Persecuted by IS, Yazidis found their biggest temple in Armenia

Aknalich (Armenia) (AFP)

Faithful kiss marble walls and admire a peacock decorated with multicolored stones: in the heart of their largest temple in the world, recently inaugurated in Armenia, the Yazidis can forget the persecutions.

Thousands of representatives of this ancestral religious community, targeted in Iraq by ISIS jihadists in 2014, have taken refuge in this former Soviet republic nestled between the Caucasus mountains.

Mainly present in Iraq, Syria and Turkey, this Kurdish-speaking minority has about 35,000 faithful in Armenia, where they are free to practice their religion.

They hope that this new temple will become the symbol of the strength of a community that wants to preserve its unique faith, a non-proselytizing monotheism more than 4,000 years old.

Its faithful Kurdophones, pray in the direction of the sun and worship, besides God, seven angels, the main one is Melek Taous, "the Angel-Peacock". This religion gradually incorporated elements of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

"Over the centuries, our ancestors have experienced many misfortunes and pogroms, and this temple will help our people preserve and protect our national conscience and our religion," said 62-year-old Tossoun Avdalian, who came from Russia.

"After seeing so many atrocities, we now have a new sanctuary and we feel strong and united", adds another faithful, Aram Usubov, 31 years old.

The faithful remove their shoes before entering and kiss the walls near the entrance. Inside, the sacred symbol of the peacock welcomes them. In front of the altar, they pray and knot pieces of cloth representing their wishes.

Outside, a stall sells souvenirs in the image of the sacred bird.

The Yazidi faith is considered "satanic" by the IS, which launched a campaign of terrible persecution against the Yazidis in their Sinjar region of Iraq.

Victims of abuses, such as rape, kidnapping and slavery, their figurehead today is the Nobel Peace Prize 2018, Nadia Murad, who was a sex slave of jihadists.

Before 2014, there were 550,000 in Iraq, a third of the Yazidis in the world, but since then, 100,000 have gone into exile and another 360,000 are piling up in IDP camps, mostly in Kurdistan.

The new temple in Armenia opened 35 kilometers from the capital, Yerevan, in the village of Aknalich, home to around 150 Yazidis. Its construction was partially financed by a wealthy Yazidi businessman based in Russia, Mirza Sloïan, born in the region.

With its white Persian marble walls and polished granite, the 25-meter tall structure includes a vast prayer hall, a religious school and a museum.

The seven domes with their solar symbol represent the seven angels of creation, recalling the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism.

© 2019 AFP