 Map of Yazidis in Armenia by province | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 35,272[1] (2011, census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Armavir, Aragatsotn, Ararat, Kotayk provinces and Yerevan | |
| Languages | |
| Kurmanji,[2] Armenian | |
| Religion | |
| Yazidism[3] |
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| Part of a series on the Yazidi religion |
| Yazidism |
|---|
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Yazidis in Armenia (Armenian: Եզդիները Հայաստանում;[4] Kurdish: Êzîdiyên Ermenistanê[5]) are Yazidis who live in Armenia, where they form the largest ethnic minority. Yazidis settled in the territory of modern-day Armenia mainly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, fleeing religious persecution by the Ottoman Empire. While Yazidis were counted as Kurds in censuses for much of the Soviet period, they are currently recognized as a separate ethnic group in Armenia (for more on the relationship between Yazidis and Kurdish identity, see Yazidis).[6] According to the 2011 census, around 35,000 Yazidis live in Armenia.[7]
The Election Code of Armenia guarantees one seat in the National Assembly for a representative of the Yazidi community. Several religious Yazidi temples exist in Armenia, including the world's largest Yazidi temple Quba Mere Diwane in Aknalich, which was opened in 2020. In 2021, a Yazidi national theater was opened in Vagharshapat.[8]
- ^ "2011 Armenian census" (PDF). National Statistical Service. 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Independentwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Asatrian, Garnik S.; Arakelova, Victoria (2014-09-03). The Religion of the Peacock Angel: The Yezidis and Their Spirit World. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-54429-6.
- ^ "Ինչ բիզնեսներ ունեն եզդիները' Հայաստանում". Arevelk (in Armenian). Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ^ "Hêjeya Êzîdiyan li Ermenîstanê Êzîdî ya Gurcistanê ye" (in Kurdish). Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ^ "The Ethnic Minorities of Armenia" (PDF). Yerevan. 2002.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Armenia to House World's Largest Yazidi Temple". Refworld. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ "Armenia's First Ever Yazidi Theater Opens Today: Play Deals with Recent Artsakh War". Hetq.am. 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2022-05-24.