The Yezidis and Ahl-e Haqq of Kurdistan

Yezidis and Ahl-e Haqq of Kurdistan are two sects who live in the west of Iran and Iraq. Such elements as Ahura Mazda, AmeshaSepanta, Kasti and Sudra as well as the kind of religious rites and festivals involved in these two sects have lead the researchers of religion to regard them as Zoroastrian. These two sects have striking similarities with the ancient Iranian thoughts and beliefs; they have been profoundly influenced by Islam as well, the Yezidis by Sunnism and the Ahl-e Haqq by Shiism. The thoughts and beliefs of these two sects have been mainly orally transmitted; that is why we didnt have enough and accurate information about their thoughts and beliefs until recently. Ultimately, however, scholars obtained detailed information about these sects and translated their books from Kurdish into different languages, causing the academic study of their thoughts and beliefs to catch on. The present article is written by a German scholar of Iranian studies, Philip G. Kreyenbroek, whose papers and books have been acknowledged as guides and reference books used in researches.