Applications for the journey to Erzerum
I. Otice On The Sect The Yezidis *
Among the many sects that amounted in Mesopotamia, among Muslims, after the death of their prophet, there is none that is abhorrent to all others as much as the Yezidis. The Yezidis have taken their name from the sheikh Yazid, author of their sect, and declared enemy of the family of Ali. The doctrine they profess, is a mixture of Manichaeanism, Mohammedanism and belief of the ancient Persians. It keeps them from tradition, and is transmitted from father to son without the aid of any book: because it is forbidden to learn to read and write. This lack of books is probably the cause, why Mohammedans historians speak of that sect in passing, and to designate by that name people abandoned blasphemy, cruel, barbarians, accursed of God, and unfaithful to the religion of their Prophet. As a result of this we can get, respect the belief of the Yezidis, no certain concepts, if not what is observed even today among them.
The Yezidis have first principle to ensure the friendship of the Devil, and put the sword to his defense. Also refrain they not only name the, but even to use some expression whose sounding approach than his name. For example, a river is called in ordinary language schatt, and as this word has some slight compared with the word Scheitan, name of the Devil, Yezidis call a river avé mazen, that is to say with water. So again the Turks frequently curse the Devil, by using it for the final word, which means curse; Yezidis avoid carefully all the words that have some resemblance to this one. So instead of the final word also means Iron Horse, they say ground, that is to say, sole of shoes of a horse, and they substitute the word Sölker, qui veut dire savetier, at the end of ordinary language nalbenda, meaning Marshal. Anyone who frequents places they inhabit, must be very careful not to pronounce the words devil and cursed, and above all these, Cursed be the devil; otherwise he would run great risk of being abused, or even killed. When their business attract in Turkish cities, we can not make them bigger insult than to curse the devil before them, and if the person who had this imprudence comes to be encountered traveling by Yezidis and recognized, she is in great danger of experiencing their revenge. It happened more than once that men of this sect have been arrested for any crime by the Turkish justice, and sentenced to death, have preferred to serve their sentences as to use the power that was given to them, to escape it, cursing the devil.
The Devil has no name in the language of Yezidis. They use at most to designate this circumlocution, scheikh mazen, the great chef. They admit all the prophets and all the saints revered by Christians, whose monasteries in their area are named. They believe that all these holy men, when they lived on earth, were distinguished from other men more or less, as the devil resided more or less in them: it is especially, following them, Moses in, Jesus Christ and Muhammad it is most manifest. In a word, they think it is God who orders, but he says the power of the Devil execution of his orders.
The morning, just the sun he starts to look, they throw themselves barefoot knees, and facing this body, they put themselves in adoration, forehead against the ground. To make this act of devotion, they withdraw apart, away from the presence of men; They try to avoid being seen when they perform this duty, they will provide even as circumstances.
They have neither fasts, nor prayers, and say to justify the omission of these њuvres religion, the sheikh Yazid satisfied for all those who make profession of his doctrine until the end of the world, and it has received positive assurance in his revelations; it is in consequence of this it is forbidden to learn to read and write. However all the heads of tribes and large villages bribe a doctor Mohammedan to read and interpret the letters addressed to them by the nobles and the pashas Turks, and to respond. Respect of matters they have them, they will never trust itself to any person of another religion; they send their orders and are doing all their commissions in person, by men of their sect.
Having neither prayers, nor fasts, ni sacrifices, they also have no party. However, they take the 10 Moon of August a meeting in the vicinity of the tomb of sheikh Adi. this assembly, to which many Yezidis go to distant lands, hard all that day and the following night. Five or six days before or after the one where it takes place, small caravans run the risk of being attacked in the plains of Moussol and Kurdistan, these pilgrims who always travel together several, and it is rare that a year goes by without this pilgrimage gives rise to some untoward event. It is said that many women Yezidi, with the exception however of the girls who are not yet married, visiting neighboring villages in this meeting, and that night, after having eaten and drunk, we turned off all the lights, and we no longer talk to the approaches of the dawn, time when everyone retires. One can get an idea of what is going on in that silence and under cover of darkness.
No species of food is forbidden to Yezidis, except lettuce and pumpkin. They never do in their wheat bread houses, but only barley bread; I know not what is the reason.
They use their oaths to the same formulas that are in use among the Turks, Christians and Jews; but the strongest oath they make them, is swearing by the standard of Yezid, that is to say, by religion.
These sectarians have great respect for the Christian monasteries that are in their vicinity. When they visit the, they take off their shoes before entering the enclosure and walking barefoot, they kiss the door and walls; they believe thus ensure the protection of the saint whose convent is named. If they happen, during illness, to see in a dream some monastery, they are not quite healed they will visit, and will bring offerings of incense, of wax, of honey, or something else. They remain there for about fifteen minutes, and fuck again in the walls before retiring. They make no difficulty kiss the hands of the patriarch or bishop, which is greater than the convent. As for the Turkish mosque, they refrain from entering.
The Yezidis recognize as head of their religion, the Scheikh which governs the tribe to which is entrusted the custody of the tomb Scheikh Adi, restorer of their sect. This tomb is in the jurisdiction of the prince Amadia. The leader of this tribe must always be taken from the descendants of Yazid sheikh: it is confirmed in his place, demand Yezidis, and upon this a few scholarships, by Prince Amadia. The respect, these sectarians are the head of their religion, is so great, they feel happy when they can get one of his old shirts, to serve as their shroud: they believe it gives them a more advantageous position in the other world. Some give up forty dollars for a similar relic, and if they can get the whole, they just have a portion. Sometimes the sheikh himself sends one of his shirts in this. The Yezidis are secretly pass this supreme head a portion of all their robberies, as compensation for expenses it incurs the hospitality exercised towards those of his sect.
The leader of the Yezidis always near him another character they call kotchek, and without the advice which he does nothing. This is regarded as the head of the oracle, because it has the privilege to immediately receive revelations Devil. Also when a Yezidi hesitate whether to undertake some important case, he will find the kotchek, and request an opinion, he still gets the point without it costing him some money. Before satisfy consultation, the kotchek, to give more weight to his reply, extends full length on the floor, and covering it sleeps, or pretended to sleep, after which he said he was revealed to him during such sleep or that decision: sometimes it takes a period of two or three nights, to give its response. The following example will show, how great is the confidence we have in his revelations. Until there are about forty years, Women wore Yezidis as Arabs women, in order to save soap, blue shirts dyed with indigo. One morning, when least expected, the kotchek went to the leader of the sect, and told him that during the night it was revealed to him, that the blue color was a bad omen and that displeased the Devil. He needed no more for we should send immediately to all tribes by express, the order to ban the color blue, to dispose of wholes clothes that were of that color, and substitute white clothes. This order was executed with such accuracy, that if a Yezidi now being housed in a Turk or a Christian home, he was given a blue coverlet, rather he would sleep with her only clothes, as make use of this coverage, was even in the coldest season.
Yazidis are forbidden to adjust their whiskers with scissors, they are allowed to grow naturally: also are there among them which one sees hardly the mouth.
This sect has its satraps, which are known side of Aleppo as the fakiran, and the vulgar call karabasche, because they wear on their heads a black cap with similarly colored strips. Their coat or aba, is similarly black, but their clothes are white below. These people are few in number; everywhere they go, we fuck their hands, and receives the blessing as ministers, and omens of good fortune. When called to a sick, they impose his hands on the neck and shoulders and are well rewarded for their pains. If they are summoned to make a dead happiness in the next world before dressing the corpse, they stand on her feet, and lightly touch her neck and shoulders; Then they hit the palm of the right hand, Addressing him together these words in language Kurd, now béhescht, that is to say going in paradise. They paid dearly for this ceremony, and do not just point a small reward.
Yezidis believe that the souls of the dead go to a place of rest, where they enjoy a degree of satisfaction more or less, in proportion to their merits; and qu'elles apparaissent quelquefois en songe à leurs parents and leurs amis, to give their opinion of what they want. This belief is shared them with the Turks. They believe also that day of universal judgment, they introduce into paradise, weapons in hand.
The Yezidis are divided into several tribes or tribes, independent of each other. The supreme leader of their sect has authority, for time, on the tribe: However, when several tribes are different with each other, it is his duty to use mediation to reconcile, and it is rare that his efforts for this are not crowned with success happy. Some of their tribes remain in the areas of Prince Gioulemerk, others in the territory of the Prince of Gezira; there that make their home in the mountains of government dependent Diarbekir, others are in the spring of Prince Amadia. The number of the latter is the noblest of all the tribes, which is known as the scheikhan, and whose sheikh, they call mir, that is to say, Prince is the supreme head of religion, and the guardian of the tomb of sheikh Adi. The heads of the villages occupied by this tribe are all descended from the same family, and could argue the primacy, if there were any division between them. However among all their tribes, the most powerful and the most formidable is the one that lives in the mountain Singiar, between Moussol and Khabur River, and which is divided between two Scheikhs, one of which controls the portion of Levant, and other than that of the South. The mountain of fertile Singiar in various kinds of fruit, is a very difficult access, and the tribe that occupies it sets up more than six thousand marines, besides the spears Army cavalry. It goes much of the year, that some big caravan will be stripped by this tribe. Yezidis of this mountain have supported several wars against the pashas of Baghdad and Moussol; these occasions, after that there was much bloodshed on both sides, all eventually get better return for money. The Yezidis are feared everywhere, because of their cruelty: when exercising their armed robberies, they are not confined to rob people who fall into their hands, they kill without exception; if the number it is of sheriffs, descendants of Muhammad, or Muslims doctors, they make them die of a more barbarous manner, and with more fun, believer acquire by that greater merit.
The Great Lord tolerates Yezidis in his states, because, in the opinion of Mohammedan doctors, we must consider as faithful and true believer, every man who professes the fundamental dogmas there is God den point that God, and Muhammad is the apostle of God, though otherwise he fails in all other precepts of Islamic law.
On the other hand the princes Kurdish Yezidis suffer for their particular interest: they even strive to attract a greater number of tribes of this nation, in their fields; because Yazidis are an unfailing courage, as good soldiers of foot horse, and well calculated to make a hand and loot night the countryside and villages, these rulers use them to great advantage, or to reduce those of the Mohammedan tribes under their jurisdiction who refuse their obedience, either to fight other princes, when they are at war with them. Besides the Mohammedans are in the firm conviction that any man who perished at the hands of one of those sectarians, martyr dies; Prince has also Amadia he always take care of to him an executioner of this nation, to execute the death sentences against the Turks. The Yezidis have the same opinion as the Turks, and the thing is mutual: if a Turk kills a Yezidi, he made a very nice work God, and if a Yezidi kills a Turk, he made a very meritorious њuvre the eyes of the sheikh, that is to say, the Devil. When the executioner Amadia remained some years the Prince of service, he left his job, so another can, as successor, acquire the same merit; and wherever the executioner, resigned after it ette load, presents among Yezidis, is received with the veneration, and kisses his hands, sanctified by the blood of Turks. The Persians instead, and all Mohammedans attached to the sect of Ali, not suffer point of Yezidis in their states; Much more, among them it is forbidden to leave life to these sectarian.
It is permissible for Turks, when they are at war with the Yezidis, slaves to their wives and children, and keep them for their own use, or sell; Yezidis do not have the same permission with regard to Turks, do all perish. If a Yezidi wants to be Turkish, simply, for any profession of faith, him curse the Devil, and then to learn to ease to do prayers like the Turks: because Yazidis receive circumcision eight days after birth.
All Yazidis speak Kurdish; there are among them who know Turkish or Arabic, because they often have occasion to attend people who speak either of these languages, and because of the advantage they find to treat their own business more safely, in not using point interpreters.
Probably the Yezidis have many other errors or superstitions, but as they have no book, those I have outlined are the only ones I could procure knowledge. Besides many things, at their home, are subject to change, accordingly the alleged revelations of their kotchek, which increases the difficulty of knowing fully their doctrine.
I. Note the sect Ezidov (transfer)
Of the many sects, arose in Mesopotamia among Muslims after the Prophet's death, no one, that would be just as hateful to all the other, as a sect of Yezidis. The name comes from the Yezidi sheikh Ediza, the founder of their sect, and the sworn enemy of Ali. teaching, they profess, a mixture of Manichaeism, Mohammedanism and beliefs of the ancient Persians. It is maintained among them according to the tradition and passes from father to son without the aid of any kind was the book; because they are forbidden to learn to read and write. This lack of books and have, without a doubt, of reason, that Mohammedan historians say about this sect only in passing, calling that name people, pogryazshih in bogohulystve, Cruel, wild, cursed God and faith changed his prophet. As a consequence of the beliefs of the Yazidi is impossible to obtain any precise information, Moreover, it will be possible at the moment to observe in their environment.
The first rule of Yezidi - to win the friendship of the devil with a sword in his hand up to his defense. Because they not only refrained from pronouncing his name, but even from the use of any expression, close consonance to its name. for example, river in ordinary language is called Shatt, and since this word has a vague resemblance to the word devil, the name of the devil, Yezidis called River Ave Mazen, t. is. big water. Similarly, the Turks often curse the devil, using for this word Nal, t. is. a curse. Yezidis carefully avoid all words, have some correspondence with the word. And instead of the word Nal, also means horseshoe, They say salt, t. is. horse shoe soles, and replace the word solker, t. is. sapozhnyk, common word nalbenda, which means the smith. Any, who visit the place, they inhabited, must carefully guard against, as if not to say the words devil and the damned, and especially: damn the devil; otherwise he runs a great risk of being subjected to beatings and even death. When on business travel to the Yezidis Turkish cities, they can not cause greater insult, as a curse in their presence devil, and if that, who committed the imprudence, Yazidis will meet along the way and learn, it is exposed to great danger experience for yourself their revenge. More than once, that the members of this sect, collared for some crime by the Turkish authorities and sentenced to death, preferred execution enable them to avoid it, cursing the devil.
The devil has no name in the language of the Yazidi. In an extreme case, they call it euphemistically: Sheikh greasy, big head. They acknowledge all the prophets, and all the saints, which Christians revere and whose names are monasteries, in the neighborhood. They believe, that all these saints, during his life on earth, They were distinguished from others in so far as, how they dwelt devil. particularly strong, in their opinion, it appeared to Moses, Jesus and Mohammed. in short, they think, that God commanded, but the performance of its precepts instructs the power of the devil.
morning, the sun seems barely, they rush to the bare knees and, facing the luminary, pray, casting himself down prostrate. To commit this ritual, they are removed from the people; they are doing everything possible, to be seen in the performance of this duty, from which they are even free themselves, according to circumstances.
They do not have any posts, no prayers, and, to justify failure to comply with these religious ritual, they speak, that Yezidi sheikh performed them for all, who will profess his teaching, until the end of the world, and that he has received this positive assurance of his revelations; therefore something they are forbidden to learn to read and write. However, all the heads of the tribes and villages pay large Mohammedan literate, to read and explain letters, addressed to them by the Turkish princes and pashas, and to respond to them. About the same of their own affairs, they never seek another faith to man: all his orders and instructions are transmitted orally through the people of his sect.
