Yazidis in Armenia

Early 20th century Many Yazidis came to the Russian Empire (now the territory of Armenia and Georgia) under their leader Temur Agha during the 19th and his grandson Usuv Beg in late 19th and early 20th centuries to escape religious persecution, as they were oppressed by the Ottoman Turks and the Sunni Kurds who tried to convert them to Islam. The Yazidis were massacred alongside the Armenians during the Armenian genocide, causing many to flee to Russian-held parts of Armenia. In a letter from Usuv Beg to the Russian tsar, Usuv Beg expressed gratitude to the Romanovs for sheltering Yazidis, who had fled from the Ottoman Empire 60 years previously, under the leadership of his grandfather, Temur Agha. In addition, he writes that his people are Yazidi Kurds. He indicates his nationality as Kurdish, but specifies that they are Yazidi by religion: The first Yazidi school in Armenia was opened in 1920. Nagorno-Karabakh War In 1988, the 3rd All-Armenian Yazidi Assembly, (convened on 30 September 1989 - the two previous assemblies occurred at the dawn of the Armenian SSR's history, in 1921 and 1923) asked for official recognition of their identity by the government. As a result, Yazidis were presented as a separate minority in the USSR population census of 1989. According to this census, the total count of Yazidis in Armenia was 52,700. In 2020, after the break out of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war, many Yazidis in Armenia again volunteered to defend Artsakh. == Soviet intellectualism ==

Yazidi intellectuals played a crucial role in fostering a secularized idea of Kurdish nationalism that would bridge across the religious divide which had historically separated Yazidi communities from their fellow Kurdish-speaking Muslims. These vanguards of Soviet Kurdish culture consisted of Yazidis such as the linguist Arab Shamilov who published the first novel in Kurmancî by the title of Şivanê Kurmanca. It also included many other famous intellectuals such as Qanatê Kurdo, Casimê Celîl, Emînê Evdal, Ferîkê Ûsiv, Celîlê Celîl, Ordîxanê Celîl, Hecîyê Cindî and the poet Shikoye Hasan. The years 1932-1938 are considered the golden period for the development of Kurdish culture in Soviet Armenia. In 1934, a conference was held in Yerevan between the Kurdish writers about writing in Kurdish where topics such as the creation of Kurdish neologisms for new technical devices and concepts were discussed. From 1929 onwards, the number of printed books in the Kurdish language increased rapidly in Armenia, and in 1932, a branch of the within Writers' Union of the Armenian SSR was founded for Kurdish authors who were strongly influenced by Armenian and Russian literature. The Kurdish-Yazidi intellectuals Emînê Avdal, Heciyê Cindî and Casimê Celîl published their works in the famous Kurdish newspaper Riya Teze (The New Way), which began its publication in Yerevan in 1930. The first theatre play Qitiya du dermana (The Medicine Box, 1932) was written by Heciyê Cindî, who dedicated his life to collecting material related to Kurdish folklore and publishing them. Wezirê Nadir wrote a second play, titled Reva Jin (The Abduction) in 1935. A few years later, Wezîrê also wrote a long poem titled Nado û Gulizer, which narrated a heroic story about a young Kurd and his fiancée during the war. The most famous Kurdish novelist of this period was Arab Shamilov, who in 1929 published Şivanê Kurmanca (The Kurdish/Kurmanji Shepherd), which is considered to be the first novel in Kurmancî. Cinema, Theatre and Radio The first Kurdish film was titled Zare (Zerê) and was produced in Soviet Armenia by Arme-Kino in 1926. It was a silent and black-and-white movie which was 72-minutes long and was directed by Hamo Beknazarian (sound was added in the 1970s). This film is about 1915 love story between a Yazidi couple, the young and beautiful Zare, and the shepherd Saydo. In line with the communist ideology which dominated in the 1920s, the film shows how the administration of the tsar takes advantage of the ignorance of Kurds to exploit them with the help of spiritual and tribal leaders. In 1933, another film about Yazidi Kurds was produced in Armenia. It was titled "Krder-ezidner" (Kurds-Yazidis) and was also a silent film, it was 52-minute long and recorded in black-and-white. The director was Amasi Martirosyan. The film documented and exhibited the establishment of a kolkhoz in an Armenian Yazidi village ==Present situation==

Demographics According to the 2022 census, there are 31,079 Yazidis in Armenia. Media have estimated the number of Yazidis in Armenia as between 30,000 and 50,000. Most of them are descendants of refugees to Armenia following the persecution during Ottoman rule, including during the Armenian genocide, when many Armenians found refuge in Yazidi villages. A minority of Yazidis in Armenia (around 3,600) converted to Christianity, but they are not accepted by the other Yazidis as Yazidis, and often are the result of mixed Armenian-Yazidi marriages, since the Yazidi religion does not accept outsiders. Yazidis in Armenia are recognized as an ethnic group, which according to a report has been perceived as an attempt to promote a non-Kurdish identity and has angered many in the community. Sympathy for the Kurdistan Workers' Party is also widespread. Age structure Ethnic Yazidis have a slightly younger population compared to ethnic Armenians. Almost 54 percent is under thirty years old, while 8 percent is aged sixty or older. Political rights Election Code of Armenia guarantees one seat in the National Assembly to represent the country's Yazidi population. The seat is currently held by Rustam Bakoyan, a member of the ruling Civil Contract Party. Culture In January 2021, the national theater of Yazidis was opened in Vagharshapat, with the first play being about the fallen Yazidi soldiers of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Memorials and religious sites . In 2016 a memorial to fallen Yazidis was installed in downtown Yerevan downtown in a park at the intersection of Isahakyan and Nalbandyan streets. The world's largest Yazidi temple, Quba Mere Diwane in Aknalich, was opened in 2020. Another temple named Quba Mere Diwane opened on 2 September 2019, and is dedicated to Melek Taus, one of seven angels in Yazidi theology. Religion The vast majority of Yazidis in Armenia are followers of the Yazidi religion, which they call Sharfadin. In recent years, some Yazidis have converted to proselytizing neo-Protestant Christian denominations, namely the Jehovah's Witnesses. According to one study from 2018, the Yazidi-populated village of Sadunts consists entirely of Yazidis who have become members of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Attendance school rates among children in the Yazidi ethnic minority continued to be lower than average, partially due to economic reasons, a lack of Yazidi teachers and books, and the early removal of teenage girls from schools for marriage. In 2006, UNICEF supported the government's effort to publish textbooks for ethnic minorities, and in 2007 new Yazidi language textbooks appeared in some Yazidi schools around the country. Also through Armenian government support the first Yazidi newspaper was published named Ezdikhana (formerly called Denge Ezdia or Yazidi Voice). Armenia has been described as "the best country for their survival as a community" by some Yazidis. However, according to several reports, harassment against Yazidis exists in the country at non-state level. In a 2007 U.S. Department of State human rights report states that "as in previous years, Yazidi leaders did not complain that police and local authorities subjected their community to discrimination". In August 2021, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement urging Armenian authorities to stop intimidating Sashik Sultanyan, the founder of the Yazidi Center for Human Rights. Sultanyan faces charges of "criminal incitement of hatred and violence" in connection with an interview he gave about Yazidi issues in Armenia. ==Distribution==

There are 22 rural settlements in Armenia with Yazidi majority. The biggest Yazidi village in Armenia is Verin Artashat in Ararat Province with 4,270 residents. Aragatsotn Province There are 19 Yazidi-inhabited villages in Aragatsotn Province. Armavir Province There are two Yazidi villages in Armavir Province: Yeraskhahun and Ferik, both in the former Ejmiatsin district. On 29 September 2012, Yazidis opened their first temple outside their Lalish homeland, the temple of Ziarat in Aknalich in the Armavir Province of Armenia. In September 2019, the world's largest Yazidi temple was opened next to the temple of Ziarat under the name Quba Mere Diwane. Ararat Province The only Yazidi village in Ararat Province is Verin Artashat, near Artashat. ==Notable Armenian-Yazidi people==

• Aziz Tamoyan • Amar Suloev • Aziz Shavershian • Roman Amoyan • Zara Mgoyan • Emerîkê Serdar • Emînê Evdal • Arab Shamilov • Eskerê Boyîk • Heciyê Cindî • Têmûrê Xelîl • Tosinê Reşîd • Xelîlê Çaçan Mûradov • Jalile Jalil • Jangir Agha • Ordîxanê Celîl • Khanna Omarkhali, an academic born in Armenia but now residing in Germany • Kyaram Sloyan • Usuv Beg • Haje Bakoyan ==See also==