a carving in low relief showing two peacocks arranged heraldically and facing
each other, each with a small lion in front of it,19 and a smaller bird, possibly
another peacock, on its back. The tympanum of the door is occupied by a
carving in low relief consisting of two radiant sun motifs, flanking an Arabic
inscription:

1 8 That is to say "door of the door'1. Deri means "door" in Kurdish and kapi means "door"
in Turkish. It is known also as Qapiya Miraza and Qapiya Shaykh cAdi. Badger (1852:
107) drew the ancient portal of Deriye Kapi in 1849 and the facade of the western wall of
the Assembly Hall which faces the inner courtyard. According to his details, in this
epoch the portal has a semicircular arch. The jambs of the door are decorated with a
kind of simple arabesque. There is an Arabic inscription in three pieces. Two big and
three small medallions are represented between the inscription and the semicircular
arch. Moreover, there are five medallions with vegetal motifs located above the portal.
A black serpent is represented on the right side of the portal, which is different in
shape to the one we have today. On the wall next to the portal, three hooked sticks, a
torch, two combs, a couple of lions and two pairs of birds, one pig-like animal and
two medallions can also be observed. The photography of Bell (1924: 273), taken in
1*911, more or less justifies the drawing of Badger. According to Bachmann (1913:
13), the frame of this door originally had a decoration of tracery. On the top, there is
an ornament of a frieze of rings, an Arabic inscription and a frieze of rosettes. In his
opinion, the technique of this ornament is typical of Mosul.
19 A pair of lions are also shown on the door of the mausoleum of Shaykh Abu Bekir in
Mem Shivan.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
312 B1RGUL ACIKYILDIZ

J>4JI t <* lift*)

jSjaII ^Jls 5^ Ja*a

695 (JjV! ^1) fyA

In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate,

Creator of heaven and earth
Protect this house (hddhd l-manzil)
The place (mahall) of the venerable Shaykh cAdI
The Shaykh (whose position is elevated) 695/1295-96.

The present door was certainly built between 1911 and 1928. Gertrude Bell20
visited the site and photographed a very different portal in 1911, while R. H. W.
Empson21 described the current portal in 1928. The Arabic inscriptions on the
original door no longer survive but were read and translated into English by
the Russian traveller I. Berezin.22 Because the Arabic cannot easily be recon-
structed from Berezin's almost incomprehensible English, no attempt has been
made to interpret their original meaning.

Centre: "This is the date of Ras, the son of Sheikh Emir, and he ... Sheikh
Gadi from amongst the zealous servants . . . and he came about out to the
Saint of God. God has witnessed about him with a dream of power and
near the door stands, permitted, 1230 (A.D. 1815)".

Left: "The cradle of Sheikh Ismail Gadi".

Right: "O thou moving rapidly in expectation of God's will toward Lord
Sheikh Adi! Hussain Beg, son of Javar Beg, 1231 (1816)".

Painted in black, to the left of the gate and represented vertically, is a large
snake; below it is a second, horizontal, snake, carved in low relief.23
Why are these three animals - peacock, serpent and lion - represented on the
main gate of the principal pilgrimage centre of the Yezidis?
In the Yezidi faith, the most prominent of the seven Yezidi angels is represented
in the form of a peacock known as Tawuse Melek, the Peacock Angel, who is often
equated with Satan. In Old Iranian beliefs, Ahriman, the Evil Principle, creates the

20 Bell (1924: 273).

21 Empson (1928: 122).
22 Berezin (1951: 69).
23 Images of serpents are also represented on the facade of several Yezidi mausolea in Iraqi
Kurdistan, such as the mausolea of Shaykh Amadln in Sinjar, of Shaykh Mand Pasha in
Behzani, Kabartu and Sinjar as well as the mausoleum of Shaykh Abu Bekir in Mem
Shivan. From the description of Drower (1941: 161-3), we also learn that the mausolea
of Shaykh Nasr al-DIn and Shaykh Shams in Lalish included the image of a serpent next
to the door which no longer exists.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 313

peacock in order to prove that he is also able to create good things.

between the devil and the peacock in Zoroastrian tradition influenc
The importance of Tawuse Melek in Yezidi tradition may have been
by the teaching of Shaykh cAdf concerning the devil. It clearly grew
after the fifteenth century, when Yezidi heterodoxy became more cle
opposition to the Muslim establishment, Tawuse Melek came to be r
the form of a bronze statue. However, the appearance of the peacock o
Deriye Kapi is its first occurrence on a Yezidi building. Even if the
recent, they suggest that Yezidis no longer hesitate to display their
the symbol of their faith on their buildings.
Yezidis believe that humanity survived during the Flood because o
the serpent. According to Yezidi tradition, Noah's ark was lifted an
waters to the top of Mount Sinjar. There, it violently hit against th
was holed, but the serpent curled up and plugged the leak. He
have excessive respect for him, to the degree that a Yezidi sa
Mand Pasha, is said to be the protector of serpents, and that t
his mausolea are also ornamented with the image of the serpent.
It is evident that the trio of Satan, peacock and serpent has a cen
Yezidi belief. It is possible to imagine that the courtyard of the
Shaykh cAdI symbolizes paradise, in which the peacock and se
next to the mulberry and vine, representing the tree of life, a
from Sufi origins. For some Sufis, the fall of Adam and Eve and th
of Satan was an important theme, and this may indicate how Shayk
his successors gave the characteristic shape to Yezidi belief.
In Yezidism, the lion appears in the Hymn of Shaykh ( Adi and H
the mount of Shaykh c Adi's contemporaries and companions, inclu
Ahmed al-Rifa'I (1118-83) and Abu'l Wafa al-Hulwanl (twelfth c
addition, it is said that the lion helped Shaykh cAdI when he was in
The lion is thus appreciated by the Yezidis, and this may be why it i
on the door.
On the west wall of the Assembly Hall, facing on to the inner cou
symbols are carved, which seem to be those described in written ac
depicted in drawings and photographs of the late nineteenth and e
centuries.26 The vertical serpent next to the portal appears to have b

24 See the fifth-century Armenian source, Eznik of Kolb, quoted in Kreyen

n. 123).
25 "And Abu'l Wafa, o young man, came to me riding a lion" (KreyenbroeK ivv:>: 48).
26 Berezin's (1951: 69) description of the wall is as follows: ". . . The simple arabesques sur-
rounding the door are cut relatively badly. On the right side of the entry, in addition to two
circles, is carved a serpent with some animal above it, a torch, an axe, a large comb, three
Arab staffs, two saucers, and two animals resembling dogs, between which is a cross". The
same wall was drawn by the British missionary and orientalist Badger (1852: 107), who
shows a horizontal serpent, three hooked sticks, an axe, a torch, two combs, an animal
(that resembles a pig) in a circle, two dogs between which is a cross, two birds, two medal-
lions in star form, and two other birds above the portal. The British diplomat and archae-
ologist Layard (1854: 283) wrote "On the lintels of doorway are rudely carved a lion, a
snake, a hatchet, a man, and a comb. The snake is particularly conspicuous ...".
Guerinot (1908: 613) portrays a serpent, two dogs, two birds, a lion, two combs and a
kind of broken head. According to Bachmann (1913: 13), the carvings on the facade are

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
314 BIRGUL ACIKYILDIZ

accompany the door itself, while other symbols, including a horizontal serpen
three hooked sticks, a torch or a mace, and an object resembling a skimmer,2
may be spolia from earlier structures. The same may be true of a pair of bird
on a block above the portal, other unidentified carvings including a defa
stone,28 and two illegible inscriptions.
Berezin29 mentions an Arabic inscription on this fa$ade reading: 'The date o
Kavatir Mutadjikh (?) of Sheikh cAdi in the days of Hussain Beg, 1231 (181
Badger30 also describes two inscriptions in a niche and one on the wall o
building in the inner courtyard:

First: "Sultan Yezeed, the mercy of GOD be upon him".

Second: "Sheikh Adi, the mercy of GOD be upon him".31
Third: "This is the epitaph of Hajji ibn Ismael. Blessedness is inscribed on
her gates. Therefore enter them in peace. Amen. In the year 1195".

Pilgrims stop to kiss the sill and frame of the door before entering th
Assembly Hall. The latter lies at the centre of the complex and is compar
to the Samakhane in which Sufis perform their rituals in the zdwiyas
Anatolia. Rectangular in shape, it is oriented east-west and measures 24 b
metres (Fig. 4, no. 11, Figure 8). A row of five pillars running lengthw
along the centre of the room divides it into two almost equal parts, each cove
with a pointed vault. The pillars are square, massive and covered by mu
coloured cloths.32 The floor in this principal area is level throughout; howeve
on the west side of the hall is a raised platform on which the sarcophagu
Shaykh cAdI b. Barakat33 rests. On the south wall six deep niches are visible.3
They begin at ground level with right-angled bases and are capped with point
arches; in the centre of each is a smaller recess. Two niches, at the east end of t
wall, pierce though it and serve as windows opening to the south. Small niche
to hold votive wicks are present in every Yezidi building. In this case, howeve

made in low relief and depict numerous rings, daggers, hooked sticks and animals. T
most striking is the black serpent.
27 The Yezidis identify this object as kevzir-, skimmer-.
28 There was an Arabic inscription on this stone, but it was destroyed recently by
Yezidis.
29 Berezin (1951: 70).
30 Badger (1852: 106-07).
3 1 Guerinot (1908: 611) also cites these two inscriptions, but it is not certain if he saw them or
simply translated Badger's English version. His French is: "Sultan Yezid. Que la
misericorde de Dieu soit sur lui!"; "Cheikh Adi. Que la misericorde de Dieu soit sur lui!".
32 The Yezidis perform a ceremony annually with these multicoloured cloths. It is called
pan suwar kirin and takes place on the fourth day of the annual pilgrimage. The
Baba Chawush and other religious people collect the cloths which cover the sarcophagus
and pillars in the sanctuary and take them to the Baptistry of Kaniya Spl. Then, either the
Pir or the Shaykh baptizes them in the water of the Kaniya Spi with prayers. Finally, they
return them to the sanctuary and put them in their place.
33 The nephew of Shaykh cAdI and the father of Shaykh Hasan ibn cAdI Shams al-DIn who
died in 618/1221. For the genealogy of the Yezidi Shaykhs, see Acikyildiz (2006: 270-71).
34 However, in the plans of Badger (1852: 108) and Empson (1928: 12), there are only five
semi-circular niches.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH (ADl 315

Figure 8. Interior of the assembly hall

the shape of the niches is not suited to that function. Indeed, they lo
mihrabs but, if so, why would there be six large niches in such a re
building? Perhaps they serve only to add interest to the internal w
The Hall of Sharaf al-DTn has the same ground plan as the Assemb
is smaller and slightly lower. It measures 8.4 by 17.5 metres wit
running east-west (Fig. 4, no. 12). Four pillars divide it longitudinal
equal halves. The ceiling is now flat but, following Bachmann'
originally had a pointed vault; this feature seems to have been

35 Bachmann(1913: 15).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
316 BIRGUL ACIKYILDIZ

Figure 9. Sarcophagus of Shaykh cAdT

poor restoration. Currently the building has no specific function and rem
empty.
The pilgrim gains access to the mausoleum of Shaykh Hasan36 through a door in
the north-east corner of the Assembly Hall. The mausoleum is almost square and
measures 4.3 by 4 metres (Fig. 4, no. 13). In the centre of the room, a door leads to
a narrow staircase which descends to Zemzem (Fig. 6, no. I) and Chilekhane
(Fig. 6, no. II: a-h). A door in the west wall leads to the mausoleum of Shaykh
cAdT. This is also square and measures 6.5 by 6.5 metres (Fig. 4, no. 14). In the centre
of its southern wall, an unglazed "window" opens on to the Assembly Hall. In front of
this window, wrapped in multicoloured cloths, is the sarcophagus37 of Shaykh cAdI
(Figure 9). Both mausolea have the polyhedral fluted conical domes, covered in
fine, deep ribbing, characteristic of Yezidi architecture.
From the mausoleum of Shaykh cAdI, the pilgrim can reach a succession of
three barrel-vaulted rectangular rooms aligned in an east-west direction (Fig. 4,

36 Shaykh Hasan is one of the nephews and the successors of Shaykh cAdi. His real name is
Hasan b. cAdI b. Abi al-Barakat b. Shakr b. Musafir Shems al-DIn Abu Muhammad (593-
647/1 196-1249 or 594^652/1 197-1254). He is the most famous of the Yezidi saints after
Shaykh cAdI. Shaykh Hasan was assassinated by Badr al-DIn Lu'lu' because he feared
a Kurdish revolt (Patton 1991: 65). Shaykh Hasan is also identified with one of the
seven Yezidi angels, as well as with the Muslim mystic al-Hasan al-Basrl (22-110/
642-728).
37 Layard (1854: 283) saw the "Ayat al-KursV of the Quran on the sarcophagus of Shaykh
Adi, but that no longer exists. Contemporary Yezidis try to erase all connections with
Islam by destroying such inscriptions.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 317

Figure 10. Room of Shaykh Abu Bekir

nos 15, 16, 17) where the ceremonial oil used for the lamps of the s
now stored in jars and barrels standing against the north and
(Figure 10). In the west end of the third room, the floor is sli
where the sarcophagus of Shaykh Abu Bekir38 is located. It is
black cloth unlike the other sarcophagus in the sanctuary.
The south-east wing of the complex constitutes the secular part of t
and is the animated centre of its daily life. It is composed of buildings ar
the side courtyard, which is irregular in shape and oriented east-west
(Fig. 4, no. 19, Figure 13). Much of the accommodation for the clergy a
here. At its eastern end are several rooms for pilgrims, opposite wh
leads to the first floor where most of the living accommodation is fou
sleeping and living quarters, bathrooms, etc. Beneath the staircase is
used for the preparation of the pilgrims' food. The southern end of th
defined by two hypostyle rooms, one for men and one for women w
gregate and eat after their pilgrimage. The kitchen lies at the eastern end
The spring of the Zemzem lies in the foundations of the com
no. I, Fig. 11). To reach it one must take either the narrow stai
down from the mausoleum of Shaykh Hasan, or the corridor tha
Chilekhane. On the northern side of the corridor, at an intersect
spring of Zemzem. It emerges in the middle of the room and t
the surface for a distance of 3.5 metres before disappearing u

38 Abu Bekir is one of Shaykh Hasan's sons from whom the family of Qa
for the Yezidi genealogy Acikyildiz (2006: 272-3).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
318 BIRGUL ACIKYILDIZ

Figure 1 1 . Spring of Zemzem

only to gush up once more in one of the rectangular rooms that lies at a low
level. The source of Zemzem is the holiest place for the Yezidis. The wat
Zemzem has magical and medicinal properties par excellence. It cures, re
and assures eternal life. Therefore, this water is not accessible to non- Yezid
The Chilekhane39 lies to the south of the spring of Zemzem beneath the
ern part of the sanctuary (Fig. 6, no. II: a-h, Figure 12) underlying a large p

39 Chilekhane means the "place of penitence". This place probably was reserved for
tual, solitary and contemplative retirement of the cAdawi Shaykhs during the tim
Shaykh cAdT.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 319

Figure 12. Components of Chilekhane

the Assembly Hall, the whole of the Hall of Sharaf al-Din and the te
ated in the east of the complex. This part of the complex is inaccess
grims. The Chilekhane presents a complicated plan of eight ali
divided by a corridor into two wings with four units on each sid
are orientated north-south, except for one located in the extr
which runs east-west (Fig. 6: no. II: h). These units are barrel-va
for one room, which has cross-vaulting (Fig. 6: no. II: f). In the sout
of Room d is an earthenware jar in which are put the Berats. Th
balls formed from the earth of the sanctuary mixed with
Zemzem. They are considered sacred and distributed to pilg

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
320 BIRGUL ACIKYILDIZ

Figure 13. Lateral courtyard

ceremonies and festivals. They are believed to bring good fortune to the pos
sor and to protect him from the evil eye.
A corridor, 40 metres long and 3.5 metres wide, runs in front of the south
of the Chilekhane (Fig. 6). A large door at its eastern end opens onto the ext
of the sanctuary and is used solely by religious officials. A second door t
west connects to another subterranean corridor leading to the side courtyar
other parts of the sanctuary. A series of rooms of different dimensions and o
tations delimit the corridor to the south. These are used today for storage a
stabling (Fig. 6, no. III).
The complex is built of quarried stone. The fagade of the meeting room f
on to the inner courtyard and the walls of the mausolea of Shaykh cAd
Shaykh Hasan above the roof of the complex are faced with cut stone
three conical domes with their multiple, fine, deep ribs are construct
unhewn stone embedded in soft gypsum mortar called juss. Such mate
and construction techniques are employed in mausolea in the regi
Dohuk, Ba'shiqa/Behzani and Sinjar.40 The mausolea of 'Eyn Sifiii a
Beban in the Sheykhan region are also constructed in this way. These ar
the materials used in most of the non-Yezidi buildings of Mosul and Sin
During the 1989 restoration, the exteriors of these three conical domes

40 The Yezidis of Iraqi Kurdistan live in four regions, namely Shaykhan, Doh
Bashiqa-Behzani and Sinjar. Shaykhan is the administrative centre of the Ye
where the Mir (Prince) and the Father Shaykh live.
41 Reitlinger(1938: 143).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 321

the facades of the secular area were covered with a thin plaster coati
imitation of cut stone; such rendered surfaces are a new fashion in t
Today, the sanctuary is simple and undecorated, except for the
vegetal, and zoomorphic motifs sculpted in low relief on marble
work around two doorways, the western fagade of the outer w
Assembly Hall.

Analysis
The sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI is in the author's opinion the only Sufi building now
standing in Iraq, although Northedge and Janabi mention two buildings in Iraq
which might be zdwiyas: the tomb of Abu Dulaf in Samarra dating from the ele-
venth-twelfth centuries,42 and the so-called Sifina in the courtyard of the Great
Mosque of Kufa which dates to the late fourteenth century respectively.43 In contrast
to Iraq, there are many zdwiyas extant in Anatolia and Iran. These may be divided
into two groups: those belonging to a mosque or a madrasa, and those which sur-
round a courtyard. In general, the zdwiyas belonging to the second group have an
irregular plan similar to that of the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdi.
The sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI is a zdwiya that grew up around two court-
yards, one interior and one exterior. No central core was initially planned, and
the different parts were added successively as and when demanded by the devel-
opment of the sanctuary (Figs 4 and 6). It is thus an irregular complex on two
floors (Fig. 5), now arranged around three courtyards - exterior, interior, and lat-
eral - and composed of many buildings of different forms and dimensions.
The part called Chilekhane, which means place of penitence, was reserved
exclusively for solitary and contemplative spiritual retreat, and may well be
the most ancient part of the complex, contemporary with Shaykh c Adi's foun-
dation of the cAdawiyya order in the twelfth century. It may well be that
Shaykh cAdI, the Muslim Arab, chose to orientate this part of the complex on
the Meccan qibla in order to accommodate the Islamic rituals of prayer. If so,
it may follow that those buildings of the complex that are oriented north-
south also belong to this era. On the other hand, the fact that the buildings on
the ground floor that are later than Shaykh cAdI are oriented east-west may indi-
cate that his successors had already taken a different road - that of Yezidism.
Alternatively, it may be that the east-west direction of the narrow valley deter-
mined the orientation of the sanctuary.
Leaving aside the mausolea of Shaykh cAdI and Shaykh Hasan, which are
square in plan and domed, all the other buildings of the complex are rectangular.
In our opinion, the mausoleum of Shaykh cAdI was the first of its kind in Yezidi
architecture, and became the model for Yezidi funerary architecture in Iraqi
Kurdistan.44 A square chamber topped by a polyhedral fluted conical dome
with deep ribs is a form that originated in Mosul in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries and has been used by both Shiite Muslims and Yezidis. Indeed, it is

42 Northedge (2006: 52).

43 Janabi (1982: 221).
44 We noted thirty-seven mausolea, which present a square plan covered by a conical dome
within the Yezidi architecture.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
322 BIRGUL AgiKYILDIZ

characteristic of northern Iraq, while no example of this type can be found in

rest of country, where the muqarnas dome predominates. Janabi calls this ty
of dome "Mosuli" and suggests that it is better suited to the harsh climate o
region than other kinds of domes.45 The type is particularly prevalent in m
lea of the Zangid period (1127-74/1262) in northern Iraq.46 Tuncer ins
refers to this style of dome as a "starry conical",47 and suggests that the m
leum of the Karakhanid BaladjT Khatun at Taras in Kazakhstan, dating from
beginning of the twelfth century, is the earliest example of the type.
Known buildings with polyhedral double domes are: the Jamic al-Nu
(1172), the Jamic al-Nabl Yunis (fourteenth century), and the mausole
Imam cAbd al-Rahman (1180-1193), Imam Yahya Abu'l Qasim (123
Imam cAwn al-DIn (1248) and Imam Bahir (thirteenth century), all in M
the mausolea of Sitt Zainab (thirteenth century) and Qanbar CAU (fourteenth
fifteenth century) in Sinjar; and the mausoleum of Said al-Qasim
Dirawish.48 Most of these mausolea were built during the reign of Bad
al-DIn Lu'lu' (1218-54). This form of the dome seems to have its origin
the Armenian churches and chapels of the tenth-twelfth centuries with
so-called "parasol-shaped roofs".49 However, some researchers have sugge
its ultimate origin was the royal tents of the nomadic peoples of Central As
arguing that when the round tent with its conical cloth cover assumed a per
nent form it became a brick cylinder with a conical brick roof.
The Assembly Hall and the hall of Sharaf al-DIn are similar in plan, althou
the latter is smaller; both are rectangular in shape and divided into two longit
nal parts by a row of pillars. A similar arrangement may be seen in the interi
the Caravanserai of Ezi, a kilometre from the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI on t
road to Lalish. The two structures are probably contemporary. Both halls ori
inally had pointed vaults. The mausoleum of Ezdina Mir of Lalish (late thirte
century) and the Twdn of the mausoleum of Ruale Keviniye of Bozan (fourte
century) also have pointed vaults. Although the pointed vault is rare in Y
architecture, in Iraq it is found exclusively in Yezidi structures. All the rectan
buildings in the religious part of the sanctuary and in the lower structure, th
al-Ma'rifa, are barrel- vaulted. The majority of Yezidi mausolea with a rectan
ground plan in Bozan and Lalish are also barrel-vaulted.
With the exception of the secular area, the interiors of the buildings that m
up the sanctuary are sombre and austere. A few small openings in the walls
the drums of the domes illuminate only dimly the interior, and the few large
dows are modern.
Twelve niches are distinguished in the sacred part of the complex, that is to
say; six niches in the south wall of the Assembly Hall, four niches in the south

45 Janabi (1982: 237).

46 The branch of Atabegs of Mosul was wiped out by Mongols in 1262.
47 Tuncer (1986: 261). The starry conical dome of the mausoleum of Baladji Khatun,
displaying the square plan, stands on a dram, which is also in the form of star.
48 The mausoleum of Said al-Qasim is located to one side of the mausoleum of Hasan
Ferosh that is Yezidi at Dirawish close to Behzani. It belongs to the Shiites and we do
not know its date of construction. These two mausolea are built to the same plan, are
the same size and have identical conical domes.
49 Donabedian and Thierry (1987: 480).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 323

wall of the Hall of Sharaf al-DIn (that today have become windo
and one in the south wall of the room of Shaykh cAbu Bekir and a
north wall of the room of Heft Sivaren Mala Adiya. Apart from the
all oriented towards the south and their form is rectangular. The n
Assembly Hall begin at ground level with right-angled bases an
with pointed arches, while the niche of the room of Heft Sivar
is round arched. On average they are 100 cm high.

Problems regarding the origin of the sanctuary

There are varying opinions as to the origins of the sanctuary of Shay
the Yezidis construct the complex from scratch, or was there an exis
A legend common to both the Christian and the Yezidi communit
out the region claims that the sanctuary was originally a Nestorian
Syriac manuscripts refer to the monastery of Mar-Yuhanan a
Sabran,50 which is thought by some modern scholars to have becom
tuary of Shaykh cAdI.
The first manuscript was written in 1451 ad by Ramisho', a mon
monastery of Beith-Abe. It was discovered at Alqosh by Joseph
subsequently translated into French.51 Ramisho' addressed himself
Rabban Joseph, a monk in the monastery of Mar-Michael of Tarrel
to convey the manner in which cAdI, son of Musafir the Kurd, had
then seized the monastery of Mar-Yuhanan and of Isho' Sabran
source tells of several successive events in cAdT's family durin
Ramisho' also speaks of the relationship between cAdI and the mon
in the monastery in question. cAdI became powerful, pillaged the m
massacred all its monks, and installed himself and his large family t
became the Master and established it as his residence.52 According
ment, the monastery was in fact situated above the village of 'Eyn
east of the Gomal River, three hours from the village of Hinis.
The second manuscript is a poetic hymn composed in honou
Hormez by a Nestorian bishop of Arbil, Isho'yahb bar Mqadam (
tury). This manuscript, entitled "Ouarda", was discovered at K
talks about the monastery of Mar-Yuhanan and of its occupation b
These sources report that the monastery of Mar-Yuhanan wa
seized by a certain cAdI, son of Musafir the Kurd, who made it
of his family, but they do not demonstrate that the monastery
became the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI. Indeed, the fact that they r
not to Shaykh cAdT the founder of the 'Adawiyya, who died in
another cAdI who was active in 1219, presumably cAdI II who
by the Mongols in 122 1,54 seems to rule out this possibili

50 The monastery of Mar-Yuhanan and of Isho' Sabran was founded in the l

tury by these two saints, Nau and Tfinkdji (1917-19: 188, note 1).
51 Nau and Tfinkdji (1915-17: 185-96).
52 Ibid., 190.
53 Ibid., 190-91; Siouffi (1885: 82); Fiey (1965: 801-06).
54 Nau and Tfinkdji (1915-17: 195).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
324 BIRGUL ACIKYILDIZ

significant, moreover, that the manuscripts stress merely that the monaste
became the seat of cAdI IPs family55 and do not suggest that it became a re
gious sanctuary. Nor does the description of the location of the monastery c
respond to that of the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI.
However, most authorities argue that the sanctuary was originally a chur
citing in their support the plan of the central area here called the Asse
Hall, which is rectangular, oriented east-west, and divided into two parts lon
itudinally by five pillars. According to Berezin,56 this part of the complex
formerly a Byzantine church, on the model of mosques in Diyarbakir, Mosu
Derbend that were converted from churches. He assumes that the two longi
nal divisions of the Assembly Hall correspond to two of the three aisle
Byzantine basilica, and that the missing third aisle lay either to the nor
the south of the present building. When the basilica was transformed
Yezidi temple, he argues, the eastern end where the altar would have
was transformed, and one of the side aisles was destroyed. The isolated locat
of the sanctuary, he argues further, corresponds exactly to what one w
expect in a Christian monastery.
In the same way, Bachmann, who made a particular study of the churches
mosques of Armenia and Kurdistan, found a certain relationship betwee
"Assembly Hall" part of the complex and the Eastern churches, and he
cludes that it is connected to an ancient Nestorian church or even a monaste
"After a large meeting room [Fig. 4, no. 1 1] a small door with two steps lea
to the tomb [Fig. 4, no. 14], the Holy of Holies, which is to be found on
sed platform. To the left of this is a small passageway [Fig. 4, no. 13] which
accessible from two rooms [Fig. 4, nos 11 and 14]. To the right are diff
vaulted rooms [Fig. 4, nos 15, 16 and 17]. These are lower and aligned.
one of these vaulted spaces [Fig. 4, no. 17] there is a further tom
According to Bachmann these four elements, the "Assembly Hall", the "
of Holies", the "linkage room" and the "vaulted tomb room", correspon
the principal elements of various little Nestorian mountain churches in the ce
of Kurdistan.
The Kurdologist Dominican Father Bois58 also believes that the sanctu
was originally a church. In his eyes, most of the present Yezidi villages
originally Christian settlements, and the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI is just o
example of this. Its thick walls, high vaulting and, above all, its almost
darkness, make him think of the old mountain churches, be they Nestorian
Kurdish.
On the other hand, Fiey,59 a leading authority on the Christian communi
of Iraq, believes that the sanctuary was originally a mosque. In his opinion,

55 We can also think of the castle of the Mir in Ba'dre, for centuries occupied by the f
of Mir, which is now in ruins. Moreover, Fiey (1965: 805) thinks that it is the Maz
Daka Tshak which is located in Maqlub.
56 Berezin(1951: 72).
57 Bachmann (1913: 15, fig. 5).
58 Bois (1967: 98-100).
59 Following a discussion with the director of the Museum of Mosul, who was carrying out
research on the Yezidis and who is familiar with works on local Muslim history and an
expert in Sufism, they decided together that it is a mosque (Fiey 1965: 814).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH (ADl 325

longitudinal construction with a door at the extreme end is typical

mountain mosques such as that at Bamarni, near Amadiya. The
which, he says, are found in the south wall, are three mihrdbs.60 T
who turn to face these mihrdbs have their backs to the tomb, w
the precept that no tomb should stand between the worshipper
the qibla. For him, the presence of the streams and the basins foun
tuary is explained by the Islamic ritual of ablution.
Demeerseman (1988) discusses a zdwiya built for Shaykh cAdI
nion of Shaykh cAbd al-Qadir al-JHanl who was a former follower
al-cAdawiyya order founded by Rabi'a al-cAdawiyya (714-810) in
for this reason, he believes that the sanctuary began as a z
Qadiriyya order.61
While it is certainly possible that a Nestorian church may once h
the spot now occupied by the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI, no archite
remains to confirm that thesis. It is difficult to imagine that
Hall and adjoining structures could ever have been a church; had
would be necessary to imagine that the mausolea of Shaykh cAd
Hasan had originally been side chapels, and no examples of a Christi
of that form exist in the region. Moreover, the putative church wo
only two naves, presumably with the two mausolea to the north
courtyard would lie to the west of the putative church, where
churches the courtyard lies normally to the north or south of the
The best explanation for the complex and irregular plan of t
seems to be not that it was transformed from a pre-existing Chris
but rather that it grew organically over time, as various elemen
in different architectural periods. In this way, what began as n
zdwiya comprising small areas for the Master, Shaykh cAdI, and
in which they dedicated themselves to prayer and other religio
the Chilekhane as it is today - grew organically as the tradition
developed.
Arab sources report the construction of a zdwiya in the Hakkari region by
Shaykh cAdI. Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabl in his Siyar al-Alam al-Nubala' mentions
that Shaykh cAdI isolated himself at Jebel Hakkar and built a zdwiya.63
According to Ibn Kathlr,64 Shaykh cAdI, the Shaykh of the cAdawiyya commu-
nity, went into isolation in the mountains of Hakkari where he established a
zdwiya. The inhabitants of the region believed in him and worshipped him to
an exaggerated degree. According to Ibn Khalikan,65 Shaykh cAdI was buried
in his zdwiya.

60 In fact, there are four niches and two windows in the southern wall.
61 The order of Qadiriyya was found by a Hanbali Sufi, cAbd al-Qadir al-JIlanl (1077-
1 166), with whom Shaykh cAdT made his pilgrimage to Mecca. We have a mausoleum,
which is attributed to him among the Yezidi edifices in Sinjar.
62 Amen (2001: 354).
63 Al-Hafiz Al-Dhahabl (1983: 20, 344).
64 Ibn KathTr (1932: 12, 243).
65 Ibn Khalikan (1978: 3, 254).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
326 BIRGULAQIKYILDIZ

Figure 14. Fluted conical domes of the sanctuary

Pilgrimage and festivities in the sanctuary

The role of the sanctuary as a spiritual centre symbolizing the unity of the
faith is reaffirmed not only by casual individual and collective visits
by the four fixed annual pilgrimages, presumably derived from an
Iranian religion, when the members of this dispersed minority comm
demonstrate that they are numerous, visible and very much alive: th
Year {Sere Sal) in April, the Forty Days of Summer (Chile Havin
Festival of Assembly (Cejna Jema 'iyye) and the Forty Days of Winte
Chil Zivistane).66
The New Year, Sere Sal, festivities are held only in the sanctuary w
participation of very few people. It is celebrated on the first Wednes
April.67 For this occasion, red flowers, especially red poppies, are prep
adorn the sanctuary. Eggs are coloured and offered to pilgrims as a sign o
come. Sheep and lambs are sacrificed. The feast begins on Tuesday e
after which the entire congregation, led by Baba Shaykh, meets in th
courtyard of the sanctuary. Oil wicks are lit on the paving of the co
while reciting litanies, and processing from the principal entrance of the
ary to the small rectangular shrine opposite the entrance. The ceremony l
few minutes (Figure 15). When it is finished, the men and women separat

66 There are also minor festivals which are generally in touch with Islamic celebrat
Khidir Ilyas, Ramadan, etc. (Kreyenbroek 1995: 150).
67 According to the Oriental calendar, which is twelve days behind the Western

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 327

Figure 15. New Year ceremony (Sere Sal), forecourt of the sanc

different corners of the sanctuary for the rest of the night. The
that during this ceremony the Peacock Angel, Tawuse Melek, sits o
in the sky, watches his faithful, and blesses them. In the very early
congregation gathers again, this time in the inner courtyard of th
where another ceremony is carried out: a metal basin full of
Zemzem is put in the centre of the courtyard and the banner
Melek is baptized to the accompaniment of incantations.
The Forty Days of Summer, Chile Havine, is celebrated in the san
other Yezidi sites in the Lalish valley from 18-21 July, and a
attend. These three days end the forty-day fast kept by the re
the Baba Shaykh, the Baba Chawush, Feqlrs, Feqrayas and Koc
occasion, a bull is sacrificed in honour of the sun divinity "sha
of the mausoleum of Shaykh Shams. On this occasion, those w
be baptized as infants receive the rite in the Baptistry of Kaniy
dance, "samcC\ takes place in front of the sanctuary of Shaykh
Baptistry of Kaniya Spl.
The Festival of Assembly, Cejna Jema 'iyye, is the main annu
and takes place from 23 September to October. This is the tim
Yezidis from all over the world meet in their holiest place. For sev
grims (men, women and children together) participate in the cerem
are baptized, animals are sacrificed, and food is distributed to the p
as night falls, religious and pilgrims alike light torches in the nich

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
328 BIRGULACIKYILDIZ

and place oil wicks in the niches of the shrines. Every night, in the co
the sanctuary, religious singers, Qewals, play flute and tambourine
hymns (qewl) and dance "semcT. Everywhere in the Lalish valley,
sing and dance to Kurdish music.
The Forty Days of Winter, Qle Zivistane (13 December-20 Januar
second fast for the religious, and other Yezidis are invited to join them
last three days when celebrations are performed in the sanctuary.
In addition to the four pilgrimages and casual visits the sanctuary of
cAdI has, with time, assumed political importance: the Mir, the lea
Yezidi community, now receives visits from leading politicians an
and Christian dignitaries.

Dating
Inscriptions on some of the buildings give the names of various Yezidi leaders
who, at different times, undertook the restoration of parts of the complex, but
there is no known inscription that would help to date the original foundation
of the sanctuary more precisely.
Nevertheless, it is very probable, as the variety of different materials and styles
of construction suggests, that the building is the product of several phases of con-
struction and modification. The grotto of the spring of Zemzem (Fig. 6, no. I) may
well have existed prior to the arrival of Shaykh cAdI and have been used in the
religious practices of other communities such as Zoroastrians or Christians, because
the spring itself may well have long been considered to have mystical properties.
It is known that Shaykh cAdI withdrew to the site with his disciples in about
505/1 11168 and it is possible to surmise that the components of the Chilekhane
{zdwiya) (Fig. 6, no. II) belong to the early period of the complex and were con-
structed close to the grotto where a spring emerged - a spring which acquired the
name of Zemzem when the cAdawis began to create a tiny analogue of Mecca in
Lalish.
Following the death of Shaykh cAdI in 557/1 161-62, his disciples decided to
construct a mausoleum (Fig. 4, no. 14) in his honour on a higher floor. It is poss-
ible that this was either because the topography of the site precluded building on
both sides of the zdwiya or in order to allow access to the mausoleum for the
growing number of pilgrims, separate from the secretive rituals of the disciples.
In any case, the construction of an upper floor made the site of the mausoleum
more visible, and therefore more accessible, than before. The Chilekhane and the
grotto were linked to the mausoleum by stairs.
The mausoleum of Shaykh cAdI is likely to have originally had a square
ground-plan with an antechamber, for this plan was already well established
by this period for the Shiite mausolea of the Mosul region. It is reasonable to
suppose that both the mausoleum and its antechamber were deliberately con-
structed directly above the sacred spring because the steps just inside the ante-
chamber give direct access to the spring below. This arrangement required
pilgrims to pass first through the mausoleum of Shaykh cAdI, and then into

68 Tritton (2005, CD-ROM edition).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 329

what was later to become the mausoleum of Shaykh Hasan (d. 652/12
gaining entry to the holiest place in the complex, the Spring of Zem
had the secondary advantage of leading the ordinary pilgrim to t
a route that bypassed the meditation area used by the disciples.69
It is more than probable that, as the number of disciples and pilgr
over time, the existing buildings no longer sufficed. For this reason,
parts of the sanctuary were added successively as and when the
Thus, because of the restricted space on which the original zdwi
which could hold only a limited number of structures on the same l
ciples were obliged to construct new buildings in response to the
pilgrims.
Aligned with the mausoleum of Shaykh cAdI and giving access to it are three
inter-connecting, rectangular, barrel-vaulted rooms (Fig. 4, nos 15, 16, 17),
which appear to have been built as a single unit. One of these, number 17, con-
tains the sarcophagus of Shaykh Abu Bekir, one of Shaykh Hasan's sons who
lived in the second half of the thirteenth century; the niche in the southern
wall of this room is aligned on the Meccan qibla. The presence of Shaykh
Abu Bekir's sarcophagus may indicate that these rooms were in existence at
the time of, or prior to, his death.
Although the Hall of Sharaf al-DTn (Fig. 4, no. 12) has lost its original archi-
tectural features through recent restoration, it is still evident that, like the
Assembly Hall (Fig. 4, no. 11), it once possessed a row of pillars running
east-west down the centre of the room and had a pointed vault. It is quite poss-
ible that these two halls were built at the same time for the specific purpose of
providing separate areas for men and women to perform their religious rituals.
An Arabic inscription on the tympanum of the Deriye Kapi gives the date of
695/1295-96. However, this inscription is now located on a doorway built at
the beginning of the twentieth century, and so cannot be identified with certainty
as giving the date of the construction of this unit. Moreover, the inscriptions
deciphered by Berezin70 on the door of Deriye Kapi do not include this inscrip-
tion. While it has proved impossible to date halls 1 1 and 12, they were certainly

69 The first disciples to arrive with Shaykh cAdI, are said to have numbered about forty. It is
believed that they became known as Pirs (Lescot 1938: 90). Their descendants occupied
the same position by traditional right, and this may well be the origin of the caste system
in Yezidi society. Modern Yezidi society has three castes: Shaykhs, Pirs and Murids. The
Shaykhs, direct descendants of the family of Shaykh 'Adi, are Arab in origin. There are
three lineages of Shaykhs: Qatani, Shamsani and Adani. Each lineage has its representa-
tive in the Yezidi hierarchy. The Mir, who is the secular leader and also "defender of the
faith", and his family, which takes its status from the Mir, comes from the Qatani lineage.
The Baba Shaykh, who is the spiritual leader or "pope", is a descendant of the Shamsani
lineage and the Pesh Imam, who is responsible for arranging marriages and dowries, is
from the Adam lineage. The Pirs, who carry out the same duties and responsibilities as
the Shaykhs, are believed to be of Kurdish origin and to have existed before Shaykh cAdI.
Lastly come the Murids, who make up the majority of the Yezidi population and who are
Kurdish. Sub-groups, drawn from any of the lineages, also make up the religious caste
and include the following officers: the Pesh Imam, the Baba Gawan, the Baba
Chawush, Feqlrs, Qewwals, Kocheks, Micewlrs, Farrashes, Feqrayas, Kebanas,
Mirebbls, and the Hostas.
70 Berezin (1951: 69).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
330 BIRGUL ACIKYILDIZ

constructed after rooms 13, 14 and 15 and in all probability before the fift
century. At that time, the Yezidis began to be persecuted because of their r
gion, which was perceived as a threat to Islam. It may be that they had simu
taneously evolved a characteristic form of religious architecture becau
according to one source,71 the sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI was destroy
1414 by a certain Jalal al-DIn Muhammad and was immediately rebuilt b
Yezidis. Much later, between 1890 and 1907, the sanctuary was used
Sunni religious school by the Ottomans, who renovated it and conver
into a madrasa in order to convert the Yezidis to Islam. Following protes
the Yezidi community to the Ottoman Court in Istanbul, the complex was ev
tually restored to them.72
There is no evidence for the date of construction of the rooms on the western
and southern sides of the inner courtyard (Fig. 4, no. 5) or the Suq al-Ma'rifa.
However, an inscription above the main portal in the western wall records that
the door was renewed at some time during the governorship of Mayan Khatun
(1913-57). The portal of the Deriye Kapi was also renewed between 191 1 and
1928.73 The hypostyle rooms, the side courtyard and the accommodation areas,
which are located in the eastern, secular part of the complex, were built around
1989.

Conclusion

The sanctuary of Shaykh cAdI is important not only because it is the sole monu
mental building and the main pilgrimage centre of the Yezidis, but also because
it is the earliest Yezidi monument, built at the beginning of the twelfth centur
by Shaykh c Adi, the reformer of the religion. It is thus the prototype for Yezid
architecture and the only zdwiya of this type in Iraq. The complex develope
over the centuries just as the Yezidi religion also grew. The modern sanctuar
is, to all intents and purposes, not now used to practise the religious rites o
the early period. In other words, Yezidism is no longer the mystic cAdawiy
order of the twelfth century. The reason for this is that the complex as
whole is no longer linked to the requirements of religion. The rectangular build
ing which, according to most authors, would have been a church in ancient tim
is, in our opinion, actually an Assembly Hall similar to a Samakhane, caterin
for the needs of the cAdawis. Modern Yezidism no longer requires performance
of the liturgy, neither collectively nor individually in a secluded place. Most of
the ceremonies and rituals are performed only in the fore and inner courtyards
and the main parts of the complex are reserved for pilgrimage and visitatio
This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to understand the original func
tions of the buildings which make up the complex.

71 See Lescot (1938: 1 12); Kreyenbroek (1995: 35).

72 See the Prime Minister Ottoman archive of Muhaberat-i Umumiye Idaresi Belgeleri (DH.
MUl, 31-2/27).
73 Empson (1928: 122) described the same doorway in 1928. His description indicates tha
the doorway was reconstructed between 1911 and 1928. The pieces of the ancient porta
are now located in the south facade of the mausoleum of Shaykh Hasan. Five medallion
decorated with geometric and floral patterns, a skimmer and a poniard may be seen.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 331

Bibliography
A9ikyildiz, Birgiil. 2006. "Patrimoine des Yezidis: Architecture
Funeraires' au Kurdistan irakien, en Turquie et en Armenie" (Unpu
thesis). Paris: Universite de Paris I, Pantheon- Sorbonne.
Ainsworth, William F. 1842. Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, M
Chaldea and Armenia. Vol. II. London: John W. Parker.

Ameisenowa, Zofja. 1939. "The tree of life in Jewish iconography", Journal of the
Warburg Institute, 2/4, 326-45.
Amen, Nermin. 2001. "Les Eglises et Monasteres du 'Kurdistan irakien' a la veille et au
lendemain de l'lslam". Doctoral Dissertation. Paris.
Ank, Olus. 1967. "Erken Devir Anadolu-Tiirk Mimarisinde Tiirbe Bicimleri", Anadolu
(Anatolia), XI, 57-100.
Asatrian, G. and V. Arakeova. 2000. "Malak-Tawus: The Peacock Angel of the
Yezidis", Iran and the Caucasus, 7, 1-36.
Auld, Sylvia. 2005. "Birds and blessings: a kohl-pot from Jerusalem", in
Bernard O'Kane (ed.), The Iconography of Islamic Art, Studies in Honour of
Robert Hillenbrand. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Bachmann, Walter. 1913. Kirchen und Moscheen in Armenien und Kurdistan. Leipzig:
J.C. Heinrichs'sche Buchhandlung.
Badger, George P. 1852. The Nestorians and Their Rituals: With the Narrative of a
Mission to Mesopotamia and Coordistan I. London: Joseph Masters.
Bell, Gertrude L. 1924. Amurath to Amurath. London.
Berezin, I. 1951. "A visit to the Yezidis in 1843", in Henry Field, The Anthropology
of Iraq, part II, n. 1, The Northern Jazira. Cambridge, MA: Peabody Museum
of American Archaeology and Ethnology.
Berlewi, Marian. 1974. Dictionnaire des Symboles. Vol. I-IV, 236. Paris: Seghers.
Bois, Thomas. 1967. "Monasteres Chretiens et temples yezidis dans le Kurdistan ira-
kien", Al-Machriq, 61, 88-101.
Cirlot, J. E. 1971. A Dictionary of Symbols. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Daneshvari, Abbas. 1986. Medieval Tomb Towers of Iran: An Iconographical Study.
Lexington: Mazda Publishers.
Daneshvari, Abbas. 1994. "A preliminary study of the iconography of the peacock in
medieval Islam", in Robert Hillenbrand (ed.), The Art of the Seljuqs in Iran and
Anatolia, Proceedings of a Symposium held in Edinburgh in 1982, 192-200.
Demeerseman, Andre. 1988. "Milieu spirituel et probleme de l'existence de la Zawiya",
in Nouveau regard sur la voie spirituelle dKAbd al-Qddir al Jilani et sa tradition.
Paris: Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin, 13-25.
Donabedian, P. and J. M. Thierry. 1987. Civilisation et art armeniens. Paris: Editions
Mazenod.

Drawer, E. S. 1941. Peacock Angel: Being Some Account of Votaries of a Secret Cult
and Their Sanctuaries. London: John Murray.
Empson, R. H. W. 1928. The Cult of the Peacock Angel, a Short Account oj the Yezidi
Tribes of Kurdistan. London: H. F. & G. Witherby.
Esin, Emel. 1960. Turkish Miniature Painting. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo: Charles
E. Turtle Company.
Fahd, T. and A. Rippin. 2005. "Shaytan", The Encyclopaedia oj Islam (CD-ROM
Edition). Leiden: Brill.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
332 BIRGUL AQIKYILDIZ

Fergusson, James. 1873. Tree and Serpent Worship or Illustration of Mythology and
in India. London: India Museum.

Fiey, Jean M. 1960. "Le Temple yezidi de Shaykh Adi", Proche-Orient Chretien, X,
205-11.

Fiey, J. M. 1965. Assyrie chretienne: contribution a V etude de I'histoire et de la

geographie ecclesiastiques et monastiques du nord de I 'Iraq. Beyrouth: Imprimerie
catholique.
Furlani, Giuseppe. 1940. The Religion of the Yezidis, Religious Texts of the Yezidis
Translation, Introduction and Notes (translated from Italian by J. M. Unvala).
Bombay.
Green, Nile. 2006. "Ostrich eggs and peacock feathers: sacred objects as cultural
exchange between Christianity and Islam", Al-Masdq, 18/1, 27-66.
Grabar, Oleg. 1966. "The earliest commemorative structures, notes and documents", Art
Orientalis, TV, 7-46.
Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabl. 1983. Siyar al-Alam al-Nubala. t. 20, 344; t. 23, 223.
Hillenbrand, Robert. 1994. Islamic Architecture: Form, Function and Meaning.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Howey, M. Oldfield. 1926. The Encircled Serpent: A Study of Serpent Symbolism in all
Countries and Ages. London.
Ibn Kathlr. 1932. Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya. Beirut: Maktabat al-Ma'arif, t. 12, 243.
Ibn Khalikan. 1978. Wafiyat al-Acydn wa-Anba' Abna' al-Zamdn. Beirut: Daru's-Sadr,
t. 3, 254-5; t. 4, 163.
James, E. O. 1968. "The tree of life", Folklore 79, 241-9.
Janabi, Tariq J. 1982. Studies in Medieval Iraqi Architecture. Baghdad: Ministry of
Culture and Information State Organization of Antiquities and Heritage.
Jastrow, Morris. 1899. "Adam and Eve in Babylonian literature", The American Journal
of Semitic Languages and Literatures, XV/4, 193-214.
Jobes, G. 1961. "Peacock", Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore and Symbols, 21X246-41.
Kervran, Monique. 2001. "Medieval funerary architecture", in C. Parham (ed.), The
Splendour of Iran. London: E. Booth-Clibborn Editions.
Kreyenbroek, P. G. 1995. Yezidism - Its Background, Observances and Textual
Tradition. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press.

Layard, A. H. 1854. Nineveh and Its Remains: With an Account of a Visit to the
Chaldean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or Devil Worshippers, and an
Enquiry into the Manners and Arts of the Ancient Assyrians. London: John Murray.
Moorehead, W. G. 1885. "Universality of serpent-worship", The Old Testament Student,
4/5, 205-10.
Mozzati, L. 2003. L'Art de I 'Islam (Trad, de l'ltalien Denis- Armand Canal). Paris:
Editions Menges.
Nau, F. and J. Tfinkdji. 1915-17. "Recueil de textes et de documents sur les Yezidis",
Revue de I 'Orient Chretien, XX, 142-200, 225-75.
Northedge, Alastair. 2006. Historical Topography of Samarra. (Samarra Studies I.)
London: British School of Archaeology in Iraq.
Ozbek, Yildiray. 1999. "The peacock figure and its iconography in medieval Anatolian
Turkish art", 10s Congres International d'art turc, 537-46. Geneva: Fondation Max
Van Berchem.

Prime Minister's Archives in Istanbul: Muhaberat-i Umumiye tdaresi Beldeleri (DH.

MUI).

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE SANCTUARY OF SHAYKH cADl 333

Raghib, Yusuf. 1970. "Les Premiers monuments fiineraires de l'Isl

Islamologiques, 9, 21-36.
Reitlinger, G. 1938. "Mediaeval antiquities west of Mosul", Iraq V, 143-
Rich, C. J. 1836. Narrative of a Residence in Koordistan and on the Sit
Nineveh, vol. II. London.
Sarre, F. and E. Herzfeld. 1911. Archdologische Reise im Euphrat-und T
Berlin: D. Reimer.

Seabrook, W. B. 1935. Adventures in Arabia among the Bedouins, Druses, Whirling

Dervishes and Yezidee Devil Worshippers. New York: Blue Ribbon Books.
Siouffi, M. N. 1885. "Notice sur le Shaykh Adi et sur la secte des Yezidis", Journal
Asiatique, 8/5, 78-98.
Stronach, D. and T. C. Young Jr. 1966. "Three Seljuq tomb towers", Iran, 4, 1-20.
Tritton, A. S. 2005. "Adi b. Musafir al-Hakkari, Shaykh cAdf\ The Encyclopaedia of
Islam. Leiden: Brill (CD-ROM edition).
Tuncer, Orhan C. 1986. Anadolu Kumbetleri I. Ankara: Giiven Matbaasi.
Vire, F. and Eva Baer. 2005. "Tawus, Ta'us", The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Leiden: Brill
(CD-ROM Edition).
Wigram, W. A. 1914. The Cradle of Mankind: Life in Eastern Kurdistan. London: Adam
and Charles Black.
Wilber, D. N. 1955. The Architecture of Islamic Iran. Princeton.
Yaqut al-HamawI. 1814. Mucjam al-Bulddn. Beirut, t. 5, 28.

This content downloaded from

95.12.37.149 on Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:09:41 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms