Survival Among the Kurds Also by John S
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Survival Among the Kurds Also by john S. Guest The Euphrates Expedition Survival Among the Kurds A History of the Yezidis John S. Guest ~ ~~~~~~n~~~up LONDON AND NEW YORK First published in I993 by Kegan Paul International This edition first published in 2010 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OXI4 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint ofthe Taylor & Francis Group, an itiforma business ©JohnS. Guest I987, I993 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 10: 0-7103-0456-0 (hbk) ISBN 13:978-0-7103-0456-8 (hbk) Publisher's Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. The publisher has made every effort to contact original copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace. To Margaret Contents List of Illustrations IX Preface to the Revised Edition xiii Chapter 1 Antecedents Chapter 2 Sheikh Adi and His Order 15 Chapter 3 The Y ezidi Religion 29 Chapter 4 Early Encounters with the Outside World 44 Chapter 5 Prisoners on a Sinking Ship 62 Chapter 6 English-speaking Missionaries and Explorers 76 Chapter 7 Rassam and Layard 86 Chapter 8 The Tribulations of Mir Hussein Beg 108 Chapter 9 Abdul Hamid and the Y ezidis 124 Chapter 10 The Publication of the Sacred Books 146 Chapter 11 Brother and Sister 164 Chapter 12 The Epoch of Mayan Khatun 176 Chapter 13 The Y ezidis in Transcaucasia 193 Epilogue 204 Appendix I The Yezidi Sacred Books and Sheikh Adi's Hymn 207 Appendix II Texts of the Yezidi Letters to the Grand Vizier and Sir Stratford Canning 215 Appendix II An Interview with Yezidi Religious Leaders 219 Abbreviations 229 Chapter Notes 231 Bibliography 271 Chol Family Genealogy 304 Index 307 List of Illustrations Abbreviations BL The British Library Board LC Library of Congress, Washington, DC. NPG National Portrait Gallery NYPL The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations RGS Royal Geographical Society UNT The University of Newcastle upon Tyne Plates (facing p. 206) Khirbet Qanafar (formerly Beit Far), Lebanon, 1977, Pere J. M. Fiey, OP. 2 Diyarbakir, eastern Turkey, 1903, Captain L. E. Hopkins, RE. (Photo: RGS) 3 Mardin, southeastern Turkey, 1889. (Photo: Missionary Herald, vol. 85, 1889) 4 Mosul, Iraq, circa 1850, F. C. Cooper. (Photo: Rev. George Percy Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals) 5 Yezidi Sanctuary at Lalish, 1850, Robert Clive. (Photo: Robert Clive, Sketches between the Persian Gulf & Black Sea, BL) 6 (a Detailed Plan and Site Plan of Lalish Sanctuary, 1911, Walter and Bachmann. (Photo: Walter Bachmann, Kirchen und Moscheen in b) Armenien und Kurdistan (Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft Wiss. Veroff., vol. 25), Oriental Division, NYPL) 7 Lalish Sanctuary: mulberry trees in outer courtyard, 1992, J. S. Guest. 8 Lalish Sanctuary: pilgrims at entrance to inner courtyard, 1981, Naif Ekinci. 9 Lalish Sanctuary: detail of entrance gate, 1992, J. S. Guest. 10 Lalish Sancutary: west wall of inner courtyard, 1849, F. C. Cooper. (Photo: Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals) IX List of Illustrations 11 Lalish Sanctuary: west side of inner courtyard, 1992. J. S. Guest. 12 Lalish Sanctuary: east wall of inner courtyard, 1849, F. C. Cooper. (Photo: Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals) 13 Lalish Sanctuary: east wall of inner courtyard, 1886, Athelstan Riley. (Photo: Major J. R. C. Riley) 14 Lalish Sanctuary: east wall of inner courtyard, 1909, Gertrude Bell. (Photo: UNT) 15 Lalish Sanctuary: doorway into mausoleum of Sheikh Adi, 1978, Dr Dominique Collon. 16 Lalish Sanctuary: doorway into mausoleum of Sheikh Adi, 1992, Namik Durukan. 17 Lalish Sanctuary: detail of doorway into mausoleum of Sheikh Adi, 1992, J. S. Guest. 18 Lalish Sanctuary: old religious symbols on east wall of inner courtyard, 1992, J. S. Guest. 19 Lalish Sanctuary: tomb of Sheikh Abu '1-Barakat, 1992, Namik Durukan. 20 Lalish Sanctuary: curtain covering window into room containing tomb of Sheikh Adi, 1992, Namik Durukan. 21 Lalish Sanctuary: tomb of Sheikh Hasan, 1992, Namik Durukan. 22 Lalish Sanctuary: Tomb of Sheikh Adi, 1943, Dr Tim Gidal. 23 Lalish Sanctuary: Tomb of Sheikh Adi, 1989, Chris Ledger. (Photo: Maryland Public Television and Chris Ledger) 24 Lalish Sanctuary: tomb of Sheikh Abu Bekr, 1992, Namik Durukan. 25 Lalish: shrine of Sheikh Shems ed-Din, 1992, J. S. Guest. 26 Sanjak, Redwan, eastern Turkey, 1849, Henry Layard. (Photo: BL Add. MS 39096f. 13v) 27 Lasso, a blind Yezidi musician, 1820, C. J. Rich. (Photo: Constance M. Alexander, Baghdad in Bygone Days, General Research Division, NYPL) 28 Yezidi kawals, 1849, Henry Layard. (Photo: Austen H. Layard. Dis coveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, Oriental Division, NYPL) 29 Yezidi kawals with the sanjak of Sinjar, 1990. (Photo: Dini Filim videotape) 30 The sanjak of Sheikhan, Bashika, 1850, Mrs G. P. Badger. (Photo: Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals) 31 The sanjak of Sheikhan, 1990. (Photo: Dini Filim videotape) 32 Alleged sanjak owned by a Baghdad family, 1911. (Photo: Pere Anas tase Marie de Saint-Elie, OCD. 'La decouverte recente des deux livres sacres des Yezidis', Anthropos, vol. 6, 1911) X List of Illustrations 33 'The Queen and Lucifer-Worshippers: Her Majesty and a Treasure', 1911, S. Begg. (Photo: Illustrated London News Picture Library) 34 The horses of Hondaghsag, Soviet Armenia, 1967, Adriano Alpago Novello, Centro Studi e Documentazione della Cultura Aremena, Milan. (Photo: Documenti di Architettura Armena, eds Agopik and Armen Manoukian, vol. 2, Khatchkar, General Research Division, NYPL) 35 Modern Yezidi tomb, Hoktemberian, Armenia, 1992, Robert A. Mit- chell. 36 Mausoleum of Zein ed-Din Yusuf, Cairo, 1981, J. S. Guest. 37 Henry Layard in the 1830s, William Brockedon. (Photo: NPG) 38 Christian Rassam, 1838, William Brockedon. (Photo: NPG) 39 Asahel Grant, MD, daguerrotype 1841, autograph 1844, engraved by L. S. Punderson. (Photo: Rev. Thomas Laurie, Dr. Grant and the Mountain Nestorians, Oriental Division, NYPL) 40 Rev. Henry Lobdell, MD, circa 1850, engraved by A. H. Ritchie. (Photo: Rev. W. S. Tyler, Memoir of Rev. Henry Lobdell, M.D.) 41 Rev. George Percy Badger, 1873. (Photo: R. Coupland, The Exploitation of East Africa 1856-1890: The Slave Trade and the Scramble, General Research Division, NYPL) 42 Shiekh Nasr, 1849, F. C. Cooper. (Photo: Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals) 43 Mir Hussein Beg and Abdi Beg, 1849, F. C. Cooper. (Photo: Layard, Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, Oriental Division, NYPL) 44 Mir Hussein Beg, circa 1870. (Photo: Sadiq AI Damlooji [Damluji], The Yezidis) 45 Mir Ali Beg, 1909, Gertrude Bell. (Photo: UNT) 46 Baadri: ruins of Ali Beg's palace, 1992, J. S. Guest. 47 Rev. Alpheus N. Andrus. (Photo: Rev. Dr Edwin C. Coon) 48 Isya Joseph, BA, 1906. (Photo: Columbia University) 49 Captain H. P. W. Hutson, RE, 1918. (Photo: Charles Walker) 50 Ismail Beg, 1918. (Photo: Major-General H. P. W. Hutson) 51 Mayan Khatun and Mir Said Beg, circa 1930. (Photo: Damluji, The Yezidis, Oriental Division, NYPL) 52 Ismail Beg, circa 1930. (Photo: Princess Wansa Ismail el-Amawy) 53 Wansa and Mayan Khatun, circa 1935. (Photo: 'Abd al-Razzaq al Hasani, al- Yazidiyun fi hadirihim wa madihim) 54 Princess Wansa; a recent picture. (Photo: Princess Wansa Ismail el Amawy) 55 Mir Said Beg, 1929, Rosita Forbes. (Photo: Rosita Forbes, Conflict: Angora to Afghanistan, Oriental Division, NYPL) xi List of Illustrations 56 Mir Tahsin Beg and Mayan Khatun, circa 1945, C. J. Edmonds. (Photo: C. J. Edmonds, A Pilgrimage to Lalish, Royal Asiatic Society) 57 Mir Tahsin Beg and Khokhe Khatun, 1981, Naif Ekinci. 58 Baadri: Mayan Khatun's 'New Stone Palace', 1992, J. S. Guest. 59 Baadri: Mausoleum of Mir Ali Beg, Mayan Khatun, Mir Said Beg and Khokhe Khatun, 1992, J. S. Guest. 60 Prince Khairallah Beg, 1990. (Photo: Dini Filim videotape) 61 Prince Jelal Beg, 1990. (Photo: Dini Filim videotape) 62 The Baba Sheikh and Kawai Suleiman, 1990. (Photo: Dini Filim videotape) 63 Fakir Haji, 1990. (Photo: Dini Filim videotape) 64 Yezidis from Sinjar, circa 1820, W. Walton presumably from a sketch by C. J. Rich. (Photo: Claudius James Rich, Narrative of a Residence in Koordistan) 65 A Yezidi aga from the Jebel Sinjar, circa 1935. (Photo: Pere J. M. Fiey, OP) 66 Hammu Shiru, Yezidi leader in the Jebel Sinjar 1890-1932, circa 1930, C. J. Edmonds. (Photo: C. J. Edmonds, A Pilgrimage to Lalish, Royal Asiatic Society) 67 Henry Field, 1928. (Photo: Dr Henry Field) 68 Prince Mua'wia Ismail AI-Yazidi, circa 1980. (Photo: Prince Mua'wia Ismail Al-Yazidi) 69 Prince Kokus Beg, 1992, Namik Durukan. 70 Prince Bayezid Beg and Armenian Catholicos Vasgen, 1977. (Photo: Emir Muawwiyyah ben Esma'il Yazidi, To Us Spoke Zarathustra . .. ) 71 Azize Amar Tamoyan, 1992, Robert A. Mitchell. 72 Brov Davrish Shamoyan, circa 1985. (Family photo) 73 Zail Hasanyan, circa 1985. (Family photo) 74 Hasan Hasanyan, circa 1990. (Family photo) 75 Author and Yezidi villagers at Layard Fountain, Kurukavak, eastern Turkey, 1982, Elsie Trask Wheeler. (Photo: Elsie Trask Wheeler) Maps Front endpaper: The Asiatic Provinces of the Ottoman Empire and Adjacent Areas Back endpaper: The Upper Tigris Valley. xii Preface to the Revised Edition A few years ago my family and I visited a village in Turkey inhabited by Yezidis.